Inherent requirements – Certificate IV in Mental Health CHC43315
Read about the abilities, attributes, skills and behaviours needed to meet the learning outcomes of the Certificate IV in Mental Health CHC43315.
Inherent requirements
You should carefully consider the following inherent requirement statements for the Certificate IV in Mental Health CHC43315 as:
- a guide for your learning during the course
- a way to identify challenges you may have in meeting the requirements.
This relates to the understanding and ability to comply with Australian and Victorian law and professional accreditation regulations. Examples include: Child protection and safety legislation (including the ability to pass a Working with Children Check) Criminal History / Police Checks Occupational health and safety Anti-discrimination legislation
Rationale
Knowledge,understanding,and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary in order to reduce the risk of harm to self and others in clinical and related settings; compliance with these professional regulations and the Australian Law ensures students are both responsible and accountable for their practice.
Examples
- Respond to the requirements of the Australian Community Workers Association and align with the provisions within the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 (Vic)
- Comply with the relevant legislation including but not limited to mandatory reporting requirements,Workplace Health and Safety and Anti-discrimination legislation.
Examples include:- Child protection and safety legislation (including the ability to pass a Working with Children Check)
- Criminal History/Police Checks
This relates to the student's ability to understand and adhere to standards, codes, guidelines and policies that facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and the people they engage with. Examples include:
- Complying with academic and non-academic conduct codes and policies, including academic integrity policies
- Understanding and complying with professional standards, codes of practice, and guidelines
Rationale
Compliance with standards,codes,guidelines and policies that facilitates safe,competent interactions and relationships for students and the people they engage with in the many environments of practice is required for the physical,psychological,emotional and spiritual well-being of all. Students are able to agree to behave in a way that a reasonable person would under the same set of circumstances.
Examples
- Comply with academic and professional conduct codes and policies, over lapping professional standards; including rules and regulations related to plagiarism, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, equitable and respectful behaviour in academic and workplace settings
- Adhere to the code of ethics requirements found within ACWA: https://communitywork.org.au/workers/ethics-and-standards/
Where relevant, this relates to considerations of current scope of practice, workplace health and safety, and any other matter related to safety.
Examples include:
- Ability to understand and comply with all relevant workplace health and safety policies and practices
- Ability to identify and respond to alarm systems
- Ability to understand and demonstrate compliance with current scope of practice
- Ability to manage one's own health in a manner that promotes the ability to fulfil the requirements of study, placements, and the role/s for which the study typically equips the graduate
Rationale
Compliance with current scope of practice, workplace health and safety, infection control considerations and effective and timely response to alarm systems are required to provide safe environments for students, staff and others to implement best practice models.
Examples
Ensure that task performances are within the boundaries of the role undertaken and the qualification outcomes.This includes demonstrating a level of self-awareness with a range of people in a respectful manner.
This relates to the student's capacity for knowledge acquisition, utilisation and retention. It also includes metacognitive capacity such as awareness of one's own thinking, and the ability to reflect, evaluate, adapt and implement new cognitive strategies. Examples include:
- Focus, memory, attention to detail, theoretical deliberation, and practical functioning sufficient to meet the course objectives
- Ability to reflect and take personal responsibility
- Ability to apply knowledge in practical and theoretical assessment settings
Cognition - knowledge & cognitive
Knowledge acquisition, utilisation and retention spanning and drawing together all coursework subjects. Cognitive skills for focus, memory, attention to detail, theoretical deliberation, and practical functioning.
Rationale
Understanding and retention of coursework information and the effective processing of this information is required for appropriate, safe and effective delivery of care/practice.
Examples
The student will need to rely upon evidence-based practice retained from the learning within the qualification and apply within an academic and workplace environment e.g. Confidentiality, Privacy, Recovery Orientated Practice strengths-based approach and trauma informed care principles.
Cognition – metacognition
Awareness of own thinking, and skills to reflect, evaluate, adapt and implement new cognitive strategies for improved learning.
Rationale
Understanding and ongoing learning about oneself as an instrument in an individual’s care is required for safe and effective delivery of practice.
Examples
The student will need to demonstrate self-awareness and authentic connections with a range of people.
This includes both writing and reading, and is also linked to English language proficiency (literacy requirements are always established in terms of English). NB: For VE, literacy requirements are based on the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). Examples include:
- Capacity to comprehend, summarise and reference a range of literature in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments
- Producing clear, accurate documentation relating to practical tasks
Rationale
Effective verbal communication, in English, with individuals, the University and clinical staff is required for effective learning and to provide safe and effective delivery of care/practice.
Examples
- Convey spoken messages accurately and effectively in an academic and professional environment
- Understand and respond to verbal communication accurately and appropriately in a time-constrained environment
- Build rapport with people to full disclosure of symptoms and needs
- Present information to, and engage in developing discussions with a wide audience, including academic and professional/clinical persons.
