Community Services

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Community
Services
CHCCCS015 – Provide
individualised support – Resource
CHC33015 Certificate
III in Individual
Support

© Apex Training Institute #RTO 32100 1
CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
Developed by:

© Apex Training Institute #RTO 32100 2
CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
COURSE INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
ABOUT THIS GUIDE……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
ABOUT THIS RESOURCE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
ABOUT ASSESSMENT………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6
ELEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE CRITERIA …………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
PERFORMANCE EVIDENCE AND KNOWLEDGE EVIDENCE ……………………………………………………………………. 10
PERFORMANCE EVIDENCE……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10
K
NOWLEDGE EVIDENCE………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10
ASSESSMENT CONDITIONS ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12
PRE-REQUISITES…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12
TOPIC 1 – DETERMINE SUPPORT NEEDS…………………………………………………………………………………………… 13
INTERPRET AND CLARIFY OWN ROLE IN IMPLEMENTING INDIVIDUALISED PLAN AND SEEK APPROPRIATE
SUPPORT FOR ASPECTS OUTSIDE SCOPE OF OWN KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS OR JOB ROLE
AND PROVIDE
ASSISTANCE TO MAINTAIN A CLEAN AND COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT……………………………………………. 13
HOME ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 15
RESPITE SERVICES ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 15
P
HYSIOTHERAPY ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 15
O
CCUPATIONAL THERAPY ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 16
SOCIAL WORK……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 17
HEALTH ADVICE………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 17
COMMUNITY CARE NURSING…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 17
CONFIRM INDIVIDUALISED PLAN DETAILS WITH THE PERSON AND WITH FAMILY AND CARERS WHEN
APPROPRIATE ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 18
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF HUMAN NEEDS ………………………………………………………………………………. 18
INDIVIDUALISED PLANS……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 20
ENSURE THE PERSON IS AWARE OF THEIR RIGHTS AND COMPLAINTS PROCEDURES………………………………. 22
COMPLAINTS…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 23
A
GED CARE COMPLAINTS SCHEME …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 23
WORK WITH THE PERSON TO IDENTIFY ACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES THAT SUPPORT THE INDIVIDUALISED PLAN
AND PROMOTE THE PERSON’S INDEPENDENCE AND RIGHTS TO MAKE INFORMED DECISION-MAKING…….. 25
PERSONCENTRED PLANNING …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 25
PREPARE FOR SUPPORT ACTIVITIES ACCORDING TO THE PERSON’S INDIVIDUALISED PLAN, PREFERENCES
AND ORGANISATION POLICIES, PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES………………………………………………………….. 28
TOPIC 2 – PROVIDE SUPPORT SERVICES …………………………………………………………………………………………… 30
CONDUCT EXCHANGES WITH THE PERSON IN A MANNER THAT DEVELOPS AND MAINTAINS TRUST AND
RESPECT AND INCLUDE THE FAMILY AND/OR CARER AS PART OF THE SUPPORT TEAM…………………………… 30
PROVIDE SUPPORT ACCORDING TO THE INDIVIDUALISED PLAN, THE PERSON’S PREFERENCES AND
STRENGTHS, AND ORGANISATION POLICIES, PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES ……………………………………….. 32
INDIVIDUALISED PLANS …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 32
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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
PLANNING THE SERVICE …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 33
ASSEMBLE EQUIPMENT AS AND WHEN REQUIRED ACCORDING TO ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES AND THE
INDIVIDUALISED PLAN ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 35
PROVIDE SUPPORT ACCORDING TO DUTY OF CARE AND DIGNITY OF RISK REQUIREMENTS…………………….. 37
ROLE OF AGENCY POLICY AND PROCEDURE …………………………………………………………………………….. 37
PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO MAINTAIN A SAFE AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT …………………………………………. 39
RESPECT INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES TO ENSURE MAXIMUM DIGNITY AND PRIVACY WHEN PROVIDING
SUPPORT ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 40
DIGNITY OF OLDER PEOPLE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 40
SEEK ASSISTANCE WHEN IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE APPROPRIATE SUPPORT……………………………….. 42
SPECIALISED CARE ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 43
ASPECTS OF PROCESSES AND AIDS OUTSIDE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE AND/OR JOB ROLE ………………………………………………. 44
TOPIC 3 – MONITOR SUPPORT ACTIVITIES ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 46
MONITOR OWN WORK TO ENSURE THE REQUIRED STANDARD OF SUPPORT IS MAINTAINED …………………. 46
WHAT IS SELF EVALUATION…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 46
WHY SELF EVALUATE? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 46
HOW TO SELF EVALUATE ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 46
INVOLVE THE PERSON IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW SUPPORT SERVICES ARE MEETING THEIR NEEDS AND
ANY REQUIREMENT FOR CHANGE ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 49
SMART GOALS …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 50
G
ATHERING FEEDBACK FROM CLIENTS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 50
IDENTIFY ASPECTS OF THE INDIVIDUALISED PLAN THAT MIGHT NEED REVIEW AND DISCUSS WITH
SUPERVISOR ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 53
REPORTING…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 54
PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSION WITH THE PERSON AND SUPERVISOR IN A MANNER THAT SUPPORTS THE
PERSON’S SELF DETERMINATION……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 57
ADVOCACY ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 57
DOING FOR THEMSELVES…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 58
PROVIDE CHOICES ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 58
TOPIC 4 – COMPLETE REPORTING AND DOCUMENTATION …………………………………………………………………. 60
MAINTAIN CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY OF THE PERSON IN ALL DEALINGS WITHIN ORGANISATION
POLICY AND PROTOCOLS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 60
WHAT IS CONFIDENTIALITY ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 60
COMPLY WITH THE ORGANISATION’S INFORMAL AND FORMAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS, INCLUDING
REPORTING OBSERVATIONS TO SUPERVISOR …………………………………………………………………………………… 62
IDENTIFY AND RESPOND TO SITUATIONS OF POTENTIAL OR ACTUAL RISK WITHIN SCOPE OF OWN ROLE AND
REPORT TO SUPERVISOR AS REQUIRED …………………………………………………………………………………………… 64
TYPES OF HAZARDS……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 65
REPORTING RISKS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 65
IDENTIFY AND REPORT SIGNS OF ADDITIONAL OR UNMET NEEDS OF THE PERSON AND REFER IN
ACCORDANCE WITH ORGANISATION AND CONFIDENTIALITY REQUIREMENTS………………………………………. 67
COMPLETE AND MAINTAIN DOCUMENTATION ACCORDING TO ORGANISATION POLICY AND PROTOCOLS .. 69

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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
COMPLETE DOCUMENTATION…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 69
M
AINTAIN DOCUMENTATION …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 70
STORE INFORMATION ACCORDING TO ORGANISATION POLICY AND PROTOCOLS …………………………………. 71
ONLY COLLECT INFORMATION YOU NEED…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 71
DONT COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK THAT INFORMATION MAY COME IN
HANDY LATER
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 72
TELL PEOPLE HOW YOU ARE GOING TO HANDLE THE PERSONAL INFORMATION YOU COLLECT ABOUT THEM…………………………. 72
THINK ABOUT USING PERSONAL INFORMATION FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE …………………………………………………………… 72
THINK BEFORE DISCLOSING PERSONAL INFORMATION ……………………………………………………………………………………… 72
IF PEOPLE ASK, GIVE THEM ACCESS TO THE PERSONAL INFORMATION YOU HOLD ABOUT THEM……………………………………….. 72
KEEP PERSONAL INFORMATION SECURE ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 73
DONT KEEP INFORMATION YOU NO LONGER NEED OR THAT YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO RETAIN………………………………………. 73
KEEP PERSONAL INFORMATION ACCURATE AND UP TO DATE………………………………………………………………………………. 73
CONSIDER MAKING SOMEONE IN YOUR ORGANISATION OR AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR PRIVACY ……………………………………… 74
TOPIC 5 – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 75
DUTY OF CARE …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 75
ROLE OF AGENCY POLICY AND PROCEDURE …………………………………………………………………………….. 75
DIGNITY OF RISK ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 76
CONFIDENTIALITY, PRIVACY AND DISCLOSURE …………………………………………………………………………………. 77
WHAT IS CONFIDENTIALITY ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 77
DISCRIMINATION…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 79
WORK ROLE BOUNDARIES …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 80
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN NEEDS AND HUMAN RIGHTS………………………………………………………….. 81
WHAT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 81
H
UMAN NEEDS………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 81
HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORKS, APPROACHES, INSTRUMENTS…………………………………………………………… 83
HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORK ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 83
H
UMAN RIGHTS APPROACH……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 83
MANDATORY REPORTING……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 84
SUMMARY ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 93
REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 94

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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
C O U R S E I N T R O D U CT I O N
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
This learner guide covers one unit of competency that is part of the Community services
Training Package:
CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to organise, provide and monitor
support services within the limits established by an individualised plan. The
individualised plan refers to the support or service provision plan developed for the
individual accessing the service and may have many different names in different
organisations.
This unit applies to workers who provide support under direct or indirect supervision
in any community services or health context.
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.
ABOUT THIS RESOURCE
This resource brings together information to develop your knowledge about this unit.
The information is designed to reflect the requirements of the unit and uses headings to
makes it easier to follow.
Read through this resource to develop your knowledge in preparation for your
assessment. You will be required to complete the assessment tools that are included in
your program. At the back of the resource are a list of references you may find useful to
review.
As a student it is important to extend your learning and to search out text books,
internet sites, talk to people at work and read newspaper articles and journals which
can provide additional learning material.

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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
Your trainer may include additional information and provide activities. slide
presentations and assessments in class to support your learning.
ABOUT ASSESSMENT
Throughout your training we are committed to your learning by providing a training
and assessment framework that ensures the knowledge gained through training is
translated into practical on the job improvements.
You are going to be assessed for:

Your skills and knowledge using written and observation activities that apply
to your workplace.
Your ability to apply your learning.
Your ability to recognise common principles and actively use these on the job.

You will receive an overall result of Competent or Not Yet Competent for the assessment
of this unit. The assessment is a competency based assessment, which has no pass or
fail. You are either competent or not yet competent. Not Yet Competent means that you
still are in the process of understanding and acquiring the skills and knowledge required
to be marked competent. The assessment process is made up of a number of assessment
methods. You are required to achieve a satisfactory result in each of these to be deemed
competent overall.
All of your assessment and training is provided as a positive learning tool. Your assessor
will guide your learning and provide feedback on your responses to the assessment. For
valid and reliable assessment of this unit, a range of assessment methods will be used to
assess practical skills and knowledge.
Your assessment may be conducted through a combination of the following methods:
Written Activity
Case Study
Observation
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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
Questions
Third Party Report
The assessment tool for this unit should be completed within the specified time period
following the delivery of the unit. If you feel you are not yet ready for assessment,
discuss this with your trainer and assessor.
To be successful in this unit you will need to relate your learning to your workplace. You
may be required to demonstrate your skills and be observed by your assessor in your
workplace environment. Some units provide for a simulated work environment and
your trainer and assessor will outline the requirements in these instances.

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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
E L E M E N T S A N D P E R F O R M A N C E
C R I T E R I A

1. Determine support needs 1.1 Interpret and clarify own role in implementing
individualised plan and seek appropriate support for
aspects outside scope of own knowledge, skills or job
role
1.2 Confirm individualised plan details with the
person and with family and carers when appropriate
1.3 Ensure the person is aware of their rights and
complaints procedures
1.4 Work with the person to identify actions and
activities that support the individualised plan and
promote the person’s independence and rights to
make informed decision-making
1.5 Prepare for support activities according to the
person’s individualised plan, preferences and
organisation policies, protocols and procedures
2. Provide support services 2.1 Conduct exchanges with the person in a manner
that develops and maintains trust
2.2 Provide support according to the individualised
plan, the person’s preferences and strengths, and
organisation policies, protocols and procedures
2.3 Assemble equipment as and when required
according to established procedures and the
individualised plan
2.4 Respect and include the family and/or carer as
part of the support team
2.5 Provide support according to duty of care and
dignity of risk requirements
2.6 Provide assistance to maintain a safe and healthy
environment
2.7 Provide assistance to maintain a clean and
comfortable environment

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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support

2.8 Respect individual differences to ensure maximum
dignity and privacy when providing support
2.9 Seek assistance when it is not possible to provide
appropriate support
3. Monitor support activities 3.1 Monitor own work to ensure the required
standard of support is maintained
3.2 Involve the person in discussions about how
support services are meeting their needs and any
requirement for change
3.3 Identify aspects of the individualised plan that
might need review and discuss with supervisor
3.4 Participate in discussion with the person and
supervisor in a manner that supports the person’s self
determination
4. Complete reporting and
documentation
4.1 Maintain confidentiality and privacy of the person
in all dealings within organisation policy and
protocols
4.2 Comply with the organisation’s informal and
formal reporting requirements, including reporting
observations to supervisor
4.3 Identify and respond to situations of potential or
actual risk within scope of own role and report to
supervisor as required
4.4 Identify and report signs of additional or unmet
needs of the person and refer in accordance with
organisation and confidentiality requirements
4.5 Complete and maintain documentation according
to organisation policy and protocols
4.6 Store information according to organisation policy
and protocols

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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
P E R F O R M A N C E E V I D E N C E A N D
K N O W L E D G E E V I D E N C E
This describes the essential knowledge and skills and their level required for this unit.
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:
Used individualised plans as the basis for the support of 3 individuals
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:

Rationale and processes underpinning individualised support planning and
delivery:

o Basic principles of person-centred practice, strengths-based practice
and active support
o Documentation and reporting requirements

Roles and responsibilities of different people and the communication
between them:

o Carers and family
o Person being supported
o Health professionals
o Individual workers
o Supervisors


Service delivery models in the relevant sector
Legal and ethical requirements and how these are applied in an organisation
and individual practice, including:
o Privacy, confidentiality and disclosure

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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
o Duty of care
o Dignity of risk
o Human rights
o Discrimination
o Mandatory reporting
o Work role boundaries – responsibilities and limitations




Factors that affect people requiring support
Practices that support skill maintenance and development
Indicators of unmet needs and ways of responding
Risk management considerations and ways to respond to identified risks

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CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
A S S E S S M E N T C O N D I T I O N S
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:
o Individualised plans and equipment outlined in the plan
o Infection control policies and procedures

Modelling of standard industry operating conditions and contingencies,
including involvement of real people when using relevant equipment

Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs)
2015/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.
PRE – REQUISITES
This unit must be assessed after the following pre-requisite unit:
There are no pre-requisites for this unit.

