ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Respond to requests for relevant community information from other police officers or government workers

1.1 Request is acknowledged and satisfied or acknowledged with reason for lack of immediate response

1.2 Requests for information concerning "secret business" is declined as inappropriate for the uninitiated

1.3 Requests for information concerning appropriate behaviour by officers are answered directly or after consultation with community elders

2. Identify local people to other officers

2.1 Persons are identified by European and/or Aboriginal name

2.2 Persons are identified in terms of blood relationships

2.3 Where relevant, persons are identified in terms of Aboriginal skin name and/or kin relations

2.4 Where relevant, persons are identified in terms of dreaming or clan membership

3. Identify local places and access routes to tourists, workers from other government departments and other police officers

3.1 Local place names are explained, and places are pointed out or indicated visually on a map or diagram

3.2 Best access routes are explained or shown and likely dangers pointed out, taking into account weather and/or road conditions

3.3 Culturally significant places and significant places and applicable access/avoidance protocols and/or required permits detailed

4. Explain local cultural structure to other officers when operationally relevant

4.1 Local language groups/people are identified

4.2 Local skin groups and kin relations are explained

4.3 Local kinship terms and avoidance relations are explained

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level, required for this unit.

Required Skills

ability to function in two distinct cultural contexts

Required Knowledge

local knowledge and/or knowledge or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander social structures

this unit presupposes sufficient oral knowledge of English to communicate on ordinary matters and also to relay Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander cultural information

it also presupposes significant cross-cultural knowledge in relating European to non-European approaches to identification

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

It is essential for this unit that competence be demonstrated as follows:

Assessors must obtain evidence that the Aboriginal officer is willing and able to contribute operationally relevant local information as required

It should be noted that the provision of information in reply to a non-Aboriginal person's questioner is a non-trivial performance for most Aboriginal people

Assessors should be fully aware of an Aboriginal person's question/answer styles when determining the possession of the information. They should then determine whether the information would be available to members with a lesser degree of cross-cultural skills. The test at this level is that the information would be made available to a member with sufficient knowledge to formulate the correct type of question

In relation to culturally sensitive issues it is required that the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander officer not volunteer inappropriate information - since that would undermine his or her support in the community - and be prepared to explain to a member of average cross-cultural sensitivity that the information may not be given

Consistency in performance

Evidence should be gathered over a period of time in a range of actual or simulated workplace environments

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Context of assessment

Evidence should be gathered over a period of time in a range of actual or simulated workplace environments

Specific resources for assessment

If an independent assessment needs to be made (see below) then several days would be required to establish relations with the officer assessed and make on-the-job observations

The Range Statement relates to the Unit of Competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the Performance Criteria is detailed below.

Information:

requests for information about the community may include:

its geographic and demographic make-up

its roadways, public thoroughfares, means of transport

the incidence of social disorder or substance abuse

community health or safety programs

identification of community contacts supportive of the policing function

local community leaders

"Secret business" may include:

there may be information of a cultural, ritual or religious nature that either the Aboriginal officer is not privy to or is not culturally permitted to share

Identification includes:

Aboriginal people identify themselves using a different system from non-Aboriginals

the most relevant identification will depend on the context

Culturally significant/sacred sites may include:

certain locations may be culturally forbidden to persons of a particular sex or lineage. Others might be generally "out of bounds", including to police. In some cases entry may be permitted on application to the appropriate persons

Cultural structure may include:

communities might consist of one or more language or clan groups and within these several different kinship groups. In traditional society the behaviour of individuals to one another is determined by their membership in these groups

Avoidance relations may include:

traditional Aboriginal people or non-Aboriginal people may be prohibited from speaking to or remaining in close proximity to members of related kin groups. Since non-Aboriginal people can be adopted into Aboriginal kinship relations this can be a source of difficulty in policing if not understood and taken into account. It also affects the role an Aboriginal officer may play in some circumstances