HEALTH OR COMMUNITY SERVICES

CHCCOM005 COMMUNICATE AND WORK IN HEALTH OR COMMUNITY SERVICES ASSESSMENT

ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for students

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.

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 materials until you have been deemed competent in this unit.

How you will be assessed

The process we follow is known as competency-based assessment. This means that evidence of your current skills and knowledge will be measured against national standards of best practice, not against the learning you have undertaken either recently or in the past. Some of the assessment will be concerned with how you apply your skills and knowledge in your workplace, and some in the training room as required by each unit.

The assessment tasks have been designed to enable you to demonstrate the required skills and knowledge and produce the critical evidence to successfully demonstrate competency at the required standard.

Your assessor will ensure that you are ready for assessment and will explain the assessment process. Your assessment tasks will outline the evidence to be collected and how it will be collected, for example; a written activity, case study, or demonstration and observation.

The assessor will also have determined if you have any special needs to be considered during assessment. Changes can be made to the way assessment is undertaken to account for special needs and this is called making Reasonable Adjustment.

What happens if your result is ‘Not Yet Competent’ for one or more assessment tasks?

Our assessment process is designed to answer the question “has the desired learning outcome been achieved yet?” If the answer is “Not yet”, then we work with you to see how we can get there.

In the case that one or more of your assessments has been marked ‘NYC’, your trainer will provide you with the necessary feedback and guidance, in order for you to resubmit your responses.

What if you disagree on the assessment outcome?

You can appeal against a decision made in regards to your assessment. An appeal should only be made if you have been assessed as ‘Not Yet Competent’ against a specific unit and you feel you have sufficient grounds to believe that you are entitled to be assessed as competent. You must be able to adequately demonstrate that you have the skills and experience to be able to meet the requirements of units you are appealing the assessment of.

Your trainer will outline the appeals process, which is available to the student. You can request a form to make an appeal and submit it to your trainer, the course coordinator, or the administration officer. The RTO will examine the appeal and you will be advised of the outcome within 14 days. Any additional information you wish to provide may be attached to the appeal form.

What if I believe I am already competent before training?

If you believe you already have the knowledge and skills to be able to demonstrate competence in this unit, speak with your trainer, as you may be able to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

Assessor Responsibilities

Assessors need to be aware of their responsibilities and carry them out appropriately. To do this they need to:

Ensure that participants are assessed fairly based on the outcome of the language, literacy and numeracy review completed at enrolment.

Ensure that all documentation is signed by the student, trainer, workplace supervisor and assessor when units and certificates are complete, to ensure that there is no follow-up required from an administration perspective.

Ensure that their own qualifications are current.

When required, request the manager or supervisor to determine that the student is ‘satisfactorily’ demonstrating the requirements for each unit. ‘Satisfactorily’ means consistently meeting the standard expected from an experienced operator.

When required, ensure supervisors and students sign off on third party assessment forms or third party report.

Follow the recommendations from moderation and validation meetings.

How should I format my assessments?

Your assessments should be typed in a 11 or 12 size font for ease of reading. You must include a footer on each page with the student name, unit code and date. Your assessment needs to be submitted as a hardcopy or electronic copy as requested by your trainer.

How long should my answers be?

The length of your answers will be guided by the description in each assessment, for example:

Type of Answer	Answer Guidelines
Short Answer	4 typed lines = 50 words, or5 lines of handwritten text
Long Answer	8 typed lines = 100 words, or10 lines of handwritten text = of a foolscap page
Brief Report	500 words = 1 page typed report, or50 lines of handwritten text = 1foolscap handwritten pages
Mid Report	1,000 words = 2 page typed report100 lines of handwritten text = 3 foolscap handwritten pages
Long Report	2,000 words = 4 page typed report200 lines of handwritten text = 6 foolscap handwritten pages

How should I reference the sources of information I use in my assessments?

Include a reference list at the end of your work on a separate page. You should reference the sources you have used in your assessments in the Harvard Style. For example:

Website Name – Page or Document Name, Retrieved insert the date. Webpage link.

For a book: Author surname, author initial Year of publication, Title of book, Publisher, City, State

assessment guide

The following table shows you how to achieve a satisfactory result against the criteria for each type of assessment task.

