Unit of competency details
HLTASEW002 - Assess and support the social and emotional wellbeing of clients (Release 1)
Summary
Usage recommendation:
Current
Releases:
| 1 1 (this release) |
15/Dec/2022 |
Companion volumes:
Unit of competency
Assessment requirements
Training packages that include this unit
Qualifications that include this unit
Accredited courses that have this unit in the completion mapping
Classifications
Classification history
| ASCED Module/Unit of Competency Field of Education Identifier | 061305 | Indigenous Health | 08/Feb/2023 | |
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Unit of competency
Modification History
Not applicable.
Application
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to complete assessments of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander client social and emotional needs as part of a multidisciplinary health care team.
It also covers the provision of primary support to assist clients to manage their wellbeing and make informed choices about their care and use of support services.
Social and emotional wellbeing assessments do not extend to assessments of mental illness but during assessments indicators may be present, and clients would be referred for further assessment.
This unit is specific to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people working as health workers or health practitioners. They work as part of a multidisciplinary primary health care team to complete assessments and provide primary health care services to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients.
The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State or Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice.
No regulatory requirement for certification, occupational or business licensing is linked to this unit at the time of publication. For information about practitioner registration and accredited courses of study, contact the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia (ATSIHPBA).
Pre-requisite Unit
Nil
Competency Field
Social and Emotional Wellbeing
Unit Sector
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health
Elements and Performance Criteria
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ELEMENTS
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PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
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Elements describe the essential outcomes
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Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.
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1. Obtain client history and information about social and emotional wellbeing.
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1.1. Build trust and rapport with client by showing sensitivity and empathy during all interactions.
1.2. Explain organisational requirements for maintaining confidentiality of information and permission for disclosure.
1.3. Obtain and document client and family social history and discuss specific problems using culturally appropriate and safe communication.
1.4. Utilise relevant assessment tools designed to evaluate emotional wellbeing.
1.5. Seek information about critical incidents with sensitivity and respect for the physical, emotional and cultural safety and security of those affected.
1.6. Respond to disclosures of past or current trauma or abuse using principles of trauma informed care.
1.7. Observe client verbal and non-verbal behaviour to identify any indicators of emotional distress, trauma, abuse and mental illness.
1.8. Encourage clients, as relevant, to discuss patterns of use of alcohol and other drugs and recognise signs that indicate dependence.
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2. Evaluate information and consult on outcomes.
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2.1. Evaluate information provided by client and client’s verbal and non-verbal behaviours.
2.2. Assess responses to questions and assessment tools that indicate emotional distress and underlying causes.
2.3. Consider the impacts of disclosed and indicated trauma and abuse on the client.
2.4. Recognise signs and symptoms of mental illness and refer to multidisciplinary team members for further action.
2.5. Participate in discussions with multidisciplinary team to assess the significance of the presenting social and emotional problem/s and the complexity of underlying cause/s.
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3. Respond to issues of serious concern.
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3.1. Identify clients who are at risk of self-harm, suicide and violence.
3.2. Respond promptly and supportively to facilitate referrals for crisis intervention according to client needs and preferences.
3.3. Recognise situations requiring mandatory reports and complete according to procedural and legal requirements and within scope of own responsibility.
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4. Discuss assessment outcomes and assist client with self-management approaches.
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4.1. Provide clear and accurate information about assessment outcomes in culturally safe ways and encourage client questions.
4.2. Explain to client their role in managing and improving their wellbeing and elements of self-management.
4.3. Support and encourage client to express their needs, preferences and choices for emotional care.
4.4. Assist clients to actively participate in the planning of their care.
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5. Provide resources and information about support services.
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5.1. Provide culturally appropriate consumer based education resources about managing social and emotional wellbeing to clients.
5.2. Inform clients about available support services and facilitate access according to client needs and preferences.
5.3. Advise clients about available therapeutic services, how these can be accessed and facilitate referrals.
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6. Support client to cope with social and emotional wellbeing problems.
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6.1. Communicate consistently in culturally appropriate and safe ways.
6.2. Identify and promote the use of client’s own support networks in managing and improving their wellbeing.
6.3. Support the complementary role of traditional healers in maintaining and healing social and emotional wellbeing.
6.4. Explain to the client the importance of self-monitoring emotional responses and using self-care practices.
6.5. Advise on basic stress management techniques and other activities that enhance emotional wellbeing.
6.6. Explain to client importance of regular reassessments in the management of their social and emotional wellbeing.
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7. Complete documentation and provide follow-up support.
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7.1. Update client records to include details of assessment results, services, information and referrals provided to client according to organisational procedures.
