Review and develop own work
performance
Monitoring own work
Monitoring job quality and customer service
Being a reflective practitioner
List your skills, knowledge and qualities
Developing a self-driven work performance plan
3
3
4
5
7
Am I doing a good job?
10
Seeking feedback
12
Receiving feedback
14
Reporting work requirements unable to be met
What is a supervisor’s role?
Requesting and obtaining additional support and training
Communicating clearly
17
17
20
20
Reporting a need for training
22
Seeking and obtaining assistance and direction
24
Colleagues
25
Supervisors
25
Management
25
Undertaking training and support
27
Undertaking training
27
Undertaking support and supervision opportunities
29
Review
31
Check your progress
32
Feedback
Additional resources
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36
1
2
Books
36
Useful websites
37
Video resource
37
Glossary
38
Feedback to activities
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Monitoring own work
You may already be working in a community service organisation or you
may have had some experience in another type of workplace. All workers
need to evaluate themselves and think about possible changes in their work
performance if they want to be effective workers and stay enthusiastic about
their work. This is particularly so if you want a change in position or a
promotion. Undertaking some form of professional development is part of
working in most professions. How do you go about it?
Monitoring job quality and customer
service
When you are monitoring your own work performance, you need to be able
to look closely at yourself and the way in which you complete the tasks
expected of you and recorded in your job or position description. You need
to begin to become a ‘reflective practitioner’, reflecting upon the practices
that you implement on a day-to-day basis.
Activity 1: Reflect on your work
Reflect on the work that you do day-to-day. If you are not already in the workforce, think
of other work (eg, at home) or your studies.
If you had to monitor your work, what questions would you ask?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Refer to the end of the learning topic for feedback.
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Being a reflective practitioner
In the previous activity, you reflected on your day-to-day activities. This a
valuable process for you to consciously participate in during your studies
and work placement experiences, as well as when you are employed in the
community services industry.
Once you feel that you know everything and you don’t need to learn
anymore, you will have become stale in your practices and your own
professional development.
Challenge yourself: use your own reflections, as well as feedback that you
receive from clients, other staff members, your supervisor, management and
the community to develop your skills, knowledge and practices even further.
We should all see ourselves as life-long learners.
Figure 1: As a professional you need to continue to learn
It is important to create and maintain a learning culture. Basically, a
learning culture is one of:
4

reflection

ongoing evaluation

openness to change

openness to diversity

continuous improvement.
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List your skills, knowledge and qualities
A good place to start is to list all of the skills, knowledge and qualities that
you consider you have. These are your identified strengths. Then you would
list those skills, knowledge or attributes that you know, or think, need to be
developed further. These are your identified weaknesses or potential areas
of development.
Consider the scenario.
Marie, aged 20, was born in Australia but had lived most of her life abroad
(her parents worked in many countries). The family has returned to
Australia and Marie would like to work in community services organisation.
She lists her strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths

Certificate in Community Services Studies attained at a college in
Chile.

experience working with people in a community services context in
South America

multi-lingual (Spanish, Portuguese, English and Japanese)

appreciates cultural and linguistic diversity

good communicator. Also cheerful, outgoing honest and warm.
Weaknesses/Potential areas of development

needs to gain Australian qualification in a community service industry

no Australian experience

needs more practice in written English.
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Activity 2: Your strengths and weaknesses
Write down your strengths and weaknesses.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
There is no feedback to this activity.
Being aware of your strengths and weaknesses helps you know where to
start with your professional development. It also helps you prepare for and
monitor feedback you may receive from others. You may also find some
direction for your professional development by identifying areas that you
are interested in learning more about.
Once you have this reflective and honest information about yourself, you
can begin to develop some goals and strategies for you to work towards in
your professional development.
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Developing a self-driven work
performance plan
When you reflect on your skills and experience there are likely to be some
‘gaps’ that you identify. In the last activity you assessed your strengths and
weaknesses. What do you do once you have found that either your skills or
knowledge could do with some more work? As a professional in the
community services industry you need to be responsible for your own
professional development. You could look at developing a work
performance plan.
To develop a work performance plan you need to go through the following
steps.

Step 1: Set yourself a goal.

Step 2: Listen to and observe your own practices within the workplace.

Step 3: Evaluate your own practices—honestly.

Step 4: Identify the areas you wish to address for your own professional
development.

Step 5: Generate a plan of ideas and strategies that will assist you to
reach your goal. Think about resources such as people, journals,
colleagues and training too.

Step 6: Begin implementing your professional development plan.

Step 7: Record your progress and evaluate your development—set time
frames that are regular and attainable.