Assessment Method	Satisfactory Result	Non-Satisfactory Result
You will receive an overall result of Competent or Not Yet Competent for the unit. 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. Your assessment may include the following assessment types.
Questions	All questions answered correctly	Incorrect answers for one or more questions
	Answers address the question in full; referring to appropriate sources from your workbook and/or workplace	Answers do not address the question in full. Does not refer to appropriate or correct sources.
Third Party Report	Supervisor or manager observes work performance and confirms that you consistently meet the standards expected from an experienced operator	Could not demonstrate consistency. Could not demonstrate the ability to achieve the required standard
Written Activity	The assessor will mark the activity against the detailed guidelines/instructions	Does not follow guidelines/instructions
	Attachments if requested are attached	Requested supplementary items are not attached
	All requirements of the written activity are addressed/covered.	Response does not address the requirements in full; is missing a response for one or more areas.
	Responses must refer to appropriate sources from your workbook and/or workplace	One or more of the requirements are answered incorrectly.Does not refer to or utilise appropriate or correct sources of information
Observation	All elements, criteria, knowledge and performance evidence and critical aspects of evidence, are demonstrated at the appropriate AQF level	Could not demonstrate elements, criteria, knowledge and performance evidence and/or critical aspects of evidence, at the appropriate AQF level
Case Study	All comprehension questions answered correctly; demonstrating an application of knowledge of the topic case study.	Lack of demonstrated comprehension of the underpinning knowledge (remove) required to complete the case study questions correctly. One or more questions are answered incorrectly.
	Answers address the question in full; referring to appropriate sources from your workbook and/or workplace	Answers do not address the question in full; do not refer to appropriate sources.

Assessment Cover Sheet
Student’s name:
Assessors Name:		Date:
Is the Student ready for assessment?	Yes	No
Has the assessment process been explained?	Yes	No
Does the Student understand which evidence is to be collected and how?	Yes	No
Have the Student’s rights and the appeal system been fully explained?	Yes	No
Have you discussed any special needs to be considered during assessment?	Yes	No
The following documents must be completed and attached
Written Activity ChecklistThe student will complete the written activity provided to them by the assessor.The Written Activity Checklist will be completed by the assessor.	S	NYS
Observation / DemonstrationThe student will demonstrate a range of skills and the assessor will observe where appropriate to the unit.The Observation Checklist will be completed by the assessor.	S	NYS
Questioning ChecklistThe student will answer a range of questions either verbally or written.The Questioning Checklist will be completed by the assessor.	S	NYS
I agree to undertake assessment in the knowledge that information gathered will only be used for professional development purposes and can only be accessed by the RTO:
Overall Outcome Competent Not yet Competent
Student Signature:	Date:
Assessor Signature:	Date:

Assessment cover sheet

written activity

1. For this task you are to write an information guide for new employees about communicating effectively in the health and community services industry. In your guide you will need to include information on the following topics:

a. Effectively communicating with people

b. Collaborating with colleagues

c. Constraints to communication and strategies to address them

d. Reporting problems identified in work activities

e. Workplace correspondence and documentation requirements

f. Continuous improvement participation

2. For this task you must research each of the following topics, and complete a basic report on your findings. To guide your research please answer the following questions:

a. When communicating with others in the community sector what legislation and ethical consideration need to be made?

b. Where might you locate information on the application of legal and ethical aspects of health and community services work?

c. How can you ensure you make ethical decisions at all times?

d. What is the difference between motivational interviewing and coercive approach?

e. What is the difference between collaboration and confrontation?

f. What are the influences on communication?

g. Why is grammar, speed and pronunciation for verbal communication important?

h. Why is non-verbal communication important to use and recognise?

i. Choose a community service organisation that you are familiar with and discuss the structure, function and interrelationships they have.

j. What digital media is often used in the community service sector and how is it used?

Questions

The following questions may be answered verbally with your assessor or you may write down your answers. Please discuss this with your assessor before you commence. Short Answers are required which is approximately 4 typed lines = 50 words, or 5 lines of handwritten text.

Your assessor will take down dot points as a minimum if you choose to answer them verbally.

Answer the following questions either verbally with your assessor or in writing.

1. What are the different categories of communication?

2. What can you do to communicate effectively with people?

3. Write two examples each of open questions and closed questions.

4. What can you do to collaborate with colleagues effectively?

5. List six examples of industry terminology that you would use in verbal, written and digital communications.

6. What can you do to address communication constraints?

7. Discuss two strategies to handle conflict and maintain a tension-free workplace.

8. What are two pieces of legislation, regulations or Acts do you need to comply with in community services?

9. Who should you report any unresolved conflicts, breach or non-adherence to standard operating procedures, or any issues impacting on the rights of you or your client to?

10. How would you promote and model changes in the workplace?

11. List six different types of documentation you may need to complete to organisational standards in your workplace.

12. How can you contribute to continuous improvement in your workplace?

13. Who can you seek advice from in relation to improving your skills and knowledge?

14. Who would you speak to in relation to accessing options for skills development and training?

15. Define each of the following:

a. Privacy, confidentiality and disclosure

b. Discrimination

c. Duty of care

d. Mandatory reporting

e. Translation

f. Informed consent

g. Work role boundaries – responsibilities and limitations

h. Child protection across all health and community services contexts, including duty of care when child is not the client, indicators of risk and adult disclosure

16. Discuss the following two techniques in relation to communication:

a. Reflecting

b. Summarising

17. What is the difference between collaboration and confrontation?

18. What are the potential constraints to effective communication?

Developed by Enhance Your Future Pty Ltd 4 CHCCOM005 Communicate and work in health or community services Version 2 Course code and name