Human development

Confirm client developmental status CHCDEV001

This unit is about reviewing the developmental status of a client, who may be a child or a young person. This may require guidance and/or supervision from appropriately qualified personnel, especially when providing direct client services. This unit applies to people working in a range of community service contexts including: juvenile justice, alcohol and other drugs services, mental health, and child protection.

This unit is most useful for identifying children who are not developing normally. You might also have cases where teens and even adults act like small children (e.g. using tantrums to get what they want.) It is also essential for elderly people who are in declining physical health and might experince reduced cognitive function.

This unit will be much easier if you have a formal assessment tool and know how it works. It may be an observation matrix and/or a questionnaire.

 

How you will be assessed

You will be assessed through:

 

Practical

You will be assessed in the workplace. Start by showing your assessor your workplace and the forms and procedures for doing assessment. Explain how it works as you go. Your assessor may ask you any questions on how it works.

Do assessments that meet all requirements below. As it is unlikley that one assessment will meet all requirements, you will normally need to do enough assessments to show that you have met all requirements.

  1. Observe and question at least one client and their family and document information relevant to the developmental status of the client
  2. Confirm client’s developmental status prior to delivering services
  3. Identify variations from normal development status; recognise and refer potentially serious issues according to organisational requirements
  4. Identify potential factors responsible for significant variations from normal developmental status and determined an appropriate response in terms of:
    1. appropriate referral and reporting in line with organisational requirements
    2. provision of appropriate services
  5. Ask for assistance or advice from an appropriate person or authority about abnormal functioning, or refer the client to them.
  6. Comply with mandatory reporting requirements where appropriate.

 

Interview/assignment questions

  1. What are your legal obligations in assessment? Include child protection and elder abuse issues in your answer.
  2. Explain your organisation’s standards, policies and procedures for assessment.
  3. What services are available to you to give referrals? How to you refer somebody to each one? (N.b. You need to have enough kinds of services available to meet your range of client’s needs.)
  4. Factors affecting the individual
    1. What key factors can affect the individual during their development? (e.g. trauma, abandonment, change of family)
    2. What effects can they have?
    3. How do effects vary with different stages of human development?
  5. What is attachment theory? How is it relevant to community services?
  6. Your values and attitudes:
    1. What values and attitudes do you bring to the asessment process?
    2. What impact could they have on clients?
    3. How do you monitor or control them to make sure the assessment is valid?
  7. What risk factors are associated with developmental issues?
  8. Describe three different kinds of child abuse.
  9. What are the signs of each of these significant issues:
    1. different kinds of child abuse (physical, sexual, neglect, psychological)
    2. self-harm
    3. domestic and family violence
    4. elder abuse?
  10. What would you do if you saw signs of abuse or self harm?

 

Assignment 1

Describe in detail these five different kinds of developmental changes the whole human lifespan: physical, psychological, cognitive, social, affective.

 

Assignment 2

Find and select a suitable tool for assessing developmental status, and answer the following questions:

  1. How easy it is it to use?
  2. Who is it designed for?
  3. In what circumstances is it most useful?
  4. In what circumstances is it not useful?

Note: Your assessor may also ask you a variety of what if questions.

 

Detailed requirements

1. Apply knowledge of human development to check client’s developmental status

  1. Observe and/or question the client appropriately to get information about their developmental status
  2. Review any available written information about their developmental status
  3. Consult with the client’s carer, family or significant others to gather relevant information where appropriate
  4. Apply your knowledge of human lifespan development to clarify client’s development status

 

2. Identify developmental issues

  1. Recognize factors that could have affected the appearance and behaviour of the client
  2. If the client is getting any community services, clarify whether they are suitable for the client in relation to their developmental status
  3. Consult appropriate person/s to clarify concerns about client’s developmental status
  4. Identify potential risk factors associated with developmental issues
  5. Recognize and refer potentially serious issues according to your organisation’s requirements
  6. Document developmental issues in line with organisational policies and procedures

 

3. Check for and respond appropriately to specific issues

  1. Check for any issues that may require notification, and report if necessary
  2. Check for any indications of other issues that may impact the provision of services and/or require referral
  3. Report and document accurately and with the detail required by the organisational policies and procedures

 

4. Other.

  1. Manage tasks and contingencies on the job.
  2. Follow Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards, and industry codes of practice.