Unit of competency Outline
Date retreived
23/07/2026 6:45 AM AWST
23/07/2026 6:45 AM AWST
Whilst all efforts are made to provide accurate and timely information from the relevant source/documentation, please be aware that the information supplied may not be the most current version. The accuracy of the detail has not been confirmed by the Department and therefore should not be relied upon without first confirming the contents.
Provide support and care relating to loss and grief
Provide support and care relating to loss and grief
Unit of competency
National Code
CHCCS426B
CHCCS426B
State Code
WC857
WC857
TGA Status
Replaced
Replaced
DTWD Status
Replaced
Replaced
State Implementation and Classification
Approved Date
21/07/2014
Field of Education
090513 - Counselling
Original Release Date
21/07/2014
Nominal Hours
40
Description
DescriptorThis unit describes the knowledge and skills required to provide support for individuals who are experiencing loss, grief and bereavement
Notes
Elements and Performance Criteria
1. Identify effects and impact of loss and features of grief
- 1.1 Clarify the impact of specific loss(es) and common features of grief and trauma and their interplay at the individual, family and community level
- 1.2 Recognise common but also distinctive expressions of grief and complex grief
- 1.3 Take into account distinctive social, cultural, ethnic and spiritual differences in loss and grief
- 1.4 Recognise the elevated risk of developing negative impacts on health and well being after a loss
- 1.5 Recognise and understand disenfranchised grief
- 1.6 Identify and demonstrate understanding and respect for specific approaches and responses of individuals, families and communities to grief
- 1.7 Demonstrate understanding of integration of loss
2. Engage empathically with people who are living with loss
- 2.1 Interact with individuals with empathy, sensitivity, professionalism and courtesy
- 2.2 Identify and respect social, cultural, ethnic and spiritual differences which may affect grief and bereavement responses
- 2.3 Apply, within culturally appropriate boundaries verbal and non-verbal approaches to dealing with and responding to grieving individuals
- 2.4 Apply, within culturally appropriate boundaries empathic listening skills
3. Provide support for individuals who are grieving and identify potential for healing and growth
- 3.1 Recognise common reactions to loss and the range of grief responses
- 3.2 Recognise common reactions to trauma and the range of responses
- 3.3 Identify individuals experiencing difficulty in coping with grief and trauma and link them with options for further help as needed
- 3.4 Demonstrate understanding of the role of complex grief reactions
- 3.5 Identify and assess an individual's suicide risk and where necessary refer to appropriate services
- 3.6 Use, within culturally appropriate boundaries communication techniques to respond to each individual's needs in relation to their grief and bereavement
- 3.7 Identify, suggest or use strategies for formal and informal grief and bereavement support
- 3.8 Maintain confidentiality in line with organisation practices
4. Identify, inform and refer to appropriate grief and bereavement care services and resources
- 4.1 Identify grief and bereavement care services available in the community
- 4.2 Identify referral procedures in accordance with organisation policies and procedures
- 4.3 Identify and make accessible general grief and bereavement care information resources
- 4.4 Fully inform individual about grief and bereavement care service options
- 4.5 Obtain feedback from individual to determine whether options are clearly understood
5. Identify and recognise risks associated with grief and bereavement support
- 5.1 Identify and recognise a range of risks associated with grief and bereavement support
- 5.2 Develop and implement appropriate strategies to minimise risks associated with grief and bereavement support
6. Access appropriate supervision and debriefing
- 6.1 Identify the need to access appropriate supervision
- 6.2 Identify the need to access appropriate debriefing
- 6.3 Develop and implement appropriate strategies to access supervision and debriefing
7. Review and evaluate grief and bereavement support provided
- 7.1 Reflect on outcomes during and after support is provided
- 7.2 Identify where further support is required
- 7.3 Review practices for continuous improvement
RANGE STATEMENT
The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.
