Elements and Performance Criteria

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.


Clients include:
Families and personal network of the client


Assessment may take place:
Face-to-face
By telephone


Other related information may include:
Co-morbidity (dual diagnosis) issues related to physical/sensory/intellectual/psychiatric disabilities
Developmental issues
Doctor’s or other professional’s reports
Information provided by family or support network
Information related to legal issues for persons under court/protective/statutory orders
That provided by other services via referral
Trauma issues, for example, for survivors of domestic violence, abuse, neglect or sexual assault


Current status of the client includes:
Determining readiness to change
Physical, emotional, financial, legal and psychosocial state and immediate needs in these areas
Other drug use in the family
Level of risk of deliberate self-harm behaviours and/or harm to others
Levels of risk behaviour associated with AOD use including behaviours which expose clients to blood borne diseases


Indicators of other issues may include:
A history of mental health issues
Indicators of abuse, neglect or harm including self-harm
Indicators of child abuse
Having no accommodation, employment or money


Options for meeting the range of client needs may include:
Referral to other services
Community intervention


Client's drug use history refers to collection of relevant information on:
Name, age, gender, and so on
Drug history
Social and legal history
Current status including housing status
Agency ability to cater for the client needs
Mental health issues
Other relevant related issues affecting clients


Early or short-term programs refers to:
Less intensive, shorter term activities that are an alternative to longer and more intensive programs. These brief interventions carried out by a range of workers, often opportunistically, are usually offered to those individuals who are less severely drug dependent


Current information on related issues includes information on:
Meeting physical, emotional, financial and social needs
Contacts for self-help groups
Resources on dependency
Resources on alcohol and other drugs issues for families or personal network
Advocacy groups
Information regarding mental health and self-harm
Crisis and emergency contacts


Goals and action plans may be short and long term and should include:
Harm minimisation (including abstinence, controlled drinking, safer sex, safer drug use, safe injecting)
Strategies to target reducing at risk behaviours


Goals and action plans may include:
Vocational goals (employment and training)
Accommodation
Meeting immediate physical needs
Maintenance of stable social and emotional environment
Reintegration within social context
Ensuring personal safety
Management of crisis
Timelines and priorities


Relapse prevention strategies may include:
Identification of drug use 'triggers' and working with the client to develop responses to deal with triggers
Referral to self help groups
Stress management advice
Ongoing positive support
Monitoring of the client's progress
Facilitating use of community resources
Encouraging client to develop a support network
Role play
Discussion of strategies for stress management, money management, goal setting, prioritising, problem solving, decision-making, disengagement


Client exit (negotiation of with the client) will depend on the organisation policies and procedures and the individual clients needs and may include:
Negotiation of contract with client
Providing information on what the client may expect when they leave
Providing follow up
Ending the client/worker relationship
Ensuring personal safety of clients at risk of self-harm including availability of ongoing supports from appropriate agencies
Access to harm reduction consumables e.g. Needles, syringes, and needle exchange programs


Client exit (organisation requirements) may include:
Client questionnaire
Documentation including reason for exit and condition of client at exit
Organisation's documentation on treatment/ assessment progress


Supporting a client to make contact with other services may include:
Making an appointment for the client
Accompanying client to first appointment
Organising for another appropriate person to accompany the client to an appointment
Organising interpreter services for the client


Appropriate services and other support options may include:
Detoxification
Inpatient counselling
Outpatient counselling
Self-help groups
Proclaimed place, rehabilitation centres, residential etc
Sobering up units
Services which provide consumables (e.g. syringes, thiamine, needle exchange, methadone or other drug substitution/replacement services)
Therapeutic communities
Department of Social Security
Accommodation
Emergency services
Mental health services



Follow up will depend on the organisation's policies and procedures and the client needs and may include:
Obtaining feedback and reports on outcomes of referrals from other agency in accordance with organisation policies and procedures including those referring to client confidentiality
Checking protective support for suicide risk is available if required
Making an appointment for follow up
Contact with client at referral agency
Liaison between alcohol and other drugs worker and other services


Outcomes may include:
Measurement of harm minimisation
Changes made during intervention and changes sustained over time
Those negotiated with the client as part of a management plan
Referral and acceptance to another treatment program or half-way house
Both positive and negative outcomes
Linkage with appropriate services
Client being moved from institution or service
Client changes - behaviour, attitudinal


Review against care plan may be:
Within the organisation
In consultation with other agencies

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
Competency must be demonstrated in a real work environment
Competence in this unit must be assessed over a period of time in order to ensure consistency of performance across contexts applicable to the work environment
Consistency in performance should consider the work environment, worker's role and responsibilities 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 and linguistically diverse (CALD) environments
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:
Assessment of this competency will require human resources consistent with those outlined in the Assessment Guidelines
In cases where the learner does not have the opportunity to cover all relevant aspects in the work environment, the remainder should be assessed through realistic simulations, projects, previous relevant experience or oral questioning on 'What if?' scenarios
Method of assessment:
Assessment of this unit of competency will usually include observation of processes and procedures, oral and/or written questioning on essential knowledge and skills and consideration of required attitudes
Where performance is not directly observed and/or is required to be demonstrated over a 'period of time' and/or in a 'number of locations', any evidence should be authenticated by colleagues, supervisors, clients or other appropriate persons
Related units:
This unit of competency is recommended to be assessed in conjunction with a first aid unit
Depending on jurisdiction and job role, this may be:
HLTFA311A Apply first aidor
HLTFA412A Apply advanced first aid