Inherent requirements – Diploma of Community Services CHC52021
Read about the abilities, attributes, skills and behaviours needed to meet the learning outcomes of the Diploma of Community Services CHC52021.
You should carefully consider the following inherent requirement statements for the Diploma of Community Services CHC52021 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 and compliance with legislative and regulatory frameworks are essential to ensure the safety, rights, and wellbeing of clients and the community. Students must understand and apply requirements such as child protection, anti-discrimination, workplace health and safety, and privacy laws. Adhering to these legal standards ensures accountability, reduces risk, and upholds professional integrity across diverse community services contexts.
Examples
- Meet the requirements of the Australian Community Workers Association and align with the provisions within the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 (Vic).
- Comply with Child Safe Standards and the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic), which governs child protection responsibilities.
- Fulfil requirements of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) when handling client records.
- Maintain current Working with Children Check and National Police Check for placement and professional practice.
- Apply Occupational Health and Safety legislation when conducting home visits or community-based programs.
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
Students must demonstrate consistent ethical and professional behaviour in line with community services codes of practice, workplace policies, and sector expectations. This includes maintaining confidentiality, respecting diversity, demonstrating cultural safety, and upholding professional boundaries. Such behaviours ensure trust, protect vulnerable populations, and maintain the credibility of the profession.
Examples
- Comply with academic and professional conduct codes and policies, including rules and regulations related to plagiarism, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, equitable and respectful behaviour in academic and workplace settings.
- Apply the Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA) Code of Ethics when engaging with all stakeholders
- Adhere to cultural safety when working with diverse communities and with First Nations peoples by following organisational action plans and relevant legislation.
- Engage with constructive feedback and reflective practice to ensure ongoing growth and accountability.
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
Safety practices are fundamental to protecting clients, staff, and students in community service environments. Students must consistently apply workplace health and safety standards, infection control measures, and safe manual handling procedures. Adherence to safety practices reduces risks and ensures compliance with legislation and organisational protocols.
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;
- Follow organisational Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) procedures for example report hazards, incidents, or near misses in accordance with policies and procedures;
- Apply infection prevention protocols, such as hygiene procedures for example handwashing and PPE use in all settings.
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
Students require strong cognitive skills to acquire, apply, and retain knowledge across diverse units of study and in practice settings. This includes the ability to focus, use memory effectively, attend to detail, engage in theoretical deliberation, and apply knowledge in practical and problem-solving contexts. These skills are essential to ensure safe, ethical, and evidence-informed service delivery to clients and communities.
Examples
- Interpret and apply legislation for example the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) when developing client safety plans.
- Accurately recall and apply organisational procedures for client intake and referral activities
- Use attention to detail when preparing client case notes and reporting to external organisations
- Draw on theoretical models (e.g., trauma-informed care, strengths-based practice) when developing support strategies.
Cognition – metacognition
Awareness of own thinking, and skills to reflect, evaluate, adapt and implement new cognitive strategies for improved learning.
Rationale
Awareness of one’s own thinking and reflective capacity is vital to professional practice in community services. Students must be able to reflect, evaluate, and adapt their approaches to continually improve learning and practice. Metacognitive skills allow students to assess the effectiveness of their strategies, respond to feedback, and adapt to new and complex client situations.
Examples
- Demonstrate self-awareness and authentic connections with a range of people;
- Engage in reflective practice;
- Participate in supervision sessions to analyse personal responses to disclosures and identify strategies for professional development;
- Demonstrate resilience and adaptability when initial strategies are not effective;
- Implement new problem-solving strategies after feedback.
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
Competent literacy skills are essential to interpret legislation, policies, and client documentation, and to communicate effectively with clients, colleagues, and external agencies. Strong reading and writing ability ensures safe, lawful, and professional delivery of services.
Examples
- Comprehend and summarise client intake forms, case notes, and referral documentation;
- Produce accurate and professional reports for external organisations;
- Interpret workplace policies and translate them into day-to-day practice.
This includes any form of numeracy required to complete the course successfully. For many courses, this will be basic functional numeracy. NB: For VE, numeracy requirements are based on the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). Examples include:
- Competent reasoning and reliable accuracy with numerical concepts
- Ability to perform basic mathematical tasks
Rationale
Numeracy is required to manage budgets, interpret data, and plan services effectively. Competent use of numbers ensures safe and accountable practice in supporting individuals and managing community resources.
Examples
- Assist clients in understanding and managing personal budgets.
- Interpret timetables, rosters, and statistics;
- Record and analyse basic data.
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 is required to build rapport, conduct interviews, facilitate groups, and advocate for clients. Clear two-way communication ensures accurate information exchange and client safety.
Rationale
Verbal communication in English is required to build rapport, conduct interviews, facilitate groups, and advocate for clients. Clear two-way communication ensures accurate information exchange and client safety.
Examples
- Present information to, and engage in developing discussions with a wide audience, including academic and professional/clinical persons.
- Conduct an intake interview with a client, asking questions clearly and responding appropriately.
- Advocate for a client’s housing needs with an external agency.
- Facilitate a small group program, ensuring all participants are engaged and understood.
Communication - non-verbal
Non-verbal communication skills that enable respectful communication with others.
Rationale
Recognising and responding to non-verbal cues is essential for understanding client needs, especially in sensitive or distressing situations. Respectful, congruent body language supports trust and cultural safety.
Examples
- Identify and respond to signs of distress in a client’s body language;
- Demonstrate attentive listening through posture, eye contact, and nodding;
- Adjust non-verbal communication to build trust, and respect the communication preferences of diverse communities.
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
Clear and professional writing ensures accurate records, compliance with legal obligations, and effective communication across the sector. Written communication must meet organisational, legal, and academic standards.
Examples
- Author clear case notes in compliance with organisational policy;
- Prepare compliant client progress reports for a supervisor or funding agency;
- Complete incident reports using precise, objective, and professional language.
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
Visual capacity is important to interact safely in learning and professional environments, including reading documents, recognising visual cues, and using digital platforms.
Examples
Visual capacity is important to interact safely in learning and professional environments. This can include document management, recognising visual cues and using digital platforms.
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
Students must be able to maintain consistent physical, cognitive, and emotional performance across study and placement tasks. Sustained performance ensures clients receive safe, reliable, and professional support and that students can meet the demands of workplace environments.
Examples
- Sustain attention and engagement during extended class activities, client interviews, group facilitation, or case management meetings;
- Maintain self regulation when supporting clients who disclose distressing or traumatic experiences;
- Complete placement requirements while adhering to workplace expectations around punctuality, workload, and professional behaviour.
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
Flexibility and resilience are critical in community services, where students often face unpredictable, challenging, or emotionally charged situations. The ability to adapt behaviour while maintaining professionalism ensures safe, ethical, and effective support for clients and collaboration with colleagues.
Examples
- Adjust communication and support approaches when working with clients and colleagues;
- Respond appropriately to constructive feedback from supervisors during placement;
- Maintain respectful and professional communication when managing conflict, stress, or competing demands;
- Adapt work practices when organisational policies or client needs change;
- Engage in self-care strategies to sustain long-term wellbeing.
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.