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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
T O P I C 1 – D E T E R M I N E S U P P O R T
N E E D S
INTERPRET AND CLARIFY OWN ROLE IN IMPLEMENTING
INDIVIDUALISED PLAN AND SEEK APPROPRIATE SUPPORT FOR
ASPECTS OUTSIDE SCOPE OF OWN KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS OR JOB
ROLE AND PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO MAINTAIN A CLEAN AND
COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT
In the community care sector, your job is to assist the person with a disability or ageing
client to identify and meet their needs. Depending upon the needs of your client, you
may need to seek the assistance of involving other organisations to meet the needs of
the client.
As part of your role within your organisation, you may be involved both the designing of
their individualised plan, along with accessing and linking the client with the services
they require according to their plan.
The services that you may use will be dependent on both the individual needs of the
client, as well as what is available according to your location. There may indeed be
variations from one state to another.
In order to provide a complete and quality service, you may require assistance from
specialists.
Many people require more than one service to manage their needs. For example, Jack is
an 85-year-old man, living alone in his own home. The services he requires are:





Meals on wheels
Home help
Transport to and from appointments
Assistance with dressing and hygiene
Wound dressing

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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
You might need to collaborate with other care organisations and specialist services.
Specialists are people with qualifications in a particular field that can provide specific
assistance to meet the needs of the client. Specialist services can provide the client with
assistance in areas of their life such as:






Medical treatment
Psychological support and counselling
Financial management
Legal advice
Housing
Day-to-day living requirements

There may be other services available which can provide your client with valuable
assistance beyond the scope of your own organisation, and your own level of expertise.
Linking your client with the relevant services will mean that you will have to know the
process involved in doing so. Your organisation may have a list or database of the
services available. Your supervisor, manager and other staff members might also be able
to provide you with information about the range of available services and the required
steps in engaging them.
Let’s look in more detail at some of the services that you might use in the care and
support of your clients.
Domiciliary Care is designed to support people to continue living independently in their
own homes. Through the provision of assistance in the home, the client is able to live in
their home for longer, without the need to be admitted to a residential care facility,
nursing home or hospital. It also assists in improving people’s quality of life by
improving their health and well-being outcomes. Being able to live in their own home
provides for the emotional well-being of the person by maintaining a sense of
independence and empowerment. Some of the types of support offered by domiciliary
care include:






Home support services
Home assistance
Respite services
Physiotherapy
Occupational therapy
Social work

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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support


Health advice
Community care nursing

HOME ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS
Home support services can provide the client with valuable assistance by helping them
to maintain a clean and comfortable environment in which to live. It may be that the
client has difficulty in keeping their house clean, or as they age they are finding it more
difficult to prepare meals for themselves. Home assistance makes it easier for the client
to live in their home, ensuring that their standards of living are not compromised as a
result of their decreasing ability to perform everyday tasks.
Home assistance programs can provide practical assistance and support to clients/
carers by carrying out essential household modifications and maintenance that the
client might not otherwise be able to do on their own. Examples might be, helping with
the cost of installing bannister and handrails, ramps and the widening of doorways.
RESPITE SERVICES
These provide assistance for the regular carers of the client to ‘take a break’. They
include:






Residential respite
In-home respite
Centre-based respite
Alternative/ shared family care – respite in care provider’s homes
Recreation and community access
Emergency respite

Child care
Holiday programs, preschools, occasional care and out-of-school care

PHYSIOTHERAPY
The purpose of physiotherapy is to restore physical function through exercise, massage
and other techniques, thus promote and maintain the client’s quality of life.

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CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
The aims of physiotherapy are to:





Maintain mobility
Restore function
Decrease pain
Promote self-management of joint and postural problems
Encourage maximum level of independence

Physiotherapists can provide an assessment of the activities of the client such as
walking, movement restrictions, postural problems and disabilities. A client’s
physiotherapy needs are determined via an evaluation of their functional activity.
A physiotherapist can also educate clients and caregivers about injury and prevention,
coping with disability and maintaining good health.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Occupational therapists assess how well a person manages their activities of daily living.
Their assessment provides a guide to ways the person’s independence can be enhanced
in all aspects of their life.
Occupational therapists can make assessments relating to:



Home assessment
Home modifications required
Activities of daily living that may require assistance such as showering
dressing or feeding
The need for mobility assistance, like the use of wheelchairs, scooters or
walking frames
The need for the client to access domiciliary care
Assessing the movement of the individual after accident or hospitalisation

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CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
SOCIAL WORK
Social workers can be of benefit to your client by ensuring that the social and emotional
needs of the individual are properly met. They can provide assistance in counselling
issues such as:





Social isolation
Grief and loss
Lifestyle and decision making
Mental health issues
Relationships the client has with family and significant others

HEALTH ADVICE
People who are ageing or who have a disability will often require specialist health
advice. Specialists can provide education to clients regarding health issues such as
diabetes management, nutritional advice, wound care and continence issues, just to
name a few. There are often clinic and home-based services available to provide the
necessary information. In some communities, special information sessions are held on a
regular basis and are open to clients, their carers and families.
COMMUNITY CARE NURSING
Community care nurses are able to provide planned home nursing services to clients
there are a wide range of nursing services aimed at assisting people to maintain their
health, well- being and independence. This might be short term, for example, if the client
requires dressing changes after a surgical procedure, or they may be more extensive if
the client is suffering from a chronic illness.
The above are just some of the services that you may use in the care of your clients. Your
organisation should be able to provide you with a list of the services that are available

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CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
CONFIRM INDIVIDUALISED PLAN DETAILS WITH THE PERSON
AND WITH FAMILY AND CARERS WHEN APPROPRIATE
When formulating an individualised plan, the worker needs to identify the client needs,
analyse of client needs, match client needs to the appropriate services and resources,
develop and implement action plans and monitor and measure outcomes.
The information you gather from the client is the best way to ensure accurate
information when developing individualised plans. Workers need to ensure that this is
always done within regulatory and legislative guidelines.
Other sources of client information can include:
The client’s advocate or representative
Family, significant others and carers
Case documentation


Information from other professional sources including medical reports
Liaison with other service providers

The individualised plan is centred on the goals of the client. The information the client
provide in relation to their long and short term goals provides the basis on which the
worker focuses on providing them with the possible options that might meet their
needs.
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF HUMAN NEEDS
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs first designed by a psychologist called Abraham Maslow in
the 1960s provides us with a way of examining the types of needs important to most of
us. Maslow used to illustrate that some needs are indeed more important to us than
others. He showed that each of us will always try to satisfy our more important needs
before we concern ourselves with what he called our ‘higher order needs’. Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Human Needs uses a pyramid structure to represent the needs that we all
have. He places the more critical and important ‘lower order needs’ on the bottom and
those needs that are less important to preserving our lives higher up in the pyramid.

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CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
Maslow’s original model had only five levels. It has been revised by many modern
psychologists. This model has eight levels.

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CHCCCS015 – Provide individualised support
CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
INDIVIDUALISED PLANS
People who are ageing or those who have a disability have a capacity for physical,
emotional, social and intellectual development. They are entitled to the same conditions
of everyday living as anyone else in the community.
Clients require an individualised approach to deal with their unique issues, needs,
abilities and character traits.
Asking questions to confirm the plans of the client enables you to find the best care
options for your client’s particular needs.
Questions should delivered in a way that will encourage clients to share relevant
information with you, that is, current and past history, including physical, intellectual or
psychological health.
Providing the client with open-ended questions enables you to assess the reasons
consequences and evidence for their responses. It provides the worker with a
perspective on the client’s view of the world.
When gathering information from clients, it is useful to:







Use simple words and short sentences
Speak with the client in a manner that is age appropriate
Be respectful of all their concerns
Provide a quiet and private environment, free of distractions
Address the person by their preferred name
Allow enough time for the client to respond to your questions
If the client appears to be struggling for words, gently suggest words that may
assist them according to the context of the conversation, but do not assume
that you know what they want to say
Try to frame questions and instructions in a positive way

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Your organisation should have well-designed systems and procedures for case/ care
plans. The types of information you will require from your clients will include:



Client’s history
Currents wants
Preferences

Expectations
Future intentions

When working with a client, you must ensure you:


Are aware of the varying levels of support that clients need at different times
Take into consideration case histories and family or representative
contributions
Utilise inclusive assessments that are based on client needs, abilities and
readiness for care
Design and implement plans that will enable clients to live in a manner as
closely aligned with their previous comfort needs as possible
Take into consideration the original diagnosis, appropriate and necessary
medical treatments, adherence to the treatment plan, and the presence of co
existing conditions

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ENSURE THE PERSON IS AWARE OF THEIR RIGHTS AND
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURES
It is not only important but essential that you encourage and support the older person
and/or their advocate/s to be aware of their rights. A right is an entitlement that every
person has in the community. If you support the older person to be aware of their
rights, then they are more likely to know when their rights are being breached so that
they can take the relevant action to achieve their rights.
Rights may include:

Privacy
Confidentiality
Dignity
Freedom of association







Informed choice
To lodge a complaint
Right to express ideas and opinions
To an agreed standard of care
Right not to be abused
To use an advocate service
To receive the care that promotes wellness
Not to be discriminated against

The rights of the older person are detailed in a number of areas these include:

Legislation
Residential Care Manual





Aged Care Act
Industry and organisation service standards
Industry and organisation codes of practice and ethics
Accreditation standards
International and national charters
Organisation policy and procedure

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It is also important that you support the older person in understanding their
responsibilities, they include:

To respect the rights and needs of other people within the residential care
service, and to respect the needs of the residential care service community as
a whole
To respect the rights of staff and the proprietor to work in an environment
free from harassment
To care for his or her own health and well-being, as far as he or she is capable
To inform his or her medical practitioner, as far as he or she is able, about his
or her relevant medical history and current state of health
Maintain a safe environment, as far as they are practicable

COMPLAINTS
It is important that you provide information to the older person and/or their advocate/s
regarding the mechanisms for lodging complaints. The federal government has a scheme
which is designed for the older person to be able to lodge a complaint about the service
that they are or are not receiving.
AGED CARE COMPLAINTS SCHEME
The Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme) provides a free service for anyone to
raise their concerns about the quality of care or services being delivered to people
receiving aged care services subsidised by the Australian Government, including:



Residential care
Home care packages
HACC services

Most Australian aged care providers do their best to provide quality care and services
for older Australians. However, issues can occur, so it is important to have a way for
people to raise their concerns in a constructive and safe way.
If they have a concern about the care they or someone else is receiving, it is important
that they talk about it. Complaints can help providers improve the services and quality

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of care they provide to them or their loved one. Resolving one complaint can help other
people too.
1
1 http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/ageing-complaints-index.htm
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WORK WITH THE PERSON TO IDENTIFY ACTIONS AND
ACTIVITIES THAT SUPPORT THE INDIVIDUALISED PLAN AND
PROMOTE THE PERSON’S INDEPENDENCE AND RIGHTS TO MAKE
INFORMED DECISION-MAKING
Before putting any plans in place to assist your clients, it is important to discuss with the
individual what their goals and desires are. After all, it’s their life and their perspective
on what they would like to achieve is of primary importance.
People need to set goals. This means you may have to assist them at times to not only set
their goals but to create a plan to achieve them. Strategies to meet current and future
needs of clients include:



Conducting changing needs assessments
Conducting future planning with the person
Developing individual action plans with the person with a disability that
address their changing needs
Referrals to specialist services appropriate to their needs

Involve significant others as appropriate in helping people identify their options and
ways they might be able to achieve their goals. Significant others may include:

Carers
Advocates
Family members
Case workers
Friends

PERSON-CENTRED PLANNING
Person Centred planning is a way of enabling people to think about what they want now
and in the future. It is about supporting people to plan their lives, work towards their
goals and get the right support.
Person Centred Planning is a collection of tools and approaches that can be used to plan
with a person- not for them.

