Unit of competency

Modification History

Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to assess the vulnerabilities of people who have been subjected to domestic and family violence, and to work collaboratively with those people to develop implement and review safety plans.

This unit applies to workers who operate with significant autonomy in therapeutic professional service roles in the community sector. The activity is self-directed.

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

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.

Unit Mapping Information

No equivalent unit

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=5e0c25cc-3d9d-4b43-80d3-bd22cc4f1e53

Assessment requirements

Modification History

Performance Evidence

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:

• developed and documented safety plans that take account of legal requirements and specific vulnerabilities, with and for at least 3 people who have been subjected to domestic and family violence
• reviewed at least 2 different safety plans based on client and broader network feedback
• used interpersonal communication skills to establish and maintain trusting relationships, including:

• questioning
• active listening
• paraphrasing
• clarifying
• summarising
• rapport building.

Knowledge Evidence

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the work role. This includes knowledge of:

• legal and ethical considerations for the domestic and family violence work, and how these are applied in organisations and individual practice:

• codes of conduct
• discrimination
• duty of care
• human rights
• mandatory reporting
• practitioner/client boundaries
• privacy, confidentiality and disclosure, including limited confidentiality rationale and processes
• policy frameworks
• records management
• rights and responsibilities of workers, employers and clients
• specific legislative frameworks that apply to domestic and family violence, including child protection

• domestic violence and its context, including:

• social, historical, political and economic context of domestic violence, including types and nature of domestic violence, power and gender issues, child abuse and associated criminal issues
• prevalence of domestic and family violence
• dynamics of domestic and family violence
• prevalence of myths, unhelpful beliefs, attitudes and practices in the broader society regarding domestic violence and their effects on individuals’ rights to safety and autonomy

• diversity groups represented within the local community (e.g. cultural, religious, language, sexual identity, age and disability) and an understanding of the issues that arise when working with those groups
• theoretical perspectives informing domestic and family violence work with people affected by violence
• theoretical perspective informing behaviour change programs which emphasise accountability, responsibility, people’s capacity for behaviour change and moves towards acceptable and constructive alternatives to harmful behaviour
• potential vulnerabilities of people who have been subjected to domestic and family violence, and appropriate responses, including:

• alcohol and other drug issues
• disabilities
• lack of care for self
• limited literacy
• limited sense of future
• mental health difficulties
• parenting difficulties
• poverty
• social isolation

• types of community obligations and their impact on safety planning, including:

• cultural commitments to people within and beyond their family
• employment commitments
• parenting responsibilities
• social and cultural responsibilities

• respectful strategies that will assist clients to take steps toward safety
• theories and concepts of planning and control procedures, resource management and risk management
• techniques for dealing with stressed and traumatised clients
• own values and attitudes and their potential impact on clients
• potential obstacles and opportunities for clients that may impact on safety planning.

Assessment Conditions

Skills must have been demonstrated in the workplace or in a simulated environment that reflects workplace conditions. The following conditions must be met for this unit:

• use of suitable facilities, equipment and resources, including:

• client information
• organisation policies and procedures

• modelling of industry operating conditions, including:

• scenarios that involve complex interactions and problem solving with other people.

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

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=5e0c25cc-3d9d-4b43-80d3-bd22cc4f1e53