Unit of competency details

CHC08 Version 3 

CHC08 Version 4 

Description 

CHCICS401A Facilitate support for personal care needs

CHCICS401B Facilitate support for personal care needs

Unit updated in V4.

Formatting and grammatical corrections. No change to competency outcome

ISC upgrade changes to remove references to old OHS legislation and replace with references to new WHS legislation. No change to competency outcome.

Descriptor 

This unit describes the knowledge and skills required by workers to develop, implement and monitor support of client personal care needs through the framework of a personal care support plan

Application 

Work performed requires a range of well developed skills where some discretion and judgement is required and individuals will take responsibility for their own outputs

Employability Skills 

This unit contains Employability Skills

Elements define the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

The Performance Criteria specify the level of performance required to demonstrate achievement of the Element. Terms in italics are elaborated in the Range Statement.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Determine a person's personal care support requirements

1.1 Review referral and other information to gain an indication of the client's personal care support requirements

1.2 Discuss the purpose of a personal care needs assessment with the client

1.3 Work with client (and carer) to identify existing skills

1.4 Work with client (and carer) to determine areas of personal care that require support

1.5 Determine the level of personal support required by the person

1.6 Determine the level of support provided by the carer

1.7 Determine a client's preferences for personal care support

1.8 Gather information about personal need support requirements in a manner that respects personal esteem and dignity

1.9 Gather information according to organisation policy and procedures

2. Develop and implement personal care support plan

2.1 Discuss with client the need to maintain their existing relevant skills, and/or increase skills

2.2 Identify and discuss options with client for personal care support that maintains existing skills, and/or increase other skills

2.3 Check that the client (and carer) understand options

2.4 Discuss the worker role in personal care support, the client's role and the carer's role and check that details are appropriate

2.5 Describe to client (and carer) necessary processes, equipment and aids

2.6 Describe health care requirements and associated support activities within organisation policies, protocols and procedures

2.7 Clarify with client difficulties in meeting their needs and address with organisation protocols

2.8 Provide people with information to assist them in meeting their personal needs

2.9 Implement personal care support plan and record and analyse outcomes

2.10 Maintain client confidentiality, privacy and dignity within organisation policy and protocols

2.11 Work with client (and carer) to document plan according to organisation policies, protocols and procedures

3. Determine risks associated with providing personal care support

3.1 Conduct environmental risk assessment for functions associated with personal care needs

3.2 Conduct risk assessment specific to client's circumstances relevant to personal care needs

3.3 Discuss elements of risk with client (and carer)

3.4 Work with client (and carer) to identify strategies to remove or reduce risk

3.5 Develop strategies to remove or reduce risk according to organisation policy and procedures and legislative requirements

3.6 Identify other risks to client and report accordingly

3.7 Adjust personal care support plan to include strategies to remove or reduce risk

4. Provide and monitor personal care support

4.1 Provide information and support for client to monitor their own personal care requirements where appropriate

4.2 Respond to variations in client's circumstances that could affect the personal care needs support requirements

4.3 Work with client (and carer / support worker where appropriate) to make any required adjustments to personal care support

4.4 Where required, assist client with:

• showering
• bed bathing
• shaving
• dressing, undressing and grooming
• toileting and the use of continence aids
• eating and drinking using appropriate feeding techniques
• oral hygiene
• mobility and transfer including in and out of vehicles and falls recovery techniques

4.5 Provide support or assistance with technical care activities according to the personal care support plan and organisation policies, protocols and procedures

5. Complete reporting and documentation

5.1 Comply with the organisation's reporting requirements including reporting observations to supervisor

5.2 Complete documentation according to organisation policy and protocols

5.3 Maintain documentation in a manner consistent with reporting requirements

5.4 File documentation organisation policy and protocols

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

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

Essential 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

These include:

• A range of equipment and aids utilised in the delivery of personal care support
• Basic principles associated with the assessment of personal care support requirements
• Basics of body care and grooming
• Knowledge of planning processes and requirements
• Knowledge to develop an individualised plan for personal care support, including terminology, basic anatomy and physiology, goals, objectives, actions
• Personal safety and security risks associated with providing personal care support
• Principles and practices in undertaking technical skills associated with supporting/assisting people to meet personal needs
• Principles and practices of confidentiality and privacy
• Processes and strategies to support client’s personal care needs
• Role of carers
• Significance of service setting including specific context of providing personal care support in residential care setting and specific context of providing personal care in the client’s private home
• Strategies to minimise personal safety and security risks associated with personal care support
• Understanding of own work role and responsibilities
• Work health and safety (WHS) and infection control policy, procedures and legislative requirements

Essential skills:

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to:

• Adhere to own work role and responsibilities
• Apply physical and psychosocial aspects of the client in supporting/assisting personal care needs
• Communicate effectively with client requiring support with personal care support
• Develop a personal care support plan as part of a wider individualised plan
• Facilitate a client’s direction and participation in personal care activities
• Facilitate involvement of clients (and carers) in the planning and monitoring process
• Follow organisation policies and protocols
• Identify and respond to a client’s personal preferences
• Identify and respond to risks associated with providing personal care support
• Identify variations to personal care support requirements
• Liaise and report appropriately to supervisor and/or health professionals
• Provide general hygiene and grooming including physical ability to perform personal care tasks
• Undertake observation and reporting
• Use personal care support processes, aids and equipment appropriately

