HLTAHW076
Plan for community emergencies


Application

This unit describes the required skills and knowledge to develop, prepare and promote plans of action for responding to non-medical emergencies that may affect a community. Planning is undertaken in consultation with other agencies and key people, and sets out the roles and responsibilities of workers and others in the community, for responding to an emergency.

This unit applies to senior Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers overseeing clinical aspects of the delivery of primary health care services and/or managing the overall delivery of primary health care services and programs to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities.

The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.


Elements and Performance Criteria

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Elements define the essential outcomes.

Performance criteria specify the level of performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1. Liaise with relevant government agencies

1.1 Identify and analyse existing relevant disaster plans and policies

1.2 Consult government agencies to determine and confirm different and complementary roles in the local disaster plan

2. Identify and liaise with appropriate community organisations

2.1 Identify community organisations and incorporate in an information database

2.2 Use effective communication strategies to establish contact with community organisations

2.3 Identify barriers to effective liaison and develop processes to facilitate communication with other agencies

3. Develop disaster plan to address local requirements

3.1 Collect information on local requirements and resources from key people and organisations

3.2 Clarify roles and responsibilities of all organisations in relation to responding to a disaster

3.3 Ensure local disaster plan is written to reflect local requirements

3.4 Establish a promotions strategy and facilitate implementation

4. Co-ordinate local support

4.1 Seek volunteers for disaster plan designated roles, via identified organisations and public processes

4.2 Clarify individual, team and organisation roles and responsibilities

4.3 Identify team leaders by discussion with organisations

4.4 Hold meetings to discuss disaster plan and personnel requirements

5. Ensure training for volunteers and staff

5.1 Identify training and resource requirements for volunteers and staff

5.2 Coordinate development and promotion of training programs

5.3 Develop, promote and support implementation of training schedule

5.4 Evaluate and modify training as required

6. Evaluate and modify disaster plan

6.1 Consult key people about effectiveness of the disaster plan

6.2 Adapt disaster plan as required to meet community needs

6.3 Distribute amendments to disaster plan to key people

6.4 Provide additional training as required

Evidence of Performance

The candidate must show evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the job role.

There must be evidence that the candidate has:

planned for a community emergency by:

consulting effectively with the community to:

identify local issues

clarify roles and responsibilities of the organisation and community

promote community involvement

facilitate group discussions to develop the plan

consulting with relevant stakeholders, including emergency agencies, to identify responsibilities and roles

making and distributing amendments to disaster plan to key stakeholders

facilitated the implementation of the emergency plan by:

developing and implementing a promotions strategy to inform community, staff and relevant stakeholders

identifying volunteers and coordinating relevant training and resources to support their implementation of the plan

ensuring health service personnel are trained in emergency processes under the plan.

All performance evidence must be demonstrated at least once.


Evidence of Knowledge

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role.

This includes knowledge of:

key community networks relating to emergency response, including local resources, suppliers and tradespeople

relevant legislation, protocols and policies or guidelines

local disaster planning processes

local cultural and community knowledge

networks development

relevant equipment and technology in terms of types, sources, operation and maintenance

client confidentiality requirements.


Assessment Conditions

Skills must be demonstrated working:

in a health service or centre

as a senior member of and/or supervising a primary health care team

with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients.

In addition, simulations and scenarios must be used where the full range of contexts and situations cannot be provided in the workplace or may occur only rarely. These are situations relating to emergency or unplanned procedures where assessment in these circumstances would be unsafe or is impractical.

Simulated assessment environments must simulate the real-life working environment where these skills and knowledge would be performed, with all the relevant equipment and resources of that working environment.

Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.

Assessment must be undertaken by a workplace assessor who has expertise in this unit of competency and who is:

an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker

or:

accompanied by an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person who is a recognised member of the community with experience in primary health care


Foundation Skills

The Foundation Skills describe those required skills (language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills) that are essential to performance.

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.