Loss may include:
Primary losses
Secondary losses:
losses of the internal world, such as loss of cognitive or sensory capacity
interaction losses
losses of the external world, such as material or personal losses
Cumulative losses
Features of grief may include:
Sadness
Longing
Somatic complaints
Integration
Expressions of grief may include:
Anger
Anxiety
Change in worldview
Chronic sorrow
Confusion
Depression
Despair
Drop in self-esteem
Fear of going mad
Feeling unable to cope
Guilt and remorse
Helplessness
Hopelessness
Loneliness
Questioning of values and beliefs
Relief
Shock and disbelief
Suicidal ideation
Social, cultural, ethnic and spiritual differences in loss, grief and bereavement may include:
Reactions to loss
Individual expressions of grief and bereavement
Cultural expressions of grief and bereavement
Spiritual and religious beliefs relating to loss, grief and bereavement
Coping strategies
The context and circumstances prior to loss may include:
Socioeconomic circumstances
Presence of mental illness in the deceased
Age of deceased
Family relationships
Integration of loss may include:
Dual process
Meaning reconstruction
Continuing bonds
Disenfranchised grief
Grieving styles
Interact with individuals with empathy, sensitivity, professionalism and courtesy may include:
Empathic listening
Identifying and affirming the grieving person's strengths and opportunities
Helping manage overwhelming feelings to facilitate coping
Using questions and concreteness to focus on identifying immediate needs and concerns
Facilitating informed choices by the grieving person
Unconditional positive regard for the grieving person
Non-judgemental approach
Genuineness of response
Appropriate verbal and non-verbal approaches may include:
Verbal approaches that support empathy, sensitivity, professionalism and courtesy
Facial expressions, gestures, eye contact and personal space that support empathy, sensitivity, professionalism and courtesy
Empathic listening skills may include:
Appropriate brief encouragers which help the grieving person relate their story and concerns
Reflection of feelings /thoughts, behaviours and experience (content)
Hearing the grieving person's concerns
Paraphrasing (reflection of content)
Using open and closed questions to expand or clarify understanding
Understanding the grieving person's context
Recognising when higher levels of care may be indicated
Balancing the frequency of questions
Summarising and closure
Application of listening skills within culturally-appropriate boundaries
Difficulty in coping with grief and trauma may include:
Symptoms of separation distress
Symptoms of traumatic distress/stress
Complex grieving
Suicidal ideation
Grief and bereavement support strategies and grief and bereavement care services may include:
Aboriginal health services
Coronial services
Emergency services
Empathic listening
General practitioners
Group grief counselling
Health services
Individual grief counselling
Palliative care services and teams
Practical support
Psychological services
Spiritual and faith care services
Support group
Telephone counselling services
Referral procedures may include:
Referral information
Referral databases
Referral protocols
Grief and bereavement care information resources may include:
Internet resources
Fact sheets
Information packs
Risks associated with grief and bereavement support may include:
Compassion fatigue
Vicarious traumatisation
Burnout
Lack of adequate supervision
Lack of access to external expertise
Strategies to minimise risks associated with grief and bereavement support may include:
Self care
Supervision
Debriefing
Back up support
External networks and expertise
The need to access to appropriate supervision and/or debriefing may include:
Duty of care to clients
Self care
The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.