In addition, the candidate must be able 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

These include the ability to:

• Apply reading and writing skills required to fulfil work role in a safe manner and as specified by the organisation/service:

• this requires a level of skill that enables the worker to follow work-related instructions and directions and the ability to seek clarification and comments from supervisors, clients and colleagues
• industry work roles will require workers to possess a literacy level that will enable them to interpret international safety signs, read client’s service delivery plans, make notations in clients records and complete workplace forms and records

• Apply oral communication skills required to fulfil work role in a safe manner and as specified by the organisation:

• this requires a level of skill that enables the worker to follow work-related instructions and directions and the ability to seek clarification and comments from supervisors, clients and colleagues
• industry work roles will require workers to possess oral communication skills that will enable them to ask questions, clarify understanding, recognise and interpret non-verbal cues, provide information and express encouragement

• Apply numeracy skills required to fulfil work role in a safe manner and as specified by the organisation:

• industry work roles will require workers to be able to perform basic mathematical functions, such as addition and subtraction up to three digit numbers and multiplication and division of single and double-digit numbers

• Apply basic problem solving skills to resolve problems of limited difficulty within organisation protocols
• Work effectively with clients, colleagues and supervisors
• Demonstrate safe and effective use of workplace technology in line with WHS guidelines

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

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

• The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
• It is recommended that assessment or information for assessment will be conducted or gathered over a period of time and cover the normal range of workplace situations and settings
• This unit will be most appropriately assessed in the workplace and under the normal range of workplace conditions
• Where, for reasons of safety, space, or access to equipment and resources, assessment takes place away from the workplace, the assessment environment should represent workplace conditions as closely as possible

Access and equity considerations:

• All workers in community services should be aware of access, equity and human rights issues in relation to their own area of work
• All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
• In recognition of particular issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities

Context of and specific resources for assessment:

• This unit can be assessed independently, however holistic assessment practice with other community services units of competency is encouraged
• Resources required for assessment include access to:

• appropriate workplace where assessment can take place
• relevant organisation policy, protocols and procedures
• WHS industry guides
• health care checklists, health management plans, personal healthcare diaries
• equipment and resources normally used in the workplace

Method of assessment may includes:

• Observation in the workplace
• Written assignments/projects
• Case study and scenario analysis
• Questioning
• Role play simulation

Related units:

This unit must be assessed in relation to the specific context in which it will (or may) be applied

In the case of working with older people, this unit is recommended (but not required) to be assessed in conjunction with:

• CHCAC318A Work effectively with older people

OR 

In the case of working with people with disabilities, it is recommended (but not required) to be assessed in conjunction with:

• CHCDIS301A Work effectively with people with a disability

RANGE STATEMENT 

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Work with the client (and carer) may include:

• Questioning
• Formal assessment tool
• Demonstration
• Provision of personal care

Client may include:

• People living in a residential care environment
• People living in the community
• Students in schools

Preferences for personal care support may include:

• Time of day
• Time of week
• Carer involvement
• Processes
• Procedures
• Products
• Carer preference e.g. male/female

Personal care support may include:

• Personal hygiene
• Oral hygiene
• Showering
• Bed bathing
• Shaving
• Dressing and grooming including assisting with pressure stocking
• Assisting with toileting and use of continence aids
• Assisting with eating and drinking and use of feeding techniques
• Assisting with oral health care
• Mobility and transfer including in and out of vehicles and falls recovery techniques
• Elimination
• Hydration and nutrition including dysphagia
• Respiration
• Skin maintenance
• Monitoring medication as appropriate to work role
• Provide support or assistance with technical care activities according to the personal care needs support plan and organisation policies, protocols and procedures

Technical care activities may include:

• Blood pressure measurement
• Blood glucose level measurement
• Temperature, pulse and respiration (TPR) measurement
• Simple wound care
• Tracheal suctioning
• Gastrostomy feeds
• Catheter care (not including insertion or removal of tubes)
• Application of protheses
• Application of auto-thrombotic stockings
• Assistance with breathing tubes (under direct supervision of a health professional)
• Simple eye care

Equipment and aids may include:

• Wheelchairs and other transport devices
• Mobility aids
• Lifting and transferring aids
• Beds
• Breathing devices
• Scales
• Continence aids
• Personal audio-visual aids
• Modified feeding aids

Environmental risk may include:

• Home environment, including:

• bathroom
• toilet
• kitchen
• dining area
• bedroom

• Safety of access issues
• Infection
• Uncontained animals
• Environmental hazards:

• slippery or uneven floor surfaces
• physical obstructions (e.g. furniture and equipment)
• poor home maintenance
• poor or inappropriate lighting
• inadequate heating and cooling devices
• inadequate security

Risk assessment specific to client's circumstances may relate to:

• Weight
• Skin integrity
• Infection
• Evidence of self-neglect
• Behaviours of concern
• Impaired judgement and problem solving abilities
• Impaired cognitive functioning

Other risks to client may include:

• Evidence of self-neglect
• Evidence of abuse
• Social rights infringements

Legislative requirements may include:

• WHS legislation and industry guides
• Duty of care
• Government program standards

Reporting may be, and include:

• Verbal:

• telephone
• face-to-face

• Non-verbal (written):

• progress reports
• case notes
• hazard and incident reports
• care plans