Assessment 1- Assessment Types and Best Practice

Working in community services requires you to have a clear understanding about the types of service delivery available and the importance of evidence-based practice.  This assessment will be reviewing your knowledge of service delivery and practice requirements. 

1. Evidence-based practice requirements

1. What do we want evidence about?

2. What is best evidence?

3. How do we generate and disseminate best evidence?

4. How do we ensure best evidence is used in practice?

2. Explain each of the below service delivery approaches and when these would be applied.

1. Strengths-based

2. Right-based

3. Person-centred 

4. Needs-based 

3. Write 200 words on the list of principles and practices listed below.  Include in your response, why these are essential and how you could implement these in practice. 

Planning for clients with complex requirements and using multiple services requires you to:

a. provide clear guidelines to all stakeholders on what can be expected from a service;

b. ensure clients know what they can expect from service and to ensure clients receive consistent quality service;

c. increase the understanding of client needs, provide feedback to services and develop more effective services;

d. assist in improving and assuring the quality of service provision;

e. provide a consistent quality of service provision across all services;

f. provide a tool by which service delivery can be evaluated and reviewed, and by which quality assurance strategies are implemented.

Assessment 2 - Behaviour Change Models, Practices and Interventions

Scenario -

Josef presents at the service being aggressive to the staff at reception.  He does this every time he arrives.  Discussions with Josef reveals that he thinks that if he is not forceful no one will listen to him.  He stated that in the past people would always make him wait till last but if his is angry he gets his appointment earlier.

1. Explain the importance of behavioural change for Josef.

2. Using the Stages of Change model, what type of practices would you consider for use with Josef.

3. If after 5 weeks of Josef speaking calmly and respectfully, he walks in and starts to be aggressive again.  What would need to occur?

4. Explain the formal meeting process that you would undertake with Josef.  

Assessment 3 - Duty of Care

Part of your role is to ensure that you provide reasonable care to prevent foreseeable injury.  

1. Complete the following table:

Risk to individual area - what may occur if you fail in your duty of care.

Responsibility to client - what are your responsibilities to ensure that you provide adequate care.

2. Review your responses and reflect upon how your responsibilities are linked to both organisation and legal requirements.

3. Welfare Dependency

a) What is welfare dependency?

b) How could this impact a client?

Assessment 4  - Support and referral 

1. Explain the importance of understanding the funding model for each client.

2. What process would you undertake to learn about a range of networks and services available when you start working in the service?

3. What are the implications of service duplication for the client?

4. A) How would you learn about the referral requirements for clients?

B) Why is it important to have this knowledge?

5. Explain your role as a case manager of complex requirements.  In your response discuss boundaries and requirements.

6. You are working with a client with a mental health issue.  You tell them about a new service that would suit their needs.  Unfortunately, you have not done enough research into the requirements of the program and the client does not meet the criteria. Why would this cause the client to be concerned and confused about this problem?

7. You have a client who has self-harmed previously when they had to meet with a doctor about their medication.  For the client to get additional support they required a letter from a doctor. However, they have informed you they are scared to go into a doctor's surgery/clinic and prefer the hospital (as "...people don't stare at me there").

What strategy could you use to assist this client?

Assessment 5 -

In your work in community services, it is essential that you are aware of the influences of your diverse client populations. Complete the table below with a short synopsis of these particular areas of consideration within your work role.

 Assessment 6 - Communication and Roles

When undertaking case management, you will need to work with families and other stakeholders to ensure that you are able to provide the appropriate responses for the individual.

Using your understanding of working with different clients and their families, write a short discussion exploring the importance of each of the following on the client:

1. Family structure and dynamics

2. Communication with family 

3. Decision-making process - who should be included

4. Impact of values systems of workers on client outcomes

5. Impact of values systems of client on own outcomes

6. Impact of values systems of key stakeholders on client outcomes

Scenario -

You are a worker in a crisis centre. A young girl 'who identifies herself as Jane and reports that she is 18 years of age' is brought in one night by the Police. She is drunk and under the influence of drugs. Jane is clearly pregnant and reports that she does not have any permanent housing as her parents had kicked her out when they found out she was pregnant. Jane has not seen her boyfriend for some weeks.

a) Write an immediate action plan to help Jane, what information needs to be gathered and what needs to be observed? (Consider; hygiene, health, physical/emotional, relationships family/others, cultural issues, and situational considerations)

b) What actions would you take to help Jane in the long term? 

c) Develop a case management plan (DON'T ASSUME) 

d) List future outlook roles, responsibilities, development and resources 

e) List monitoring and review process

Task -Performance Evidence

To complete this task, you are required to work with three (3) clients to plan and coordinate multiple resources, services and supports whilst undertaking all aspects of case management.

Write a short report on each client to demonstrate the skills and knowledge gained during your placement.  Please discuss any queries with your trainer.

In your report address the following areas: 

A)- Engagement

1. What statutory requirements were considered in the development and utilization of case management processes with your client?

2. Provide information to the client about the coordination role.

3. Describe how you facilitated information sharing and went about establishing an appropriate rapport?

4. How did you work with the client to establish communication requirements (including assessing need for and arranging an interpreter, if needed).

5. Describe how you provided information on rights of appeal and avenues of complaint, and ensure the client understood their rights and responsibilities?

B)- Assessment

1. Did you identify any high risk or complex situations? And what strategies were used to deal with this? 

2. What were your duty of care responsibilities for this client? What did you implement to meet this responsibility? 

3. What cultural considerations were involved in undertaking case management with this client? 

C)- Planning

1. Describe how the initial assessment of the client's needs was reflected in the case management planning. 

2. Describe how you collaborated with the client to identify strengths, abilities and develop an agreed approach to case management.

3. Outline how you worked with the client to identify the full range of immediate, short and long term needs of the client and other relevant parties.

4. Describe ways in which you assisted the client to set and achieve realistic targets for change or action and to take personal responsibility.

5. How did you identify all available services, the service provision requirements, their appropriateness, timeframes and expected outcomes?

6. How did you work with the client to prioritise needs and communicate these with service providers

7. How did you match requirements of the case plan to experience, workload and geographical location of yourself or a service provider?

8. What strategies were used to negotiate collaborative working arrangements for all services involved?

9. Describe the process you undertook to facilitate the client's case management meetings.

10. Describe how barriers were identified through working with the client and other services.

11. As a case manager, how did you work toward minimising client confusion and concerns in a coordinated manner?

12. How were the client and worker roles, responsibilities, boundaries and processes of service delivery identified and agreed upon? 

13. Describe how you worked with the services to agree on coordination requirements and boundaries.

14. How were the needs, rights and responsibilities of the organisation, family and community determined and agreed upon? 

15. Explain how you documented all case work interventions in compliance with evidence based practice and confidentiality requirements.

D)- Implementation

1. Outline how you facilitated communication between service providers to identify and manage service duplication.

E)- Monitoring & Review

1. How did you work with the client and services to monitor progress toward outcomes?

2. What strategies were implemented to regularly monitor the effectiveness of case management processes against agreed goals, service provision and client and stakeholder satisfaction?

3. How did you obtain your client's feedback about services?

4. Describe how you assessed the need for changes in the client's case plan and coordinated changes in the client's case plan. 

5. How did you develop strategies for appropriate alternatives and/or ongoing interventions?

6. How did you undertake negotiation with relevant parties any proposed changes arising from case review?

F)- Closure

1. What is the organisational procedure for case closure and how was this implemented with the client? 

You will need to submit one report for each client.