ELEMENTS 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

Elements describe the essential outcomes

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1. Identify and address immediate needs and circumstances, using trauma informed focus of young people.

1.1 Identify and respond to immediate needs of young people according to nature and degree of urgency.

1.2. Provide young people and their families or nominated carer with information tailored to their capacity of understanding and designed to calm and reassure.

1.3. Observe for and allay distress, anxiety, aggression and apathy.

1.4. Look for and note signs of impairment of functioning in individuals and relationships.

1.5. Engage the young person in purposeful activity, including physical activity to deal with fight or flight, patient accompaniment for freeze behaviour and to help them activate relational and cognitive control.

1.6. Identify and respond to longer term needs of young people according to circumstances, opportunities and threats in their environment.

2. Explore and clarify issues facing the young person as the primary stakeholder and the nature of support sought.

2.1. Offer the young person adequate opportunity to explore and clarify the issues facing them.

2.2. Support the young person’s agency and right to self-determination.

2.3. Negotiate involvement of other parties as required to meet the needs of the young person.

2.4. Listen actively and positively to young person’s issues, needs, views and feelings about their issues and accepting support.

2.5. Make renewed attempts through modified approaches and responses where there are communication difficulties.

2.6. Describe and analyse the nature and scope of the issues and check with the young person for completeness and accuracy.

2.7. Clearly explain to the young person the role and capacity of the worker to provide assistance and support.

2.8. Obtain relevant information from others about the young person’s potential need for support.

2.9. Clearly explain young person’s right to access information and to query the worker’s actions.

3. Facilitate goal setting and action planning.

3.1. Encourage and support the young person to work out their own goals and priorities and to assess feasibility.

3.2. Identify and explain in a supportive manner any risks arising from the young person’s choices.

3.3. Offer further options to the young person without imposition and pressure.

3.4. Emphasise and negotiate young person’s responsibility for determining and achieving their goals.

3.5. Encourage young people to identify and prioritise long- and short-term goals based on individual responsibility and personal choice.

3.6. Support the young person to develop strategies to act on goals.

3.7. Encourage young person to identify and analyse factors that have contributed to past behaviour and obstacles to achieving individual and family goals.

3.8. Identify unrealistic expectations, challenge negative attitudes and unacceptable objectives, and re-negotiate plans.

4. Provide targeted assistance and referral.

4.1. Discuss availability, type and nature of services and resources to help the young person.

4.2. Advise the young person about legal, statutory and organisational provisions which may affect their situation and confirm young person’s understanding of information provided.

4.3. Establish systems to ensure information and referral sources within organisation are up-to-date, comprehensive, accurate, accessible and relevant to young people.

4.4. Continually monitor effectiveness of service delivery and resolve problems of access, services and resources.

4.5. Ensure all documentation and reporting is in accordance with organisational policies and procedures.

5. Act as an advocate on request.

5.1. Interpret young person requests for advocacy to identify the scope and goals of the advocacy role and outline and negotiate the scope and goals with the young person.

5.2. Respond to young person’s request for support and accompany the young person during first stage of access to services to enable them to gain confidence to go alone.

5.3. Represent the young person’s interests clearly and accurately as agreed with the young person.

5.4. Explain to the young person all representations made on their behalf in a manner and language suitable to their information needs and circumstances and confirm their understanding.

5.5. Ensure decisions and actions taken on behalf of the young person are consistent with their expressed and implied preferences and interests.

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