Verbal communication in English to a standard that allows fluid, clear, and comprehensible two-way discussions, tailored to the local English-speaking audiences.
Examples include:
- Verbal communication in English to a standard that allows fluid, clear, and comprehensible two-way discussions
- Ability to recognise, interpret and respond to non-verbal cues, to communicate with congruent and respectful non-verbal behaviour, and to be sensitive to individual and/or cultural variations in non-verbal communication
- Ability to produce English text to the expected standard (NB: This is a skill that may be developed throughout a course, and should be identified as such in any inherent requirements statement)
Communication - verbal
Verbal communication in English to a standard that allows fluid, clear, and comprehensible two-way discussions, tailored to the local English-speaking audiences.
Rationale
Effective verbal communication, in English, with individuals, the University and clinical staff is required for effective learning and to provide safe and effective delivery of care/practice
Examples
- Convey spoken messages accurately and effectively in an academic and professional environment
- Understand and respond to verbal communication accurately and appropriately in a time-constrained environment
- Build rapport with people to full disclosure of symptoms and needs
- Present information to, and engage in developing discussions with a wide audience, including academic and professional/clinical persons.
Communication - non-verbal
Non-verbal communication skills that enable respectful communication with others.
Rationale
The ability to recognise, interpret and respond to non-verbal cues, to communicate with congruent and respectful non-verbal behaviour, and to be sensitive to individual and/or cultural variations in non-verbal communication is essential for safe and effective care.
Examples
- The student will need to recognise cues in body language, facial expression, appearance, behaviour or movement
- Deliver information to distressed people incorporating non-verbal behaviour that matches the nature of the information.
Communication - written
Ability to produce English text to a standard that provides clear and professional-level communication, with language usage and style tailored to the targeted recipients.
Rationale
Effective communication in English text is required to demonstrate applied skills in academic writing conventions and in sustained and organised academic argument and provide safe and effective delivery of care/practice.
Examples
- Communicate using academic and industry perspectives in writing
- Summarise and appropriately reference a range of literature in written assignments where relevant
- Use precise and appropriate language to contribute to both handwritten and electronic record keeping to a professional standard
This includes visual, auditory and tactile capacity. NB Care must be taken to not prescribe any sensory ability as an inherent requirement if the student might be able to achieve the desired result with the use of one or more adjustments. Examples include:
- Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments
- Ability to interact with auditory inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments
- Ability to respond to tactile input and provide appropriate tactile interaction
Sensory ability - visual
Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments.
Rationale
Elements in the working and learning environment are delivered by visual means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective practice.
Examples
Students must be visible on camera in the online learning environment
This includes a person's ability to sustain their performance in a given activity or series of activities over time. Care must be taken to not prescribe sustained performance in a way that allows no room for temporary changes to performance levels due to illness or other factors. Examples include:
Ability to sustain a working posture, associated manual tasks, cognitive engagement, performance level and emotional control for the full duration of any task required as part of the course or any placement
Rationale
A range of complex, multi-component or extended early childhood tasks carried out over a period of time and in busy environments is required to provide safe and effective practice.
Examples
- Sustain study and workplace performance to sufficiently engage with the learning workload within a constrained timeframe
- Sustain a working posture, associated manual tasks, cognitive engagement, performance level and emotional control for the full duration of an academic study period and support session.
This includes the personal flexibility and resilience required to adapt behaviour to different situations, even when they are stressful or difficult. NB Care must be taken to allow room in the inherent requirements for the individual to demonstrate behavioural adaptability through withdrawing from activities for a time to undertake medical interventions and self-care measures. Examples include:
- Ability to adjust ways of working to work within teams of varied personal and professional backgrounds
- Being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback
- Maintaining respectful communication practices in times of increased stressors or workloads
- Adjusting to changing circumstances in a way that allows self-care
Rationale
Behavioural adaptation is required to manage personal emotional responses as an individual and as a professional within teams in changing and unpredictable environments, including emergency situations and times of human distress. Students will also be required to adapt their behaviour appropriately during times of additional stressors in their own lives, whether this adaptation involves ways of continuing to engage with their role or withdrawing for self-care for a period.
Examples
- Adjust ways of working within teams for a range of people and professional backgrounds to facilitate effective person-centered decisions e.g. cope with own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with changing responses of individuals and families
- Be receptive and respond appropriately to constructive feedback
- Maintain respectful communication practices in times of increased stressors or workloads
- Adjust to changing circumstances in a way that allows self-care while; maintaining a professional-level focus on the individual.
If you remain interested or engaged in the course, you should discuss your concerns with the College staff such as the Course Chair as soon as possible.
If the challenges are related to your disability or health condition contact Accessibility Services to discuss possible strategies and reasonable adjustments.