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Planning should build upon the person’s circle of support and involve all the people who
are important in that person’s life.
Person-centred planning is built upon the values of inclusion and looks at what support
a person needs to be included and involved in their community.
2
Being person-centred or using person centred approaches means ensuring that
everything we do is based upon what is important to a person from their own
perspective.
Person Centred planning discovers and acts on what is important to a person. Person
Centred planning helps us do this by discovering and acting on what matters to a
person. It gives us a structure to help us continually listen and learn about what is
important to a person now and in the future and to act on this in alliance with friends
and family. It requires a fundamental shift of thinking from a “power over” relationship
to a “power with” relationship.
Whilst it is essential to listen to the decisions and preferred options of the person with a
disability and treat their wishes as a priority, before those decisions area acted upon, it
is wise to also consider and carefully evaluate the input from carers and advocates
where applicable.
Carers and advocates are there for a reason. It is quite often that carers and advocates
are employed to assist the individual with their decision making process. It may be that
the person will confide in their carer or advocate and seek assistance in processing the
options available to them before making a final decision. This may be the case
particularly if their primary carer is someone they have a strong respect for.
When taking into consideration the input from carers and advocates, it is important to
be alert to differences of opinion that might exist between them and the client. It needs
to be established that what you are hearing is, in fact, the result of an informed choice
and not simply the decision of another who is expressing to you what they think is best
for the person.
2 http://www.studymode.com/essays/Level-3-Hsc-48861570.html
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There are situations when the client may make decisions which are in some way likely
to be to their own detriment. In these situations, the input from their advocate may
prove to be invaluable.
Depending upon the circumstances of the individual, the decisions and choices they
make must be within organisational protocols and procedures. This is yet another way
in which they can be assisted by carers and advocates in their decision making process.
Before their decisions can be implemented they need to be realistic and within the scope
of what can be provided.
Organisational protocols and procedures will be based largely upon current legislation.
Whilst there will be variations according to the circumstances of the individual and how
appropriately they can make decisions for themselves, there are relevant laws and
protocols which must be adhered to by all organisations.

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PREPARE FOR SUPPORT ACTIVITIES ACCORDING TO THE
PERSON’S INDIVIDUALISED PLAN, PREFERENCES AND
ORGANISATION POLICIES, PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES
Supporting and assisting the older person to meet their needs, will involve assisting
them with their activities of daily living as well as encouraging them to participate in
activities provided by your organisation and those provided by other sources. Some of
the activities of daily living that you may be required to assist the older client with might
include:








Bathing and showering
Nail care
Dressing
Continence and toileting
Shaving
Oral hygiene
Provision of meals and feeding if required
Skin care

 




Planning menus
Handling food
Physical activity
Assisting with medication

Of course this is not an exhaustive list and there will be many other roles that you will
perform in your care for a client. During assistance, you will need to ensure you make
observations so that you can provide reports and further treatment or care as required.
That may include observations of:







Nutritional status
Changes in skin
General condition
The mouth
The ears
Behavioural changes
Mobility and range of movement

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There are many activities that you will need to perform however to do this you will need
to prepare well. Your preparation to support the client will involve activities will include
tasks such as:

Ensuring that you have the necessary equipment, tools, personnel and
resources required for the task prepared
Making sure that the environment arranged is safe and accessible
Preparing and engaging your client
Prompting the client where necessary
Conducting personal care tasks
Cleaning up
Report according the activities of the client according to organisational
procedures and requirements





All of these activities are important in ensuring that you provide the optimal standards
of care for the client.
All of the activities that you engage in with your client should be guided by their
individualised plan. The plan will provide you with details regarding the client’s abilities
and the activities with which they will require assistance in meeting their needs.
The individualised plan should also provide you with valuable information regarding
the like and dislikes of the client. This may be the type of foods they like to eat, how they
prefer to be addressed, what types of hobbies or activities they like to participate in or
other services they wish to use. Encouraging the client to participate in planned
activities, assists in keeping them actively engaged and thus promoting their physical,
social and emotional well-being.

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T O P I C 2 – P R O V I D E S U P P O R T
S E R V I C E S
CONDUCT EXCHANGES WITH THE PERSON IN A MANNER THAT
DEVELOPS AND MAINTAINS TRUST AND RESPECT AND INCLUDE
THE FAMILY AND/OR CARER AS PART OF THE SUPPORT TEAM
Trust is something that must be earned. Sometimes it can take a long while to earn the
trust of the people you are working with. The trust will often be established after a time
where the interaction between two people has progressed to a stage where the two
parties are comfortable with one another. When caring for your clients, it is important
that your interaction with them is based on sound principles that facilitate the
generation of trusting relationships. This will allow you to be more effective in the
provision of your care.
Trust is based on principles of interaction such as:




Being courteous to the other person
Respecting individual differences
Listening and responding with empathy non-judgmental interactions
Non-judgmental interactions

There are barriers to be aware of in relation to the establishment of a trusting
relationship. These are often associated with communication issues, but may also be
associated with the personal experiences of the client.
Barriers to generating a trusting relationship can linked to interpersonal interactions
and in particular communication such as:
Physical barriers to effective interpersonal communication include:



Noise
Insufficient time
Distance
Lighting

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Communication barriers may also be attributed to:



Hearing impairments
Use of language that the client does not understand
Speech difficulties – it might be difficult to understand what the client is trying
to tell you
Cultural differences
Differences in language

Where there are communication barriers which inhibit the expression of the needs,
interests and requirements of the individual, strategies which you might employ are:






Listening carefully to what the person is telling you
Using active listening techniques
Paying close attention to body language and facial expressions
Providing ample time for the individual to communicate
Providing opportunities that facilitate communication e.g. planned times
Arrange for persons skilled in communication techniques to assist where
necessary
Using communication aids such as signs and symbols if appropriate

By establishing effective communication strategies to interact with your clients them,
you are far more likely to establish a trusting relationship.

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PROVIDE SUPPORT ACCORDING TO THE INDIVIDUALISED PLAN,
THE PERSON’S PREFERENCES AND STRENGTHS, AND
ORGANISATION POLICIES, PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES
Clients require an individualised approach to deal with their unique issues, needs,
abilities and character traits.
When working with a client, you must ensure you:


Are aware of the varying levels of support that clients need at different times
Take into consideration case histories and family or representative
contributions
Utilise inclusive assessments that are based on client needs, abilities and
readiness for care
Design and implement plans that will enable clients to live in a manner as
closely aligned with their previous comfort needs as possible
Take into consideration the original diagnosis, appropriate and necessary
medical treatments, adherence to the treatment plan, and the presence of co
existing conditions

INDIVIDUALISED PLANS
When formulating an individualised plan, the worker needs to identify the client needs,
analyse of client needs, match client needs to the appropriate services and resources,
develop and implement action plans and monitor and measure outcomes.
The information you gather from the client is the best way to ensure accurate
information when developing individualised plans. Workers need to ensure that this is
always done within regulatory and legislative guidelines.
Other sources of client information can include:
The client’s advocate or representative
Family, significant others and carers
Case documentation
Information from other professional sources including medical reports
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Liaison with other service providers
PLANNING THE SERVICE
Once you have gathered all the data on the needs of your clients, you will need to make a
plan to implement the programs to meet those needs.
Planning could include:

Designing the program/service – you will need to design the program/service
that encompasses and the needs, requirements and preferences of your client
Arranging the venue – you may need to research and arrange the venue that
your program/service will run from. You will need to consider the client’s

ability to get there (transport arrangements) and the cost for the use of the
venue

Arranging trainers/facilitators/staff – you will need to ensure you have
suitably qualified/trained people to run the program or provide the service
Arranging volunteers – volunteers can be arranged where required to meet
the extra needs of the clients
Arranging resources and equipment – you will need to arrange for resources
and equipment to be on-site and set up on time. You will also need to arrange

for this equipment to either be picked up or dismantled at the end of the
session. In some venues, you may be able to leave equipment in place until
the completion of the program
Designing a timetable – you will need to draw up a timetable that suits all
client’s taking into consideration the majority of people. (You may not be able
to cater for all people but you must ensure that the program works for the
majority). Other arrangements can be made if there are people who are
unable to attend some sessions due to prior engagements and appointments
This planning can be tedious as you try to meet the needs of many. If it is and individual
plan you will have less trouble, however, if you are trying to incorporate an individual
into existing groups you may also have to plan around appointments, current
timetables, etc…

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There are many types of clients that you need to consider in your allied
health/community service. Clients may include:





Individual members of the public
Other organisations, community groups, individuals and health providers
Other work areas of the organisation
Senior management
Service users

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ASSEMBLE EQUIPMENT AS AND WHEN REQUIRED ACCORDING
TO ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES AND THE INDIVIDUALISED PLAN
Activities of daily life refer to tasks of daily life such as eating, drinking, dressing,
bathing, hygiene, meal preparation, housekeeping and other personal and/or domestic
tasks.
3
Providing the appropriate assistance and equipment can play a significant role in
supporting the independence of the older person or a person with a disability. There is a
wide range of items available. Some are relatively inexpensive and can be independently
purchased from stores or online. Other items of equipment are complex and expensive
and require individualised and specialised fitting and instruction. There is a lot of
interest and development in new technologies to assist in providing care and support to
an ageing and disabled population. To be effective in improving capacity for
independent living, equipment and advice about correct use need to suit each individual
and their circumstances. Given the range of items available, there is also a range of
solutions to getting the correct advice.
Community service workers can facilitate the use of living equipment in a range of ways.
For example, by:




Assembling equipment as required
Observing and discussing tasks that a person may find difficult
Identifying tasks for which easy living equipment may be helpful
Providing information and demonstrating the correct use of easy living
equipment
Assisting with purchase or supply
Prompting, encouraging, motivating and monitoring the use of easy living
equipment

For the older person or person with a disability, everyday tasks, such as opening a jar or
tin of food, drying feet, putting on socks or stockings, or performing cleaning tasks may
become increasingly challenging. The reduced ability to undertake domestic and
household tasks, maintain personal care, or prepare food is often a catalyst for a referral
to Home and Community Care (HACC) services. Promoting the use of easy living
3 http://www.mav.asn.au/policy-services/social-community/ageing/home-communitycare/Related%20documents%20%20HACC%20Easy%20Living/HACC%20Easy%20Living%20Equipme
nt%20guide.docx.

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equipment is about assisting people to overcome challenges and maintain their
independence to the greatest extent possible. In some cases, it may also reduce the need
for services.
4
Equipment that may be suggested by the support worker in relation to assisting the
person in care with their activities of daily living may be in relation to issues such as:




Domestic and household cleaning
Bathroom and personal care
Kitchen and meal preparation
Recreational and household items

One of the roles of the support worker is to assist in making it easier for the person in
care to achieve and maintain their independence as much as possible. When doing so
they must ensure that they are doing so within the scope off their work. Apart of the
service they provide, they may wish to suggest specialist referrals to the client so to the
appropriate support can be provided.
4 http://docs2.health.vic.gov.au/docs/doc/DE51FCD348B39D74CA257D7F001515EC/$FILE/e…
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PROVIDE SUPPORT ACCORDING TO DUTY OF CARE AND DIGNITY
OF RISK REQUIREMENTS
You will need to ensure you monitor all aspects of your client service delivery to ensure
your reputation is upheld, you are meeting the needs of the clients and you are meeting
your duty of care requirements.
Your organisation’s reputation is extremely important. Without a good reputation, your
service will not operate. You will not receive referrals from others and the clients you
have will eventually move on. Therefore, you must ensure that at all times you are
addressing the needs of individual clients and the community as a whole. All of this
comes under one very important banner. Your duty of care! This means your duty of
care to staff, clients, the community as a whole, other organisations and much more.
Duty of care is a difficult term to define as there isn’t a legal definition of the concept
(except in occupational health and safety legislation). Duty of care comes under the legal
concept of negligence, and negligence belongs to the domain of common law. Common law
is also known as judge-made law as the decision about guilt is decided using legal
precedence and community attitudes and expectations. That is, there hasn’t been an Act of
Parliament passed defining what is legal or illegal but rather the decision is based on what
is considered appropriate or not appropriate at a particular time in history.
5
ROLE OF AGENCY POLICY AND PROCEDURE
Organisations should always ensure that there are a clearly written policy and
procedure, which enables staff to understand and perform their duty of care. Policy will
vary according to the target group and agency context, but should include the following
points:

Encourage consumers, staff and significant others (such as parents and
carers) to work together to cooperatively develop strategies and identify
solutions for challenging duty of care issues
Ensure that staff receive appropriate, relevant training and support to

perform their duty of care
5 http://sielearning.tafensw.edu.au/MCS/CHCAOD402A/chcaod402a_csw/knowledge/duty_o…
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The following points are an example of what may be incorporated into policy and
procedure in relation to the duty of care.