7.2. Plan and provide continuity of support in consultation with client and multidisciplinary team.
7.3. Organise follow up support for clients using organisational client information systems and follow-up procedures.
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8. Care for self.
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8.1. Identify risks to self that arise from work involving the social and emotional wellbeing of others.
8.2. Recognise, evaluate and monitor own feelings and responses to client distress.
8.3. Use techniques to manage own stress and identify need for social and emotional support, formal debriefing and supervision.
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Foundation Skills
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Foundation skills essential to performance in this unit, but not explicit in the performance criteria are listed here, along with a brief context statement.
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SKILLS
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DESCRIPTION
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Reading skills to:
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- interpret the meaning of questions in assessment tools used to evaluate emotional wellbeing
- interpret detailed and sometimes unfamiliar plain language consumer based education resources.
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Writing skills to:
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- use fundamental sentence structure, health terminology and abbreviations to complete forms and reports that require factual and subjective information.
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Oral communication skills to:
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- use language and terms sensitive to clients’ values and emotional state
- select and use terms that are respectful, non-judgmental, and which emphasise positivity
- ask open and closed probe questions and actively listen to elicit information and preferences from clients.
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Learning skills to:
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- use information provided in credible evidence based consumer resources to update and extend knowledge of social and emotional wellbeing issues, care options and available support services.
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Initiative and enterprise skills to:
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- source information that meets the specific needs of clients and families.
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Unit Mapping Information
This unit supersedes and is not equivalent to HLTAHW009 Provide information about social and emotional support or HLTAHW017 Assess and support client's social and emotional wellbeing or HLTAHW047 Support and promote social and emotional wellbeing of staff and clients. Content merged.
Links
Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=ced1390f-48d9-4ab0-bd50-b015e5485705
Assessment requirements
Modification History
Not applicable.
Performance Evidence
Evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit in the context of the job role, and:
- complete a social and emotional wellbeing assessment, and provide support to five different Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients including:
- children
- adolescents
- adults
- for each of the five clients:
- use an assessment tool, designed to evaluate emotional wellbeing, suited to the needs of the client
- evaluate all assessment information
- participate in multidisciplinary team assessment discussions to determine the current status of the client’s emotional wellbeing
- discuss assessment outcomes with the client, and for children, their family or carer
- source credible consumer based education resources about social and emotional management, and clearly explain these to the client
- explain different types of self-care coping strategies
- source information about non-clinical support services, explain their key features and advise the client how to access services
- plan and organise continuity of support in consultation with the client and multidisciplinary team
- document, in client’s records, accurate details of:
- social history
- discussions and observations completed, and screening tool results
- evaluation notes about the social and emotional wellbeing of each client
- services, information and referrals provided
- according to actual client interactions or case study documentation:
- participate in multidisciplinary team discussions, identify signs of the following, and facilitate referrals to required services:
- two different types of mental health illness
- self-harm
- risk of suicide
- substance dependence
- identify one mandatory reporting requirement and implement procedures to notify
- reflect on and evaluate own response to two client interactions and their distress, and identify self-care strategies that can be implemented.
Knowledge Evidence
Demonstrated knowledge required to complete the tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit:
- organisational policies and procedures for:
- maintaining client confidentiality
- documenting health assessments, referrals and support services provided
- local state or territory legal requirements, and
- requirements of practitioner codes of conduct, and organisational procedures for:
- reporting children at risk or presenting with signs of abuse or neglect
- reporting practitioner clients who present with issues that may put their patients or clients at harm
- the potential reach of a multidisciplinary social and emotional wellbeing team, and an overview of the roles and boundaries of those who may be involved in assessments and care, to include:
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health workers and practitioners
- primary health practitioners: general medical practitioners and nurses
- mental health practitioners: psychiatrists, mental health nurses, psychologists
- qualified counsellors including alcohol and other drug counsellors
- social workers
- community workers
- mental health workers
- social service providers
- how multidisciplinary team members work together to coordinate holistic social and emotional wellbeing care and support, and how to facilitate referrals
- how the cause/s and impacts of the social and emotional wellbeing problem/s will determine the multidimensional care and referral response
- techniques to effectively communicate with clients when assessing and supporting their social and emotional wellbeing needs to:
- build rapport and trust
- sensitively probe and elicit responses
- encourage clients to disclose personally confronting issues
- tailor discussions and question to different ages, genders and circumstances
- de-escalate difficult or dangerous conversations and interactions
- key information collected and recorded in medical histories, specifically relevant to a client’s social and emotional wellbeing