Loss may include:
Primary losses
Secondary losses:
losses of the internal world, such as loss of cognitive or sensory capacity
interaction losses
losses of the external world, such as material or personal losses
Cumulative losses
Features of grief may include:
Sadness
Longing
Somatic complaints
Integration
Expressions of grief may include:
Anger
Anxiety
Change in worldview
Chronic sorrow
Confusion
Depression
Despair
Drop in self-esteem
Fear of going mad
Feeling unable to cope
Guilt and remorse
Helplessness
Hopelessness
Loneliness
Questioning of values and beliefs
Relief
Shock and disbelief
Suicidal ideation
Social, cultural, ethnic and spiritual differences in loss, grief and bereavement may include:
Reactions to loss
Individual expressions of grief and bereavement
Cultural expressions of grief and bereavement
Spiritual and religious beliefs relating to loss, grief and bereavement
Coping strategies
The context and circumstances prior to loss may include:
Socioeconomic circumstances
Presence of mental illness in the deceased
Age of deceased
Family relationships
Integration of loss may include:
Dual process
Meaning reconstruction
Continuing bonds
Disenfranchised grief
Grieving styles
Interact with individuals with empathy, sensitivity, professionalism and courtesy may include:
Empathic listening
Identifying and affirming the grieving person's strengths and opportunities
Helping manage overwhelming feelings to facilitate coping
Using questions and concreteness to focus on identifying immediate needs and concerns
Facilitating informed choices by the grieving person
Unconditional positive regard for the grieving person
Non-judgemental approach
Genuineness of response
Appropriate verbal and non-verbal approaches may include:
Verbal approaches that support empathy, sensitivity, professionalism and courtesy
Facial expressions, gestures, eye contact and personal space that support empathy, sensitivity, professionalism and courtesy
Empathic listening skills may include:
Appropriate brief encouragers which help the grieving person relate their story and concerns
Reflection of feelings /thoughts, behaviours and experience (content)
Hearing the grieving person's concerns
Paraphrasing (reflection of content)
Using open and closed questions to expand or clarify understanding
Understanding the grieving person's context
Recognising when higher levels of care may be indicated
Balancing the frequency of questions
Summarising and closure
Application of listening skills within culturally-appropriate boundaries
Difficulty in coping with grief and trauma may include:
Symptoms of separation distress
Symptoms of traumatic distress/stress
Complex grieving
Suicidal ideation
Grief and bereavement support strategies and grief and bereavement care services may include:
Aboriginal health services
Coronial services
Emergency services
Empathic listening
General practitioners
Group grief counselling
Health services
Individual grief counselling
Palliative care services and teams
Practical support
Psychological services
Spiritual and faith care services
Support group
Telephone counselling services
Referral procedures may include:
Referral information
Referral databases
Referral protocols
Grief and bereavement care information resources may include:
Internet resources
Fact sheets
Information packs
Risks associated with grief and bereavement support may include:
Compassion fatigue
Vicarious traumatisation
Burnout
Lack of adequate supervision
Lack of access to external expertise
Strategies to minimise risks associated with grief and bereavement support may include:
Self care
Supervision
Debriefing
Back up support
External networks and expertise
The need to access to appropriate supervision and/or debriefing may include:
Duty of care to clients
Self care
EVIDENCE GUIDE
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this unit of competency:
The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
This unit is best assessed in the workplace or in a simulated workplace under the normal of range conditions
Assessment should be gathered on one or more occasions but must reflect the normal range of client situations encountered in the workplace
Access and equity considerations:
All workers in community services should be aware of access, equity and human rights issues in relation to their own area of work
All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
In recognition of particular issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities
Context of and specific resources for assessment:
This unit can be assessed independently, however holistic assessment practice with other community services units of competency is encouraged
Method of assessment:
Consistent performance and development would be expected to be demonstrated involving a combination of oral and written media while also featuring simulated and actual practice
Examples might include:
group exercises
written (e.g. journal) and verbal responses to questioning
simulated exercises
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this unit of competency:
The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
This unit is best assessed in the workplace or in a simulated workplace under the normal of range conditions
Assessment should be gathered on one or more occasions but must reflect the normal range of client situations encountered in the workplace
Access and equity considerations:
All workers in community services should be aware of access, equity and human rights issues in relation to their own area of work
All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
In recognition of particular issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities
Context of and specific resources for assessment:
This unit can be assessed independently, however holistic assessment practice with other community services units of competency is encouraged
Method of assessment:
Consistent performance and development would be expected to be demonstrated involving a combination of oral and written media while also featuring simulated and actual practice
Examples might include:
group exercises
written (e.g. journal) and verbal responses to questioning
simulated exercises
Replaces
| State Code | National Code | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| D2346 | CHCCS426A | Provide support and care relating to loss and grief | Unit of competency |
Replaced By
| State Code | National Code | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| AVC60 | CHCCCS017 | Provide loss and grief support | Unit of competency |