All employees need access to orientation training and induction that includes
information about duty of care
Employees need to seek advice and support from internal or external
professionals to deal with issues that challenge duty of care and dignity of
risk
Appropriate documentation relating to daily duty of care responsibilities
should be maintained at all times (e.g. case notes)
Information should be given to clients, staff, volunteers and significant others

about considerations involved in evaluating duty of care issues. This should
include information identifying duty of care obligations and the client’s right
to experience and learn from risk taking

Ensure that clients participate in decisions regarding their care arrangements
and lifestyle choices
Issues relating to duty of care must be discussed with a manager or
supervisor

As you can see, the thrust of duty of care policy is to collaborate with the relevant people
involved and to be mindful of accountability and client rights.
6
Dignity of risk
Dignity of risk is the legal requirement to ensure that all persons with a disability has
the legal right to choose their own medical treatments even if the professionals involved
feel that this is not the correct choice for them.
6 http://youthworker.wikispaces.com/file/view/CHCCS502A_reading.doc
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PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO MAINTAIN A SAFE AND HEALTHY
ENVIRONMENT
You may need to assist client’s to maintain a healthy and safe environment in which to
live.
This assistance may come in many forms but most probably will be:




Assisting with cleaning duties
Eating correctly
Bathing and personal hygiene
Shopping

In some cases you may have physically assist them in others you may just need to
supervise them. Either way your care plan should provide you with both the type of
assistance required for each client and the frequency of this assistance.
If you are unsure, please check with your supervisor or the care plan for your client.

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RESPECT INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES TO ENSURE MAXIMUM
DIGNITY AND PRIVACY WHEN PROVIDING SUPPORT
There are a number of benefits of working within the community; one of those benefits
would be that you can meet a range of people from different culture, origins, and
backgrounds.
It is important that no matter what the background of the individual that you show them
the respect that you would want yourself to be shown:
The background could include:

Age



Gender
Sexual orientation
Political views
Race
Religion
Disability

DIGNITY OF OLDER PEOPLE
Older persons have a right;

To be treated fairly regardless of age, gender, racial or ethnic background,
disability or other status, and to be valued independently of their economic
contributions
To live in dignity and security and to be free of exploitation and physical or
mental abuse
To exercise personal autonomy in health care decision making, including the

right to die with dignity by assenting to or rejecting treatment designed solely
to prolong life
7
7 http://www.sa.agedrights.asn.au/residential_care/preventing_elder_abuse/rights_of_older_person
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Every client has the right to their privacy and dignity. This includes demonstrating the
utmost respect for the client, their belongings, their information and their body. Your
organisation will have strict policies the storage of client information and which the case
can be discussed with. At times, you may need to share aspects of the client’s health
status or care needs with others in the health care team. At all times, this must be done
in a respectful manner and only the relevant facts revealed.
Where family members or other clients make enquiries about a client be polite but do
not reveal personal information. Consider your own position and how you would feel
about your personal information being shared with your family and friends without
your consent.
If you meet with difficulties in refusing to pass on to a person information about a client
in your care, then refer them to a senior member of staff in your organisation to handle
the enquiry.

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SEEK ASSISTANCE WHEN IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE
APPROPRIATE SUPPORT
Your role as a care worker will involve you dealing with many aspects of client care.
Some of these may include:







Assisting with personal hygiene
Assisting with eating and drinking and use feeding techniques
Assisting with oral hygiene and health care
Assisting with toileting and use of continence aids
Bed bathing
Dressing and grooming including assisting with pressure stockings
Shaving
Showering



Elimination
Hydration and nutrition needs (including addressing dysphagia)
Maintenance of skin integrity and pressure area prevention
Mobility and transfer including in and out of vehicles and falls recovery
techniques
Monitoring medication as appropriate to work role
Nail care
Pain management
Rest and sleep
Respiration
Technical care activities according to the personal care support plan and
organisation policies, protocols and procedures





Be aware that you may be asked by clients to perform tasks for which you have not been
trained. As a care worker, you have a legal duty of care to meet the needs of the client by
working in a manner that does not cause them harm. Where you are unfamiliar with an
aspect of a task or technical procedure, seek the guidance of your supervisor and
undertake further training.
In-Home and Community Care (HACC), you will find there are non-transferrable skills
where you will be trained in an aspect of personal care with one particular client. Even

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though other clients require the same procedure, you will require further individualised
training to be able to deliver the same service to them. There is nothing in your training
that will qualify you to perform invasive or highly technical procedures. These will be
performed by a registered nurse.
SPECIALISED CARE
In many cases, when dealing with clients with complex needs there may be a range of
specialised professionals that may need to be involved with the assessment of the needs
of the client.
It is important the client and any carers or family members that are involved with the
assessment are provided with information to on what types of specialist advice may be
required; prior to involving any specialists in the assessment of a particular client’s
needs it will be necessary to clarify the other parties that may see assessment results.
People have a right to privacy and a right to know how their personal information will
be used, shared, managed and stored. It is important that the client understands the
need for and the reasons that this information will be shared and that they agree to this.
Relevant others that may see the assessment results or be involved in specialised
assessment may include:
Registered Nurses
Physiotherapists
Disability specialists
Mental health professionals
Counsellors
Medical Practitioners
Dieticians
It is important that if any of the needs of the client fall outside the assessment
capabilities and qualifications that a specialist will be utilised to identify and collect
further information on the clients’ needs.

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You must make sure that when you are considering making a referral to one of these
specialist services that you follow the correct policies and procedures for your
organisation in doing so. You will also need to take into consideration the other agencies
procedures regarding referral and guidelines for maintaining client confidentiality.
When making referrals and decisions regarding referrals, it is important that you
involve the client in the decision. Clients have the right to be involved in identifying their
own needs and making decisions regarding which type of specialised service they feel
would be most relevant to their specific needs.
Active participation in selecting the correct specialist for a client’s own needs also
contributes to the clients feeling of power over what happens to them and their own
process of becoming more independent. This type of relationship building can be
beneficial when attempting to collect all required relevant information and commences
the start of an effective working relationship between the client and the community
services worker.
ASPECTS OF PROCESSES AND AIDS OUTSIDE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
AND/OR JOB ROLE
While you may be responsible for some technical aspects of care, there will still be some
restriction on your level of involvement.
Some of these may include:
Catheters – you are responsible for observing for discharge as an indicator of
infection, keeping the area and catheter clean by using alcohol wipes to
carefully wipe away from where it enters the body, emptying and changing
catheter bags and possibly measuring output. You
are not responsible for
inserting or removing catheters. This will be done by qualified medical staff.

Suppositories and enemas – these are considered an invasive procedure and
will be performed by qualified medical staff. You are required to monitor and
record the result.
Wound dressings – in some instances you
are required to apply and tend to

simple, superficial wounds. Where more complex wounds exist that require
sterile dressings, these will be performed by qualified medical staff. You are
responsible for observing the client for any changes that may indicate a

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possible infection at the wound site, such as spreading redness, pain, heat or
offensive odour or discharge.
Injections – under no circumstance are you to administer an injection. In some
HACC situations, a family member may be administering injections without
training and seek your assistance. You are to politely refuse and explain that
you are not legally permitted to perform the task. This situation should be
reported to your supervisor as training or further support may be offered to
the family member.
Blood pressure – you may be required to monitor and record a client’s blood
pressure. This can be done with an electronic Blood Pressure Monitor. You
are not permitted to perform this task with a sphygmomanometer because to
use one without proper training can result in serious injury to the client.
Taking blood and other samples – taking blood samples can only be
performed by a person who has undertaken training in venipuncture. You
are
required to take urine, stool and sputum samples using strict infection
control procedures.
Oxygen administration – you are not permitted to change the flow of oxygen
unless authorised by a health professional. You
are required to monitor the
client for changes in breathing patterns or signs of respiratory distress. You
will also be responsible for cleaning and changing any breathing tubes under
the direction of a health professional.
Podiatry and foot care – check your organisation’s policy on foot care. Some
have guidelines that state nail care can only be performed by a trained
professional such as a podiatrist. Others encourage care workers to perform
the task but may exclude diabetics from the procedure. Their increased risk
of circulatory problems and infections are better monitored by a trained
podiatrist.
Always seek the guidance of the supervisor if you are asked to perform procedures you
are not familiar with or are uncertain of your level of responsibility.

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T O P I C 3 – M O N I T O R S U P P O R T
A C T I V I T I E S
MONITOR OWN WORK TO ENSURE THE REQUIRED STANDARD
OF SUPPORT IS MAINTAINED
WHAT IS SELF EVALUATION
A self-evaluation is one’s own opinion of their performance within the workplace, or
how well they have dealt with a designated task. It is a thoughtful and considered
opinion involving rating oneself in terms of goals competencies and overall
performance.
WHY SELF EVALUATE?
When you self- evaluate, you become an active participant in your own evaluation. Your
involvement enables you to honestly assess your strengths and also the areas you need
to improve. You then can participate more constructively in the evaluation meeting with
your supervisor. Self- evaluation also serves to increase the commitment to goal
setting/achievement, competency development and career planning.
8
HOW TO SELF EVALUATE
Conducting a self-evaluation begins with the individual asking themselves a series of
questions about their own performance in the workplace.
For example:





What could I have done better this year?
What are my strengths?
What are my weaknesses
What can I do to improve upon my weaknesses
Have I made progress compared with my last evaluation

8 http://www.hr.virginia.edu/uploads/documents/media/Conducting_a_Self_Evaluation.pdf.
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Where can I take personal initiative and become a stronger employee who
contributes more next year?

 

What is my current state?
What are my strengths?
What are my
weaknesses?
What are the common
feedbacks (positive &
negative) that I received from others?
Conclusion
Strengths
1. Communicate well with others
2. Positive thinking
Weaknesses
1. Lack confidence. Always stuck in
comfort zone
2. Lose temper easily
Feedbacks
1. Not assertive enough
2. Lack initiative. Too much planning but
no action
Focus area priorities
1. Develop more self-confidence & courage
2. Learn to be assertive
3. Control my temper & not get worked up
so easily
Strengths?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Weaknesses?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

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When asking yourself the hard questions, it is important to be honest and realistic with
yourself, but at the same time, don’t be too hard on yourself and recognise your
achievements and stay positive.
Whilst the term “self-evaluation “may infer that a person is performing the activity on
their own, in reality the process really needs to involve the input of your supervisor and
peers in order to be of any real value. After all, the continual interaction you have with
your work colleagues will surely assist you in formulating answers to the questions you
have asked yourself listed above.
At the time of self-evaluation, you may wish to consider the following tips:

Don’t be stuffy – Try to write in a conversational style, one that is as natural
as the verbal back-and-forth that occurs throughout the year.
Solicit feedback from co-workers.
Be objective.
Instead of evaluating yourself based on how you wished you’d
performed, ask yourself some specific questions:
o What difference did my efforts make?

o What did I do to contribute to my organisations goals and success?
o Did my efforts further the organisations mission?
o Did I take a leadership role when the opportunity arose?9
Once you have performed this self-evaluation, you will be in the position to determine
your quality of support and can then decide on any possible training or education that
you need in order to improve.
9 http://www.hr.virginia.edu/uploads/documents/media/Conducting_a_Self_Evaluation.pdf.
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INVOLVE THE PERSON IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW SUPPORT
SERVICES ARE MEETING THEIR NEEDS AND ANY REQUIREMENT
FOR CHANGE
When planning activities and strategies to meet the needs of the client, it is essential to
set goals. Without a set of goals, the workers assisting the client have no direction to
follow and nothing tangible to aim for. These goals should be set in conjunction with
clients.
The goals set should reflect the needs and aspirations of the client, and should be
formulated through consultation between the client and the staff.
Before putting any plans in place to assist the client, it is important to discuss with the
individual what their goals and desires are. After all, it’s their life and their perspective
on what they would like to achieve is of primary importance.
Clients need to set their own goals. However, you may have to assist them at times to
not only set their goals but to create a plan to achieve them. Strategies to meet current
and future needs of clients include:



Conducting changing needs assessments
Conducting future planning with the person
Developing individual action plans with the person with a disability that address
their changing needs
Referrals to specialist services appropriate to their needs
Involve significant others as appropriate in helping people identify their options
and ways they might be able to achieve their goals. Significant others may
include:
o Carers

o Advocates
o Family members
o Case workers
o Friends
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SMART GOALS
When assisting the client to set goals, it is important to ensure that the goals are:

Specific – The desired outcome should be stated in specific terms. This
enables both the client and the worker to focus on specific achievements and
outcomes.
Measurable – Ideally, the goal should be broken down into smaller steps. This

allows for the objectives to be more easily measured. Being able to achieve
small steps and measure progress, assists the motivation of the client as they
progress toward achieving their ultimate goal.
Attainable – When setting goals, it needs to be ensured that they are not
beyond the reach of the client. If goals are set too high, and the client feels
that they will not be able to achieve them, then they are likely to lose
motivation. At the same time, the goals need to be set sufficiently high for the
client to feel that they have something challenging to work toward.