- scope and boundaries of social and emotional wellbeing and mental health assessment and how they can differ and intersect
- key features of assessment tools used to evaluate emotional wellbeing:
- the difference between screening tools and diagnostic tools
- purpose and utility of assessment tools and how these contribute to an overall assessment
- scoring systems and how scaled outcomes are used as a simple measure of a client’s current emotional status
- different tools used for different types of emotional issues
- how trauma may underpin the presentation of social and emotional distress, and an overview of verbal and non-verbal behaviours that may indicate exposure to:
- sexual assault
- sexual abuse
- emotional and physical abuse
- witnessing abuse of others including family and community members
- ways in which children and adolescents can present and specific indicators of childhood trauma, abuse and neglect
- the meaning of the following principles of trauma informed care, and how these can be practically implemented when assessing and supporting the social and emotional wellbeing needs of clients
- safety
- trustworthiness
- choice
- collaboration
- empowerment
- overview of the signs and symptoms of different types of mental illness and presenting behavioural indicators:
- mood disorders including depression and bipolar disorder
- anxiety disorders
- psychotic disorders including schizophrenia
- eating disorders
- substance misuse disorders
- trauma-related disorders
- overview of the signs and symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- for the use of alcohol and other drugs (AOD):
- patterns of use that indicate dependence
- behavioural indicators of dependence
- dual nature of the relationship between mental health issues, and dependence on alcohol and other drugs
- the concept of dual diagnosis and co-existing mental health and AOD issues
- referral pathways for those with AOD issues
- for people at risk of self-harm and suicide:
- common risk factors
- common verbal and non-verbal behavioural indicators
- types of rapid response assessment questions and actions that can be used to triage
- emergency referral pathways
- indicators of imminent risk to the safety of client or other people and protocols for responding to these situations
- the elements of client self-management, and the importance of the client’s role in managing and improving their social and emotional wellbeing:
- knowing about the particular type of problem they are experiencing
- sharing in decision-making about participation in care and support services
- monitoring and managing signs and symptoms of emotional responses or distress
- accessing and using support services
- current and credible consumer based education resources about social and emotional wellbeing management in the client decision-making process to access support
- care and support service uptake on wellbeing outcomes
- respecting client values and choice of care and support service uptake, and how to provide balanced and evidence based information to assist with decisions
- care and support services available in the community, state or territory:
- for the presenting emotional problem in particular
- non-clinical support services to assist with the underlying cause(s)
- specialist services available to people of different genders and ages, and to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
- how to access information about the types of services and consumer based education resources they provide
- therapeutic services and any associated costs and benefits paid
- how clients can access services and the role of health workers and practitioners in facilitating access
- self-care practices that can be utilised by both clients and those involved in work supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of others:
- monitoring distress, and methods that can be used
- managing emotional distress, and techniques and activities that can be used
- seeking assistance and engaging with own support networks including family, friends and community groups
- for health workers:
- meaning of countertransference and the need to remain neutral when providing care
- the role of other team members and colleagues in providing support
- the role and importance of formal debriefing and professional supervision sessions, and how to access these
- the importance of continuity of care for clients experiencing social and emotional problems
- how to use client information systems to follow-up clients for care.
Assessment Conditions
Skills must be demonstrated in a health service workplace within a multidisciplinary primary health care team.
Evidence of performance must be gathered:
- during on-the-job assessments in the workplace under live conditions while interacting with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, or
- during off-the-job assessments in the workplace, not under live conditions, using simulated activities while interacting with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
Evidence of workplace performance can be gathered and reported through third party report processes. (Refer to the Companion Volume Implementation Guide for information on third party reporting.)
Evidence can be supplemented by assessments in a simulated workplace environment using simulated activities, scenarios or case studies only when:
- the full range of situations covered by the unit cannot be provided in the individual’s workplace, or
- situations covered by the unit occur only rarely in the individual’s workplace.
Assessment must ensure the use of:
- client records
- template forms or reports for documenting client histories, assessment details and results
- assessment tools used to evaluate different types of emotional issues
- current and credible consumer based education resources from care and support services about social and emotional wellbeing management
- information about different types of care and support services designed to meet the needs of people of different ages, genders, and those for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people if available
- template forms or reports for mandatory reporting
- organisational policies and procedures for:
- maintaining client confidentiality
- documenting health assessments, referrals and support services provided
- mandatory reporting.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations requirements for assessors, and:
- be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person who has applied the skills and knowledge covered in this unit of competency through experience working as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker or practitioner, or
- be a registered health practitioner with experience relevant to this unit of competency and be accompanied by, or have assessments validated by, an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person.
Links
Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=ced1390f-48d9-4ab0-bd50-b015e5485705
