Release 1.  This is the first release of this unit of competency in the PUA Public Safety Training Package.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to create leadership value through the legitimate use of authority, operational accountability and capability, decision making and actions in a time of crisis. It applies to roles with responsibility for risk mitigation, crisis preparedness, crisis response and recovery functions for communities and/or organisations.

A crisis includes varying events of significant disruption having broad effects on relationships among community and/or organisation members. It is characterised by high levels of adversity, ambiguity, uncertainty, opportunity and change. Leaders in a crisis need to independently and collaboratively make sense of uncertain situations, creatively seek solutions and apply judgment and decision making in highly pressurised environments.

Emergency service leaders typically work autonomously, within collegiate environments, that require the ability to develop and build on relationships and/or partnerships for mandated action within informal and formal groups. Emergency service leadership roles are complex requiring the individual to make ethical decisions in variable, evolving and dynamic circumstances.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Not applicable

Emergency Management

Not applicable

ELEMENTS 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

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

1 

Define value and its sources 

1.1 

Identify and anticipate negative crisis outcomes

1.2 

Assess courses of action for their likely success, value contribution and level of authority required

1.3 

Create intent and in doing so, identify crisis related objectives whilst maximising value

1.4 

Prioritise value contribution and actions that can be taken during leadership of a crisis

1.5 

Access and engage existing sources of value

1.6 

Identify crisis leadership strategies to develop and retain trust in the building of value with teams, communities and organisations

2 

Identify and use legitimacy and support to authorise action 

2.1 

Scan political, legislative, regulatory and policy environments to identify and evaluate any legitimacy gaps

2.2 

Identify and demonstrate how public normative views of crisis leadership can support action

2.3 

Identify and demonstrate how legislative, regulatory and policy environments authorise crisis operating environments to sustain and influence the creation of leadership value

2.4 

Create and develop a plan of opportunities for public engagement and certification of actions

2.5 

Identify and harness solutions to the interest associated with enacting legitimacy and the likely and associated application of scrutiny to the crisis

3 

Scope, develop and rationalise operational capability 

3.1 

Assess, from a strategic leadership standpoint, the objectives and whole of crisis need for capability and resources

3.2 

Develop an initial operating framework to ensure actions and capability are mobilised within required timeframes

3.3 

Provide sound reasoning regarding deployment of operational capability to key stakeholders

3.4 

Display adaptive capacity and reflect on actions to deliver accurate and sound options and/or decisions during all phases of a crisis

3.5 

Identify and evaluate need for human resource acquisition to support rationalisation and delegation of determined responsibility and management functions in all phases of a crisis

4 

Develop and use evaluative methods to measure performance 

4.1 

Identify and implement evaluation indicators of success for crisis related objectives

4.2 

Develop processes for recording and reporting of mandated obligations and outcomes

4.3 

Develop information collection methods suited to all phases of a crisis

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

Range is restricted to essential operating conditions and any other variables essential to the work environment.

Non-essential conditions may be found in the Companion Volume Implementation Guide.

This is a new unit.

Release 1.  This is the first release of this unit of competency in the PUA Public Safety Training Package.

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all the requirements of the elements and performance criteria on at least one occasion and includes

• collecting, maintaining and properly storing information, intelligence and records associated with decision making
• demonstrating objectivity and informed decision making during a crisis
• documenting plans to mitigate and/or respond to crisis outcomes and/or altered operational decisions
• facilitating scrutiny of activities during a crisis
• identifying and undertaking legitimising actions during all phases of a crisis
• identifying and using the resources of a crisis management team
• identifying potential negative crisis outcomes and their origins
• implementing legislative and/or regulatory instruments or operational delegations
• making decisions in the absence of legislative, regulatory or delegated enablers
• managing leadership tasks and contingencies
• managing relationships with key stakeholders including scrutiny of activities and decision making processes
• recording activities and decisions
• reviewing and ensuring compliance to legislative, regulatory, procedural and organisational guideline requirements
• selecting suitable options and channels to engage the community in a crisis

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all the requirements of the elements and performance criteria and includes knowledge of

• crisis management plans and arrangements including national, state and territory emergency management frameworks
• evaluation methods and tools
• leadership theories and models
• legislation, regulations, instruments, procedures and guidelines and compliance requirements
• management of leadership task and contingencies
• risk management processes
• sources of public and/or leadership value
• stakeholder engagement processes and management strategies
• Work, Health and Safety (WHS)/Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) requirements

As a minimum, assessors must satisfy applicable regulatory requirements, which include requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations current at the time of assessment.

As a minimum, assessment must satisfy applicable regulatory requirements, which include requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations current at the time of assessment.

Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.

Assessment must occur in workplace operational situations. Where this is not appropriate, assessment must occur in simulated workplace operational situations that reflect crisis conditions.

Assessment of this unit will require an exercise that closely simulates work practices and replicates the range of crisis leadership activities likely to be encountered by the individual, alone or as part of a team, within a community and/or organisational context.

Resources for assessment must include access to

• a range of relevant exercises, case studies and/or other simulations
• appropriate materials, equipment, tools and personal protective clothing and equipment currently used in industry
• applicable documentation including organisational procedures, industry standards, equipment specifications, regulations, codes of practice and operational manuals.