Realistic – Goals need to be realistic so that the client feels they have
something to work toward. The goal needs to be relevant to the needs of the
client so that they see the goal as being worthwhile.
Timely – Goals should be set with specific timelines in place. Having a timeline

in place provides a ‘finish line’ for the client, and motivates them to pursue
their goal with a specific date in mind.
If clients identify any aspects of the service that are not meeting their needs, you will
need to modify the service and their goals to meet those needs.
GATHERING FEEDBACK FROM CLIENT’S
It will be necessary to collect feedback from clients’ on a regular basis as a standard
organisational procedure on the adequacy of the service delivery that they have
received. This information will then need to be used to revise and improve service
delivery arrangements that are provided to the community.

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A range of different methods should be used to collect feedback on the adequacy of
services provided; these methods must be systematic and be in line with organisational
policy and procedure.
Feedback from clients can be collected using a series of different methods including:
Discussions
Focus Groups
Surveys
Direct Questioning
Review documentation
Feedback reports
There are two main types of feedback data that can be collected, and these are:
Quantitative feedback: Collects data in the form of numbers. This means that
aspects can be measured and expressed in numbers as
percentages or ratios. Quantitative Research tells us
‘how many’, ‘how much’, ‘to what extent’ or ‘what size’
something is.
Qualitative feedback: Collects exploratory data, it asks a variety of carefully
planned questions that seek the underlying reasons,
opinions and motivation behind different actions and
situations.
All the information will need to be compiled into workable sections and measured
against the organisations goals and objectives in relation to client service. This
information is critical in the design and creation of appropriate policies and actions
plans that suit the clients and meets the purpose that they were designed for.
Successful analysis on the feedback that you have gathered will inform on different
aspects of the client service delivery platforms and can assist in determining what about
the services offered and clients suits the needs of the clients as intended.

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It is also important that your target audience understands the purpose of the
consultation and feedback process to ensure that information collected during the
review is in a manageable and useful format.
It is essential that the results from the feedback collection are used to make positive
change and ensure that the community services organisations are continuously
improving the services that are supplied to clients in line with the feedback collected.

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IDENTIFY ASPECTS OF THE INDIVIDUALISED PLAN THAT MIGHT
NEED REVIEW AND DISCUSS WITH SUPERVISOR
When the client has an established individualised plan, centred on meeting their needs,
it is important that the plan be continually reviewed in order to determine its
effectiveness. The worker needs to monitor the activities of the client to check that they
are actually using the services implemented in the original plan.
The needs of the client may change over time. This may be due to the ageing process or
it might be that they have simply changed their goals in life. Whatever the reason, it is
important for the worker to ensure that the individualised plan is closely aligned with
the objectives of the client.
A well-structured individualised plan should incorporate:






The expected standards of the service
Staff requirements
Roles and responsibilities of all parties
The criteria by which the plan will be monitored
The reporting process to be followed
The processes that will be used to obtain feedback

The disability sector, aged care, medical/ clinical services, care, youth work and drug
and alcohol services are all have similar standards in terms of organisational
requirements, because they are based on standards for community services. Standards
are the expectations the organisation holds with regard to the quality of service that will
be provided.
While there will be some variation in the standards of each organisation, they are all
monitored through government audits and must be compliant with legislative and
regulatory requirements. All clients have a right to proper and consistent care and must
be treated with respect in all aspects of care.
To ensure that the individualised plan is continually relevant to the needs of the client,
organisations need to ensure that:

The staff they employ are appropriately trained in recognising the ongoing
needs of the client

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The necessary resources and support mechanisms are available to both the
client and their carers
Work is continually monitored and measured
Improvements are made as required

Standards are established to ensure quality and consistency within organisational
operations. Likewise, they are put in place to make sure that the performance of the
organisations employees is of the required standards. Standards provide operational
guidelines for the employees as well as the tools to be used in the measurement of their
performance. Monitoring all aspects of care is required to ensure that the relevant
standards are being met.
Specialist and external client services need to be monitored according to the agreed
procedures, against defined performance indicators. In situations where the service
delivery does not meet the required standards, interventions need to be implemented
for the necessary improvement to be made.
REPORTING
Part of the role of the community services worker as we have discussed is to assess and
monitor the relevance of the individualised plan. When aspects of the plan are identified
as not being relevant to the needs of the client, or require review due to their changing
needs, it is appropriate for the worker to report this to their supervisor.
The role of the care worker in each individualised plan should be negotiated and agreed
between the supervisor and the care workers. So too should reporting procedures and
accountability.
For each client, case supervision methods can be implemented to identify any issues
that might affect the relevance of the individualised plan. The monitoring of the
individualised plan.
The needs and care of the client will often be overseen by a key worker or coordinator.
The coordinator generally has a supervisory role and works in close alliance with the
other workers of the organisation. Liaising with carers, other organisations, families and
other professionals, the coordinator supervises the delivery of services to the client
according to their individualised plan.

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Coordinators access clinical expertise from service providers, coordinate responsibility
for the clinical implementation of a plan, and provide leadership to other staff to better
manage people with complex needs. Key coordinators are the people who supervise the
case/ care plan and to whom care workers must report. Thus, it is imperative that the
coordinator establishes an effective working relationship with the staff with whom they
are supervising.
The coordinator or supervisor can provide valuable input relevant to the areas of the
individualised plan that may require review. The coordinator is generally a person who
is skilled in the delivery of services and recognising the needs of the client. When a
worker recognises the need for review of the individualised plan, they should report it
to their supervisor, so that a collaborative decision can be made about the possible
changes that may be required. This process should take place with the input of other
persons involved in the delivery of services to the client, and of course in consultation
with the client themselves.
Case meetings might be held to address specific issues relating to the delivery of
services, solve problems and provide the client to provide their input regarding the
delivery of services.
Case conferences or meetings might be held to address issues, solve problems, eliminate
duplication of problems and allow the client opportunities for input into service delivery
plan development.
Organisational policies and procedures should ensure that the necessary time and
resources are provided to facilitate for regular case consultation meetings. These
meetings enable strategies to be implemented and feedback on progress to be
provided.
You may find it beneficial to hold a formal meeting with supervisors and experienced
personnel to discuss ideas, develop individualised plans, evaluate the outcomes of an
individualised plan or to make the appropriate changes.
When monitoring of the individualised plan, you will need to report to your supervisor
or coordinator to ensure that the actions you perform as a care worker meet duty of
care requirements and fit within the agreed boundaries of the plan.

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Making regular reports to your supervisor, you will be able to negotiate and discuss;
problem-solving, the rights of the clients, issues relating to family members or
representatives, accountability and conflict resolution strategies.

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PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSION WITH THE PERSON AND
SUPERVISOR IN A MANNER THAT SUPPORTS THE PERSON’S SELF
DETERMINATION
As discussed in topic 2 clients must be allowed to make decisions for themselves. This is
vital in providing a client centred service that gives people choices. Clients have the
same rights as everybody else to make choices.
The client participates voluntarily when they partake in the provision of the services
designed to meet their needs. At no time should the client feel that they are being
pressured or forced to participate if they choose not to. Furthermore, they have the right
to change their mind, cease an activity or chose an alternative.
It is not enough to simply offer your clients a choice in matters that affect them. Clients
have the right to have the services available clearly explained to them. There are times
when the information may be unclear. In this instance, workers need to ensure that the
appropriate communication strategies are employed in order to assist the client in their
understanding of the information.
There are circumstances where the level of understanding of a client prohibits them
from making an informed choice even when all reasonable steps have been taken to
assist their understanding. For example; a client with an intellectual disability or one
who has a cognitive impairment such as dementia, may not be able to interpret
information which is complex in nature. When this is the case, an advocate may be used
to assist the client in making their choices
ADVOCACY
Advocacy is based upon ensuring the legal rights of clients are upheld and promoted in
order for them to have effective input into issues that concern both themselves and the
wider community.
Advocacy can be provided by workers to ensure that they have representation and
support relating to needs such financial support, legal advice, barriers and
discrimination.

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DOING FOR THEMSELVES
It needs to be ensured that clients are provided with the opportunity to do as much for
themselves as they choose when attending to their needs. Providing people with the
opportunity to exercise their skills and rights provides the person with a sense of
independence, and self-determination.
Care workers need to set realistic expectations for a person’s participation. The
expectations should not be set too low for fear of belittling the client, nor should the bar
be set so high that the individual is likely to encounter failure. Either of these extremes
is likely to result in a decrease in the client’s self-worth. Taking the time to get to know
the client and their abilities make it easier for a care worker to help them do as much as
they can for themselves and to set realistic expectations.
When you are helping the client to set their goals, it is advisable to do this in conjunction
with your supervisor. Your supervisor can provide valuable advice in relation to the goal
setting process. Often the supervisor will have a working knowledge of the abilities of
the client, particularly if they have worked with them in the past. Supervisors can also
help to ensure that the activities of the client are planned and designed within the scope
of organisational protocols and procedures.
PROVIDE CHOICES
All clients should be provided with choices in the provision of their care. How care
workers respond to the choices the clients make is important. Having choices creates a
sense of quality in the life of the client.
Working in the community services sector, you’re likely to encounter situations where
the client does not want to make choices about the provision of their care. How you
support individual’s choices will vary according to the nature of the choice involved and
the person’s previous experience in making choices.
In situations where people may want to make choices that are obviously not in their
best interest it is important that you maintain their self-esteem with your response or so
that they will not become withdrawn and stop making choices. Some people with an
intellectual disability who are withdrawn or passive have their behaviour incorrectly
interpreted as part of their disability, when, in fact, the behaviour is often the direct
result of low self-esteem.

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In order to maintain the self-esteem of the clients who avoid the decision making
process, it is important that you acknowledge their choice to do so and respect their
decision. Acknowledging their decisions, can help them to focus upon the things that
they feel they can influence.

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T O P I C 4 – C O M P L E T E R E P O R T I N G
A N D D O C U M E N T A T I O N
MAINTAIN CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY OF THE PERSON IN
ALL DEALINGS WITHIN ORGANISATION POLICY AND PROTOCOLS
The Australian Medical Association (AMA), Code of Ethics, requires medical
practitioners to maintain a patient’s confidentiality and privacy. Your workplace will
also have its own policies in place on how you go about doing this.
While the terms ‘privacy’ and ‘confidentiality’ are commonly used interchangeably, they
are not identical concepts. Privacy laws regulate the handling of personal information
(including health information) through enforceable privacy principles. On the other
hand, the legal duty of confidentiality obliges health care practitioners to protect their
patients against the inappropriate disclosure of personal information.
WHAT IS CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality means keeping a client’s information between you and the client. You are
not to make a client’s information available to anyone else unless they are involved in
their care. This includes; family, friends, colleagues and anyone else you may be talking
to.
The types of information that is considered confidential can include:








Name, date of birth, age, sex and address
Current contact details of family, guardian, etc.
Bank details
Medical history or records
Personal care issues
File progress notes
Individual personal plans
Assessments or reports

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Adult clients have the right to decide what information they consider personal and
confidential.
There is, however, no such thing as absolute confidentiality in the community services
industry. Workers are required to keep notes on all interactions with clients and often
to keep statistics about who is seen and what issues are addressed. As a worker, there
will be times when you could be faced with some personal difficulties regarding
confidentiality.
10
It is desirable for confidentiality to be handled consistently throughout the service, and
while the type and extent of the information conveyed by staff will vary according to the
situation, certain basic principles are applicable in all instances.
10 http://sielearning.tafensw.edu.au/MCS/CHCAOD402A/chcaod402a_csw/knowledge/confid…
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COMPLY WITH THE ORGANISATION’S INFORMAL AND FORMAL
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS, INCLUDING REPORTING
OBSERVATIONS TO SUPERVISOR
For organisations to function effectively the staff need to know and understand the
environment they are working in. information in your workplace provides the
guidelines, policies and protocols expected in your work.
Each workplace will have its own guidelines as to what is expected of you, the worker,
when reporting and completing documentation. It is your responsibility to know and
understand the policies and procedures of your organisation. If you are in doubt as to
what your responsibilities are, then you may wish to consult with your supervisor or
manager, or manager or check with your procedure manuals.
To function effectively in your role as a community services worker, you need to be
aware of what is expected in terms of documentation and develop the necessary skills
administrative skills to fulfil those requirements.
The sharing of information between authorised parties is essential in the provision and
maintenance of the care of clients. Without the appropriate information being available,
the standard of care can be jeopardised. The information needs to have a valid and
reliable source, and should be kept up to date at all times.
In relation to the care of the client, some of the documents that you will frequently have
to address will be:


Care plans
Case and progress notes
Incident reports
Individualised plans


Appointments
Financial statements and receipts
Personal documents

Documentation within your workplace will involve other aspects of the job apart from
the care of your clients. There are other aspects of your daily work that need to be
addressed. Some of these might include:

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Time sheets
Rosters
Client contact registers including telephone call meeting registers and
records
Purchase orders and invoices
Promotional materials
Organisation’s policies and procedures
Standard operating procedures (sops-policy manuals)
Relevant legislation





Food safety information
A multitude of organisational standard forms

The effectiveness of your communication and documentation will be dependent upon
how accurately you relay the information. All documentation should be:
Relevant



Legible
Up to date
Specific
Timely

The accuracy of your documentation better facilitates the day to day handling of
information in the workplace.
Vigilance should be ensured at all times when sharing the information in your
workplace. This is to ensure that the information you are sharing is only available to the
appropriate people. Be aware that the information you are sharing can be critical to the
effective functioning of your organisation.

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IDENTIFY AND RESPOND TO SITUATIONS OF POTENTIAL OR
ACTUAL RISK WITHIN SCOPE OF OWN ROLE AND REPORT TO
SUPERVISOR AS REQUIRED
Employees also need to ensure they act in a manner that will not put anyone, including
themselves, at risk of harm. This duty extends to all the environments where work is
carried out.
In each of these workplaces, there will be different workplace hazards that need to be
identified and addressed.
A hazard is any source that has the potential to harm life, health, property or the
environment. A risk is the chance of something harmful occurring-the likelihood that
harm will occur as a result of a hazard. For a hazard to become a risk, a worker or client
must be exposed to the hazard.
Safety materials and assessments generally make reference to incidents and near
misses. An incident is an unplanned event that has the potential to cause harm. A single
distinct occurrence that might cause illness or injury to any degree. This includes
property and/or environmental damage. A near miss is an episode in which a dangerous
event occurs without actually harming anyone or causing damage. Near miss, episodes
should be recorded and assessed as part of the risk assessment process. This enables an
evaluation of the likelihood of the danger situation actually causing harm in a future
occurrence.
Workplace hazards should, therefore, be subject to:



Identification
Assessment and estimation of potential damage
Evaluation
Control
Monitoring and review

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TYPES OF HAZARDS

Obvious hazards – are a visible and likely cause of accident (slippery floors,
unguarded machinery, corrosive chemicals, exposed electrical wiring)
Hidden hazards – are those that can cause illness, either physical or

psychological (for example, poorly designed office furniture, carcinogenic
substances or long exposure to sunlight, stress, overwork, bullying or
intimidation)
A checklist may be developed which may assist you assess your workplace for common
hazards. Hazards covered in the checklist include:










Manual tasks
Slips, trips and falls
Occupational Violence/ Aggression
Psychosocial issues/ stress
Biological hazards
Hazardous substances
Electrical hazards
External hazards
Vehicle hazards
Working alone

There are many risks involved in an organisation that have policies and procedures
relating to them. Each one will advise you on the best strategy to minimise the risks.
Below are some of the associated risk and reduction strategies.
REPORTING RISKS
Ensuring you report all hazards and risks is an important part of anyone’s role when
working with clients. All incidents and hazards must be reported using your
organisations Pro-forma for reporting.

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You must complete a hazard report and issue this report to the authorised person. This
will usually be your supervisor or manager but in the case where you are the supervisor
you may have to report to a higher authority, either way the report must be submitted
and the process of eliminating or controlling the hazard commenced. All reporting
should also include sharing the information with colleagues and co-workers in order to
minimise the possibility of further harm or injury.

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IDENTIFY AND REPORT SIGNS OF ADDITIONAL OR UNMET
NEEDS OF THE PERSON AND REFER IN ACCORDANCE WITH
ORGANISATION AND CONFIDENTIALITY REQUIREMENTS
Community service workers need to identify any difficulties they or the service they are
associated with might have in meeting the needs of the client. When difficulties are
identified, they should consult with their supervisor to develop strategies to meet the
client’s needs.
Meeting the needs of the client and the delivery of services involves adhering to several
basic principles, such as:






Maximising client participation
Providing choices for the client
Treating the client with kindness and respect
Ensuring the dignity and privacy of the client are upheld at all times
Maintaining a positive and professional image
Making all reasonable attempts to ensure the safety of the client

Clients you will encounter may have a wide variety of support needs. Some of the
supports they may require may be associated with:









Physical and intellectual disabilities
Psychological problem
Mental health issues
Financial problems
Legal issues
Drug and alcohol problems
Social isolation
Personal care and activities of daily living
Medical problems

Due to the fact that the needs of the client are often quite specific, it is quite likely that
the service that you work for may not be able to cater for the needs of all clients.

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As we have discussed previously, this will create the need to refer them to other
specialist services which may be able to meet their needs more adequately.
Difficulties in meeting the needs of the client may be associated with:






Cultural differences
Language barriers
Issues of mistrust
Clients being unable to comprehend information
Not having the resources to meet their needs
Client disabilities

When placed in a situation where you cannot meet or satisfy the needs of the client it is
important that you consult with your supervisor and act within the protocols of your
organisation. Consultation with your supervisor may reveal other options that haven’t
been explored, or they may have greater knowledge of services available to meet the
needs of the client.

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COMPLETE AND MAINTAIN DOCUMENTATION ACCORDING TO
ORGANISATION POLICY AND PROTOCOLS
COMPLETE DOCUMENTATION
There will be a requirement of your role to document any observations or concerns
about the clients you work with. These may include case notes, care plans, incident
reports, family details, personal history, progress reports, financial dealings and other
forms of documentation. Where reports are in hard copy handwriting must be legible.
Reports must be written in clear English, in black pen and be objective. This means you
should not include personal opinion in what you write. For example, “When I arrived at
his house, Bill was drunk” is a subjective statement. You have made the personal
decision regarding whether Bill was actually inebriated or not. Written objectively this
statement would be, “When I arrived at his house, Bill smelled strongly of alcohol.”
There may have been many reasons for why Bill smelled of alcohol that have nothing to
do with drinking it.
Under
The Freedom of Information Act 1982 clients, or their legal representatives, have a
right to read anything that you have written about them so be sure to use factual,
respectful language at all times.
Incident/accident reports should be completed as close to the time of the incident as
possible. These can be used in a court of law so make sure you are clear about the
organisation’s procedures for reporting an incident.
Many organisations rely on the accurate completion of documentation in order to
receive government and other funding. Your induction to an organisation will include
guidance on what reports need to be completed on a daily, weekly or at review time
basis. Where anything exceptional happens, or you observe changes that impact on the
welfare of the client, these should be documented and immediately reported to your
supervisor. Always make sure your reports are signed and dated.
Where reports are completed electronically, you will need to sit at the computer in a
manner that aligns the spine and complies with workplace health and safety guidelines.
Extended periods at the computer can cause physical problems if insufficient breaks are
taken or bad posture used

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MAINTAIN DOCUMENTATION
Maintaining the security and confidentiality of client information is a key responsibility
for your organisation. The Privacy Act 1988 and subsequent amendments (2012)
highlight the importance of collecting and recording information about Australian
citizens in a manner that upholds the law.
Your clients have the same right as you do to feel confident that personal information is
respected and used only for the purpose identified.
Where documentation is completed in a setting other than an office, such as a client’s
home, you must ensure that the information is kept secure. Avoid leaving client files in
your car or where others in the house can access them.
All documentation needs to be current, accurate and reflect how the needs of the client
are met on an ongoing basis.

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STORE INFORMATION ACCORDING TO ORGANISATION POLICY
AND PROTOCOLS
Files and data about your clients are kept in designated offices of the residential or
accommodation services and should only be accessible to appropriately authorised staff.
Written and computerised data may kept by head office if it is a large organisation, as
part of the ‘Client Information System’ which identifies individual clients and staff that
are only to be accessed by personnel maintaining the system and other appropriately
authorised staff.
Personal information is defined in section 6 of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act)
and means information that identifies or could reasonably identify an individual. There
are some obvious examples of personal information, such as a person’s name and
address.
Personal information can also include medical records, bank account details, photos,
videos, and even information about what an individual likes, their opinions and where
they work.
The 10 step guide below gives a snapshot of some of the:


Privacy rights for individuals
Obligations that organisations and Australian, act and Norfolk island
government agencies have under the privacy act

The OAIC website has more information for organisations and agencies. You can also
call the Enquiries Line on 1300 363 992.

ONLY COLLECT INFORMATION YOU NEED
Make sure individuals know what personal information your organisation or agency collects and
why. Also ensure that:
Each piece of information is necessary for any of the functions or activities of the
organisation or agency, and
The information is required in the circumstances
Sometimes, activities can be carried out without collecting personal information. This allows
individuals to interact anonymously with your organisation or agency.

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DON’T COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL JUST BECAUSE
YOU THINK THAT INFORMATION MAY COME IN HANDY LATER
Only collect information that is necessary at the time of collection, not because it may become
necessary or useful at a later date. If you need it later, collect the information then.
TELL PEOPLE HOW YOU ARE GOING TO HANDLE THE PERSONAL INFORMATION
YOU COLLECT ABOUT THEM
Have a publicly available policy that tells people how you handle personal information.
Also, when you collect personal information, always let people know why you need to collect the
information, how you plan to use it, who you are going to give it to. Make sure they know your
contact details and, if they want to, how they can get access to their personal information.
THINK ABOUT USING PERSONAL INFORMATION FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
Generally, organisations should not use personal information for a secondary purpose unrelated
to the main purpose for which they collected the information.
Unless your organisation has consent from the individual concerned or authorisation under law,
it should generally only use personal information if it is:
Related to the purpose your organisation collected it for
Within the reasonable expectations of the individual
Similarly, agencies must:
Only use personal information for a relevant purpose
Take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is accurate, up to date
and complete before using it
The OAIC website has more information on the obligations organisations and agencies have
under the Privacy Act.
THINK BEFORE DISCLOSING PERSONAL INFORMATION
The Privacy Act allows organisations and agencies to disclose personal information in some
circumstances.
Sometimes, organisations and agencies disclose personal information when they don’t need to,
or without considering whether the disclosure is authorised under the Privacy Act.
Always think about whether a purpose can be achieved without disclosing personal information.
Good practice: Get consent from the individual if you want to disclose their personal
information for a reason that is different from the reason you collected it.
IF PEOPLE ASK, GIVE THEM ACCESS TO THE PERSONAL INFORMATION YOU HOLD
ABOUT THEM
Organisations and agencies have a general duty to give individuals access to their personal
information. Here are some things to consider:
Be as open as possible by giving individuals access to their personal information in
the form they request
If you deny access to personal information, give the reason — consistent with the
Privacy Act — to the individual as soon as you can

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An individual also has an alternative path when seeking information from an
agency. If an individual seeks access under the Freedom of Information Act 1982
((Cth)) (FOI Act), the agency is obliged to consider the request under the FOI Act
rather than the Privacy Act. Access under the FOI Act may be subject to specific
exemptions. This alternative applies only to agencies, not organisations
The OAIC website has more information for agencies regarding the FOI Act.
KEEP PERSONAL INFORMATION SECURE
It is important that you keep personal information safe and secure from unauthorised access,
modification or disclosure and also against misuse and loss.
How you do this depends on the sensitivity of the information you hold, and the circumstances of
your organisation or agency.
Methods could include:
Considering the adequacy of existing security measures and procedures, including
whether any relevant standards are met
Training staff in privacy procedures
Ensuring adequate IT security, such as installing firewalls, cookie removers and anti
virus scanners on work IT systems
Checking that all personal information has been removed from electronic devices
before you sell or destroy them
Keeping hard copy files in properly secured cabinets
Allowing staff to access personal information on a ‘need to know’ basis only
Regularly monitoring your information handling practices to ensure they are secure
Depending on the size of your organisation and the information it collects, it may be prudent to
have an external privacy audit done.
DON’T KEEP INFORMATION YOU NO LONGER NEED OR THAT YOU NO LONGER
HAVE TO RETAIN
If you no longer need personal information and there is no law that says you have to retain the
information, then destroy it.
Shred, pulp or destroy the personal information paper records.
Dispose of files in security bins.
Delete electronic records or files securely so that they can’t be retrieved
KEEP PERSONAL INFORMATION ACCURATE AND UP TO DATE
The accuracy and currency of personal information you hold can change. Your organisation or
agency needs to take reasonable steps to keep the personal information it holds current. Amend
your records to reflect changes and make sure both hard copy and electronic files are updated.
If you know that some personal information is likely to change regularly, go through the files
periodically to ensure that your records are accurate and up to date.

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CONSIDER MAKING SOMEONE IN YOUR ORGANISATION OR AGENCY RESPONSIBLE
FOR PRIVACY
This could be a designated person (often called a Privacy Contact Officer or Chief Privacy Officer)
who:
Knows your organisation or agency’s responsibilities under the Privacy Act
Is willing and able to handle complaints and enquiries about the personal
information handling practices of your organisation or agency
This person could also be responsible for implementing a complaint handling process, staff
training programs and promoting Privacy Act compliance.
11

Don’t leave privacy to chance.
11 http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-resources/privacy-fact-sheets/other/privacy-fact-sheet-7-
ten-steps-to-protect-other-people-s-personal-information

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T O P I C 5 – A D D I T I O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N
DUTY OF CARE
You will need to ensure you monitor all aspects of your client service delivery to ensure
your reputation is upheld, you are meeting the needs of the clients and you are meeting
your duty of care requirements.
Your organisation’s reputation is extremely important. Without a good reputation, your
service will not operate. You will not receive referrals from others and the clients you
have will eventually move on. Therefore, you must ensure that at all times you are
addressing the needs of individual clients and the community as a whole. All of this
comes under one very important banner. Your duty of care! This means your duty of
care to staff, clients, the community as a whole, other organisations and much more.
Duty of care is a difficult term to define as there isn’t a legal definition of the concept
(except in occupational health and safety legislation). Duty of care comes under the legal
concept of negligence, and negligence belongs to the domain of common law. Common law
is also known as judge-made law as the decision about guilt is decided using legal
precedence and community attitudes and expectations. That is, there hasn’t been an Act of
Parliament passed defining what is legal or illegal but rather the decision is based on what
is considered appropriate or not appropriate at a particular time in history.
12
ROLE OF AGENCY POLICY AND PROCEDURE
Organisations should always ensure that there are a clearly written policy and
procedure, which enables staff to understand and perform their duty of care. Policy will
vary according to the target group and agency context, but should include the following
points:

Encourage consumers, staff and significant others (such as parents and
carers) to work together to cooperatively develop strategies and identify
solutions for challenging duty of care issues
Ensure that staff receive appropriate, relevant training and support to

perform their duty of care
12 http://sielearning.tafensw.edu.au/MCS/CHCAOD402A/chcaod402a_csw/knowledge/duty_o…
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The following points are an example of what may be incorporated into policy and
procedure in relation to the duty of care.

All employees need access to orientation training and induction that includes
information about duty of care
Employees need to seek advice and support from internal or external
professionals to deal with issues that challenge duty of care and dignity of
risk
Appropriate documentation relating to daily duty of care responsibilities
should be maintained at all times (e.g. case notes)
Information should be given to clients, staff, volunteers and significant others

about considerations involved in evaluating duty of care issues. This should
include information identifying duty of care obligations and the client’s right
to experience and learn from risk taking

Ensure that clients participate in decisions regarding their care arrangements
and lifestyle choices
Issues relating to duty of care must be discussed with a manager or
supervisor

As you can see, the thrust of duty of care policy is to collaborate with the relevant people
involved and to be mindful of accountability and client rights.
13
DIGNITY OF RISK
Dignity of risk is the legal requirement to ensure that all persons with a disability has
the legal right to choose their own medical treatments even if the professionals involved
feel that this is not the correct choice for them.
13 http://youthworker.wikispaces.com/file/view/CHCCS502A_reading.doc
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CONFIDENTIALITY, PRIVACY AND DISCLOSURE
The Australian Medical Association (AMA), Code of Ethics, requires medical
practitioners to maintain a patient’s confidentiality and privacy. Your workplace will
also have its own policies in place on how you go about doing this.
While the terms ‘privacy’ and ‘confidentiality’ are commonly used interchangeably, they
are not identical concepts. Privacy laws regulate the handling of personal information
(including health information) through enforceable privacy principles. On the other
hand, the legal duty of confidentiality obliges health care practitioners to protect their
patients against the inappropriate disclosure of personal information.
WHAT IS CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality means keeping a client’s information between you and the client. You are
not to make a client’s information available to anyone else unless they are involved in
their care. This includes; family, friends, colleagues and anyone else you may be talking
to.
The types of information that is considered confidential can include:








Name, date of birth, age, sex and address
Current contact details of family, guardian, etc.
Bank details
Medical history or records
Personal care issues
File progress notes
Individual personal plans
Assessments or reports

Adult clients have the right to decide what information they consider personal and
confidential.
There is, however, no such thing as absolute confidentiality in the community services
industry. Workers are required to keep notes on all interactions with clients and often
to keep statistics about who is seen and what issues are addressed. As a worker, there

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will be times when you could be faced with some personal difficulties regarding
confidentiality.
14
It is desirable for confidentiality to be handled consistently throughout the service, and
while the type and extent of the information conveyed by staff will vary according to the
situation, certain basic principles are applicable in all instances.
14 http://sielearning.tafensw.edu.au/MCS/CHCAOD402A/chcaod402a_csw/knowledge/confid…
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DISCRIMINATION
In Australia, employers and their employees are legally obliged to uphold the human
rights standards set out in a number of federal laws. Some of these human rights
standards are included in the types of Acts listed below.
Some of the types of laws governing human rights include:

Age Discrimination


Disability Discrimination
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity
Race Discrimination
Sex Discrimination

It is important for you to familiarise yourself with the relevant human rights legislation.
You will be able to access your own copy of relevant legislation at
http://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/legal/legislation

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WORK ROLE BOUNDARIES
Community service workers are often required to make decisions according to the
ethics and philosophies of their organisation. Behaving in a way that is ethical and
adhering to the policies and procedures of the organisation are a good starting point for
providing high standards of care for the client. It is the responsibility of management to
develop policies and procedures which reflect the values, objectives, and purpose of the
organisation. Whilst management also have the responsibility to introduce staff to the
policies and procedures, particularly to the new worker at the time of induction, it is the
responsibility of the worker to familiarise themselves with the relevant information and
ensure they comply.
Position descriptions are a good way for the worker to establish the scope of their work.
These descriptions provide information about the scope of the work and the duties to be
performed.
Policies and procedures provide valuable information about how the work should be
done.
Community workers should pay particular attention to the boundaries of their work.
Not only are they expected to perform to a particular standard outlined by the
organisation, but they must ensure that they do not exceed the boundaries of their work
role. Attempting to work beyond the level of one’s qualifications can be both dangerous
to the health and safety of others, as well as to the detriment of the client. For example A
person who holds a certificate 4 in community services should not be attempting to
provide treatment for a client which would normally be the job of a registered nurse.
All workers need to be aware of their responsibilities and the boundaries of their work
role. If at any stage you are unclear about the scope of your work then you should
consult with your supervisor or manager, as well as the policy and procedure manual of
the organisation.

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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN NEEDS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
WHAT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS?
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of
residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We
are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all
interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.
Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of
treaties, customary international law , general principles and other sources of
international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments
to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect
human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.
15
HUMAN NEEDS
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid with the
largest, most fundamental levels of needs at the bottom and the need for selfactualisation at the top. While the pyramid has become the de facto way to represent the
hierarchy, Maslow himself never used a pyramid to describe these levels in any of his
writings on the subject.
The most fundamental and basic four layers of the pyramid contain what Maslow called
“deficiency needs” or “d-needs”: esteem, friendship and love, security, and physical
needs. If these “deficiency needs” are not met – with the exception of the most
fundamental (physiological) need – there may not be a physical indication, but the
individual will feel anxious and tense. Maslow’s theory suggests that the most basic level
of needs must be met before the individual will strongly desire (or focus motivation
upon) the secondary or higher level needs. Maslow also coined the term
“metamotivation” to describe the motivation of people who go beyond the scope of the
basic needs and strive for constant betterment.
The human mind and brain are complex and have parallel processes running at the
same time, thus many different motivations from various levels of Maslow’s hierarchy
can occur at the same time. Maslow spoke clearly about these levels and their
satisfaction in terms such as “relative,” “general,” and “primarily.” Instead of stating that
the individual focuses on a certain need at any given time, Maslow stated that a certain
15 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx
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need “dominates” the human organism. Thus Maslow acknowledged the likelihood that
the different levels of motivation could occur at any time in the human mind, but he
focused on identifying the basic types of motivation and the order in which they should
be met.
16
16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow’s_hierarchy_of_needs#/media/File:MaslowsHierarchyOfNeeds.svg
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HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORKS, APPROACHES, INSTRUMENTS
HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORK
Human rights violations against migrants are often closely linked to discriminatory law
and practice, and to deep-seated attitudes of prejudice and xenophobia against them.
International human rights instruments and standards provide a broad framework for
the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms of all human beings,
including migrants.
HUMAN RIGHTS APPROACH

Human rights are those rights which are essential to live as human beings – basic standards
without which people cannot survive and develop in dignity. Human rights are inherent to the
human person, inalienable and universal.
The United Nations set a common standard on human rights with the adoption of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Although this Declaration is not part of binding
international law, its acceptance by all countries around the world gives great moral weight to
the fundamental principle that all human beings, rich and poor, strong and weak, male and
female, of all races and religions, are to be treated equally and with respect.
The United Nations has since adopted many legally binding international human rights treaties
and agreements. These treaties are used as a framework for discussing and applying human
rights. Through these instruments, the principles and rights they outline become legal
obligations on those States choosing to be bound by them. The framework also establishes legal
and other mechanisms to hold governments accountable in the event they violate human rights.
The instruments of the international human rights framework are the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and the six core human rights treaties: the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the
Convention on the Rights of the Child; the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the International Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Racial Discrimination; and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women. Every country in the world has ratified at least one of these, and
many have ratified most of them. These treaties are important tools for holding governments
accountable for the respect for, protection of and realization of the rights of individuals in their
country.
As part of the framework of human rights law, all human rights are indivisible, interrelated and
interdependent. Understanding this framework is important to promoting, protecting and
realizing children’s rights because the CRC—and the rights and duties contained in it—are part
of the framework.
17

17 http://www.unicef.org/crc/index_framework.html
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MANDATORY REPORTING

What is mandatory reporting?
Mandatory reporting is a term used to describe the legislative requirement imposed on
selected classes of people to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect to government
authorities. Parliaments in all Australian states and territories have enacted mandatory
reporting laws of some description. However, the laws are not the same across all
jurisdictions. The main differences concern who has to report, and what types of abuse and
neglect have to be reported. There are also other differences, such as the state of mind that
activates the reporting duty (i.e., having a concern, suspicion or belief on reasonable grounds –
see
Table 1) and the destination of the report.
This sheet focuses on the major differences features of state and territory laws regarding who
must report and what must be reported.

Table 1: Key features of legislative reporting duties: “state of mind” that activates reporting
duty and extent of harm.
Jurisdiction State of mind Extent of harm
ACT Belief on
reasonable grounds
Not specified: “sexual abuse … or non-accidental physical
injury”
NSW Suspects on
reasonable grounds
that a child is at
risk of significant
harm
A child or young person “is at risk of significant harm if
current concerns exist for the safety, welfare or wellbeing
of the child or young person because of the presence, to a
significant extent, of … basic physical or psychological
needs are not being met … physical or sexual abuse or ill
treatment … serious psychological harm”
NT Belief on
reasonable grounds
Any significant detrimental effect caused by any act,
omission or circumstance on the physical, psychological or
emotional wellbeing or development of the child
QLD Becomes aware, or
reasonably
suspects
Significant detrimental effect on the child’s physical,
psychological or emotional wellbeing
SA Suspects on
reasonable grounds
Any sexual abuse; physical or psychological abuse or
neglect to extent that the child “has suffered, or is likely to
suffer, physical or psychological injury detrimental to the
child’s wellbeing; or the child’s physical or psychological
development is in jeopardy”
TAS Believes, or
suspects, on
reasonable
grounds, or knows
Any sexual abuse; physical or emotional injury or other
abuse, or neglect, to extent that the child has suffered, or is
likely to suffer, physical or psychological harm detrimental
to the child’s wellbeing; or the child’s physical or
psychological development is in jeopardy

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VIC Belief on
reasonable grounds
Child has suffered, or is likely to suffer, significant harm as
a result of physical injury or sexual abuse and the child’s
parents have not protected, or are unlikely to protect, the
child from harm of that type
WA Belief on
reasonable grounds
Not specified: any sexual abuse
Australia Suspects on
reasonable grounds
Not specified: any assault or sexual assault; serious
psychological harm; serious neglect

Adapted from relevant state and territory legislation.
Who is mandated to make a notification?
The legislation generally contains lists of particular occupations that are mandated to report.
The groups of people mandated to notify cases of suspected child abuse and neglect range
from persons in a limited number of occupations (e.g., Qld), to a more extensive list (Vic.), to a
very extensive list (ACT, NSW, SA, Tas.), through to every adult (NT). The occupations most
commonly named as mandated reporters are those who deal frequently with children in the
course of their work: teachers, doctors, nurses, and police.
What types of abuse are mandated reporters required to report?
In addition to differences describing who is a mandated reporter across jurisdictions, there
are differences in the types of abuse and neglect which must be reported. In some
jurisdictions it is mandatory to report suspicions of each of the four classical types of abuse
and neglect abuse (i.e., physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect). In other
jurisdictions it is mandatory to report only some of the abuse types (e.g., Vic., WA). Some
jurisdictions also require reports of exposure of children to domestic violence.
It is important to note that the legislation generally specifies that except for sexual abuse
(where all suspicions must be reported), it is only cases of SIGNIFICANT abuse and neglect
that must be reported. Reflecting the original intention of the laws, the duty does not apply to
any and all “abuse” or “neglect”, but only to cases which are of sufficiently significant harm to
the child’s health or wellbeing to warrant intervention or service provision. However,
reflecting the qualitative differences presented by sexual abuse as opposed to other forms of
abuse and neglect, five jurisdictions apply the reporting duty to all suspected cases of sexual
abuse without requiring the reporter to exercise any discretion about the extent of harm
which may have been caused or which may be likely (ACT, NT, SA, Tas., WA).
In the other three jurisdictions, the practical application of the duty to report sexual abuse
would still result in reports of all suspected sexual abuse being required, as sexual abuse
should always create a suspicion of significant harm. Suspicions of more minor child abuse
and neglect may be referred to child and family welfare agencies, especially where
jurisdictions have made more extensive provision for this (e.g., Vic., NSW, Tas.). It is also
important to note that the duty to report also applies to suspicions that significant abuse or
neglect is likely to occur in future, not only suspected cases of significant abuse or neglect that
have already happened.
Table 2 provides an overview of the key features of the legislation in each state and territory:
who must report, and what must be reported.

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Table 2: Mandatory reporting requirements across Australia
Who is mandated to
report?
What must be
reported?
Abuse and neglect types
which must be reported
Legal
provisions
ACT A person who is: a
doctor; a dentist; a
nurse; an enrolled
nurse; a midwife; a
teacher at a school; a
person providing
education to a child or
young person who is
registered, or
provisionally
registered, for home
education under the
EDUCATION ACT
2004; a police officer;
a person employed to
counsel children or
young people at a
school; a person
caring for a child at a
child care centre; a
person coordinating
or monitoring home
based care for a
family day care
scheme proprietor; a
public servant who, in
the course of
employment as a
public servant, works
with, or provides
services personally to,
children and young
people or families; the
public advocate; an
official visitor; a
person who, in the
course of the person’s
employment, has
contact with or
provides services to
children, young
people and their
families and is
prescribed by
regulation
A belief, on
reasonable
grounds, that a
child or young
person has
experienced or
is experiencing
sexual abuse
or non
accidental
physical
injury; and
the belief
arises from
information
obtained by
the person
during the
course of, or
because of, the
person’s work
(whether paid
or unpaid)
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Section 356 of
the CHILDREN
AND YOUNG
PEOPLE ACT
2008 (ACT)

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NS
W
A person who, in the
course of his or her
professional work or
other paid
employment delivers
health care, welfare,
education, children’s
services, residential
services or law
enforcement, wholly
or partly, to children;
and
A person who holds a
management position
in an organisation, the
duties of which
include direct
responsibility for, or
direct supervision of,
the provision of
health care, welfare,
education, children’s
services, residential
services or law
enforcement, wholly
or partly, to children
Reasonable
grounds to
suspect that a
child is at risk
of significant
harm; and
those grounds
arise during
the course of
or from the
person’s work
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Emotional/psychologica
l abuse
Neglect Exposure to
domestic violence
Sections 23
and 27 of the
CHILDREN
AND YOUNG
PERSONS
(CARE AND
PROTECTION
) ACT 1998
(NSW)
NT Any person A belief on
reasonable
grounds that a
child has
suffered or is
likely to suffer
harm or
exploitation
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Emotional/psychologica
l abuse
Neglect
Exposure to physical
violence (e.g., a child
witnessing violence
between parents at
home)
Sections 15, 16
and 26 of the
CARE AND
PROTECTION
OF CHILDREN
ACT 2007
(NT)
Registered health
professionals
Reasonable
grounds to
believe a child
aged 14 or 15
years has been
or is likely to
be a victim of a
sexual offence
and the age
difference
between the
child and
Sexual abuse Section 26(2)
of the CARE
AND
PROTECTION
OF CHILDREN
ACT 2007
(NT)

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offender is
greater than 2
years
QLD An authorised officer,
a public service
employee employed
in the department, a
person employed in a
departmental care
service or licensed
care service
Awareness or
reasonable
suspicion of
harm caused
to a child
placed in the
care of an
entity
conducting a
departmental
care service or
a licensee
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Sections 9, 148
of the CHILD
PROTECTION
ACT 1999
(Qld)
Relevant persons:
doctors; registered
nurses; teachers;
police officers; child
advocates
Has a
reasonable
suspicion that
a child has
suffered, is
suffering or is
at an
unacceptable
risk of
suffering
significant
harm
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Part 1AA,
Section 13a
and 13b of the
CHILD
PROTECTION
ACT 1999
(Qld)*
School staff Awareness or
reasonable
suspicion that
a child has
been or is
likely to be
sexually
abused; and
the suspicion
is formed in
the course of
the person’s
employment
Sexual abuse Sections 364,
365, 365A,
366, 366A of
the
EDUCATION
(GENERAL
PROVISIONS)
ACT 2006
(Qld)
SA Doctors; pharmacists;
registered or enrolled
nurses; dentists;
psychologists; police
officers; community
corrections officers;
social workers;
Reasonable
grounds to
suspect that a
child has been
or is being
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Emotional/psychologica
l abuse
Neglect
Sections 6, 10
and 11 of the
CHILDREN’S
PROTECTION
ACT 1993
(SA)

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teachers in
educational
institutions including
kindergartens; family
day care providers;
employees/volunteer
s in a government
department, agency
or instrumentality, or
a local government or
non-government
agency that provides
health, welfare,
education, sporting or
recreational, child
care or residential
services wholly or
partly for children;
ministers of religion
(with the exception of
disclosures made in
the confessional);
employees or
volunteers in a
religious or spiritual
organisations
abused or
neglected; and
the suspicion
is formed in
the course of
the person’s
work (whether
paid or
voluntary) or
carrying out
official duties
Tas. Registered medical
practitioners; nurses;
midwives; dentists,
dental therapists or
dental hygienists;
registered
psychologists; police
officers; probation
officers; principals
and teachers in any
educational
institution including
kindergartens;
persons who provide
child care or a child
care service for fee or
reward; persons
concerned in the
management of a
child care service
licensed under the
CHILD CARE ACT
2001; any other
person who is
A belief,
suspicion,
reasonable
grounds or
knowledge
that:
a child has
been or is
being abused
or neglected or
is an affected
child within
the meaning of
the FAMILY
VIOLENCE
ACT 2004
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Emotional/psychologica
l abuse
Neglect
Exposure to family
violence
Sections 3, 4
and 14 of the
CHILDREN,
YOUNG
PERSONS
AND THEIR
FAMILIES
ACT 1997
(Tas.)

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employed or engaged
as an employee for, of,
or in, or who is a
volunteer in, a
government agency
that provides health,
welfare, education,
child care or
residential services
wholly or partly for
children, and an
organisation that
receives any funding
from the Crown for
the provision of such
services; and any
other person of a class
determined by the
Minister by notice in
the Gazette to be
prescribed persons
Vic. Registered medical
practitioners,
midwives, registered
nurses; a person
registered as a
teacher under the
EDUCATION,
TRAINING AND
REFORM ACT 2006
or teachers granted
permission to teach
under that Act;
principals of
government or non
government schools;
and members of the
police force
Belief on
reasonable
grounds that a
child is in need
of protection
on a ground
referred to in
Section 162(c)
or 162(d),
formed in the
course of
practising his
or her office,
position or
employment
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Sections
182(1)(a)-(e),
184 and
162(c)-(d) of
the
CHILDREN,
YOUTH AND
FAMILIES
ACT 2005
(Vic.)
WA Doctors; nurses and
midwives; teachers;
and police officers
Belief on
reasonable
grounds that
child sexual
abuse has
occurred or is
occurring
Sexual abuse Sections 124A
and 124B of
the CHILDREN
AND
COMMUNITY
SERVICES
ACT 2004
Court personnel;
family counsellors;
family dispute
Reasonable
grounds for
suspecting that
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Sections 5, 160
of the FAMILY

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resolution
practitioners,
arbitrators or legal
practitioners
representing the
child’s interests
a child has
been: abused,
or is at risk of
being abused;
ill treated, or is
at risk of being
ill treated; or
exposed or
subjected to
behaviour that
psychologicall
y harms the
child.
COURT ACT
1997 (WA);

* This section has not yet been proclaimed and is likely to occur early in 2015 due to other
legislative changes required as a result.
Commonwealth law
In addition to state and territory laws, the FAMILY LAW ACT 1975 (Cth) creates a mandatory
reporting duty for personnel from the Family Court of Australia, the Federal Magistrates
Court and the Family Court of Western Australia. This includes registrars, family counsellors,
family dispute resolution practitioners or arbitrators, and lawyers independently
representing children’s interests. Section 67ZA states that when in the course of performing
duties or functions, or exercising powers, these court personnel have reasonable grounds for
suspecting that a child has been abused, or is at risk of being abused, the person must, as soon
as practicable, notify a prescribed child welfare authority of his or her suspicion and the basis
for the suspicion.
What protections are given to reporters?
In all jurisdictions, the legislation protects the reporter’s identity from disclosure. In addition,
the legislation provides that as long as the report is made in good faith, the reporter cannot be
liable in any civil, criminal or administrative proceeding.
About whom can notifications be made?
Legislation in all jurisdictions except New South Wales requires mandatory reporting in
relation to all young people up to the age of 18 (whether they use the terms “children” or
“children and young people”). In New South Wales, the legislative grounds for intervention
cover young people up to 18 years of age, but it is not mandatory to report suspicions of risk
of harm in relation to young people aged 16 and 17.
What type of concerns must be reported, and what may be reported?
Mandatory reporting laws specify those conditions under which an individual is legally
required to make a report to the relevant government agency in their jurisdiction. This does
not preclude an individual from making a report to the statutory child protection service if
they have concerns for the safety and wellbeing of a child that do not fall within mandatory
reporting requirements. All statutes enable people to report concerns for a child’s welfare

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even if they do not compel such reports. Any voluntary non-mandated reports will receive the
legal protections referred to above regarding confidentiality and immunity from legal liability.
Although particular professional groups (such as psychologists) or government agencies
(such as education departments in some states) may have protocols outlining the moral,
ethical or professional responsibility or indeed the organisational requirement to report, they
may not be officially mandated under their jurisdiction’s child protection legislation. For
example, in Queensland, teachers are required to report all forms of suspected significant
abuse and neglect under school policy, but are only mandated to report sexual abuse under
the legislation.
In what cases can child protection and welfare agencies respond?
A common assumption is that mandatory reporting requirements, the legislative grounds for
intervention, and research classifications of abusive and neglectful behaviour are the same. In
fact, mandatory reporting laws define the types of situations that must be reported to
statutory child protection services. Legislative grounds for government intervention define
the circumstances and, importantly, the threshold at which the statutory child protection
service is legally able to intervene to protect a child. Researchers typically focus on defining
behaviours and circumstances that can be categorised as abuse and neglect. These differences
arise because each description serves a different purpose; the lack of commonality does not
mean that the system is failing to work as policy-makers had intended.
18
For further information on mandatory reporting please go to:
https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/mandatory-reporting-child-abuse-and-neglect

18 https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/mandatory-reporting-child-abuse-and-neglect
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S U M M A R Y
Now that you have completed this unit, you should have the skills and knowledge
required to organise, provide and monitor support services within the limits established
by an individualised plan. The individualised plan refers to the support or service
provision plan developed for the individual accessing the service and may have many
different names in different organisations.
If you have any questions about this resource, please ask your trainer. They will be only
too happy to assist you when required.

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R E F E R E N C E S
http://sielearning.tafensw.edu.au/MCS/CHCAOD402A/chcaod402a_csw/knowledge/co
nfid…
http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/601098/dsapp_planningpolicy
_implementationguide_20071128.pdf
.
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/ageing-complaintsindex.htm
http://www.hr.virginia.edu/uploads/documents/media/Conducting_a_Self_Evaluation.
pdf
.
http://www.mav.asn.au/policy-services/social-community/ageing/home-communitycare/Related%20documents%20%20HACC%20Easy%20Living/HACC%20Easy%20Liv
ing%20Equipment%20guide.docx
.
http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-resources/privacy-fact-sheets/other/privacyfact-sheet-7-ten-steps-to-protect-other-people-s-personal-information
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx
http://www.sa.agedrights.asn.au/residential_care/preventing_elder_abuse/rights_of_ol
der_person
http://www.unicef.org/crc/index_framework.html
http://youthworker.wikispaces.com/file/view/CHCCS502A_reading.doc
https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/mandatory-reporting-child-abuse-and-neglect
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow’s_hierarchy_of_needs#/media/File:MaslowsHier
archyOfNeeds.svg