Repeat the process with the next goal that you have identified for
yourself.
When participating in this process it is necessary for you to refer to your job
description or specification to assist in the identification of the level of
quality expected of you in performing your duties.
Clients and their carers or parents and the community are other resources
where you can gain information or feedback that relates to your work
performance. This feedback is similar to receiving customer feedback in any
service industry; it can be positive or negative. How do the clients and their
carers react to you? What do the clients say about what they have
experienced during the day or discussed at home, regarding you? What is
the general feeling within the community about your service? This
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information is another source for you to evaluate and respond to when
monitoring your own work.
Activity 3: Work performance plan
Refer back to the activity where you identified your strengths and weaknesses.
Now it’s time to use this information to formulate some ideas for your own work
performance plan.
Here is a work performance plan that Belinda the residential care support worker at
Hillsvale has completed. It will help you to complete yours.
Work performance
plan for:
Belinda
Goal
To be able to offer clients of Hillsvale activities that enhances
their physical development
Self-observation of
practices within
workplace
At the moment I am not able to offer the clients activities that I
think they would benefit from. I could go out with them to the
park or for a walk in the garden.
Evaluation of practice
I do not think that I am contributing as much as I could be
towards the physical development of clients. I do not think they
are gaining any new physical skills or obtaining any increase in
physical mobility.
Areas to address for
development
If I had some skills in physical development activities that I
could use with clients this would improve their physical
development.
Ideas and strategies to
reach goal
I could learn some simple breathing techniques possibly a yoga
class. I could then use this with clients.
Progress and evaluation
of development
I completed a yoga class at evening college recently and started
to get some of the clients I visited to try some simple breathing
techniques. Claudia is really getting into it. She loves it, I really
think that this is improving her health as she is learning to
breathe properly now.
Refer back to the activity where you identified your strengths and weaknesses.
Now it’s time to use this information to formulate some ideas for your own work
performance plan.
Use the following table to complete your own work performance plan.
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Work performance plan for:
Goal
Self-observation of practices within
workplace
Evaluation of practice
Areas to address for development
Ideas and strategies to reach goal
Progress and evaluation of
development
There is no feedback to this activity.
The answers that you have provided for this activity will be very individual
to you. Try to discuss your plan with someone (eg, a staff member, a friend
who is in the early childhood field or a supervisor).
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Am I doing a good job?
Figure 2: Always consider whether you are doing a good job
Reflect on the work you do. (If you are not already in the workforce, reflect
on any other work or your studies.) Ask yourself how you are doing.
It is reasonable to ask yourself ‘Am I doing a good job?
This is especially true when you are working in such a busy environment as
a member of a team with all team members being just as busy as yourself.
When is there the time to receive feedback about your individual work
performance?
Consider these options:

self-appraisal

informal feedback

formal feedback

professional development.
Self-appraisal
You self-appraise by monitoring your own work performance. You do that
through observing other team members and the way that they work and then
evaluating your own standard of work and completion of activities.
Informal feedback
Ask for informal feedback from your colleagues or supervisor about your
standard of work. This means that your supervisor or another team member
will oversee what you are doing on a day-to-day basis and will then be able
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to evaluate your contributions and strengths and ascertain where you might
need to improve.
It is, therefore, a good idea to be able to approach your supervisor and ask
for feedback about your work performance. While this may be a rather scary
thought, remember that by seeking feedback you are showing that you are
willing to make changes and eager to perform at your best. By acting on
feedback, you will gain support from your colleagues and supervisor.
Figure 3: Don’t forget to approach your supervisor for feedback
Formal feedback
Ask for formal feedback or assessment from your supervisor or colleagues,
known as a performance appraisal. These tools usually directly relate to
your job specification and will give you feedback that relates directly to the
standards expected in the workplace.
Professional development
Research current theory and professional practice in the profession and
attend in-service professional development training. The principles found in
industry standards (for example for disability workers ‘Standards in
Action’) provide indicators for unsatisfactory, satisfactory and high quality
care that allows workers in community services organisations to self-assess
their standard of work practice.
You can review an example of these principles related to the disability field
in the ‘Standards in Action’ document. You can get a copy of this
publication by going to the website for the Department of Ageing, Disability
and Home Care. Go to the website (the address is located in additional
resources at the back of this learning topic) and look under publications
relating to ‘disability’.
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In-service professional development training is another way for staff to
assess their ability to complete activities to meet expected standards in the
workplace.
Seeking feedback
What do we mean by ‘feedback’? Can you think of situations when you’ve
been asked for your feedback? Or when you have asked for feedback (eg,
‘What do you think of my suggestion?’)
Put simply, feedback is about what you think of something you have seen or
experienced (eg, a service or product). In your feedback, you might voice a
concern, complain, point out a factual error or express your opinion or
thoughts.
Guidelines for seeking feedback
Ask for feedback as soon as possible after you have done something that
you would like feedback about. The only exception to this is if you are very
angry, as it may come across as a demand rather than a request.
Choose the time and place for feedback. If your supervisor is obviously very
busy or stressed, it may not be advisable to seek the feedback immediately.
It is also not appropriate, for example, to ask for feedback in front of the
families of the clients.
Sometimes immediate feedback won’t be possible. If that is the case,
carefully prepare your questions as close to the event as possible. This way,
when you get a chance to ask for feedback, your recollection will be better.
Ask for the feedback you want but don’t receive. Sometimes we receive
feedback about certain aspects of our behaviour when it is really other
aspects that we want to know about. Ask for it if you think it will be useful.
Activity 4: Seeking feedback
Consider the following scenario.
Last week Jean Park attended a meeting with Hillary and some of the clients
of Hillsvale Community Centre. It provides services to people with
disabilities in the Hillsvale area.
The meeting was to plan the activities that clients would like to do this
month. Jean was to take minutes of the meeting and to help Hillary in
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negotiating some activities that would please most if not all the clients for
that month.
At the monthly meeting the clients get to list what they would like to do in
the day care program run by Hillsvale. The staff try to see if they can
accommodate all the requests of the clients, however sometimes there are
not sufficient staff to allow all the clients to do all the activities they want in
that month. This requires the staff to try to ensure that all the clients get to
do some of the activities they want, and to see if the clients have some
common interests so that they can do the same activity.
Prepare a list of questions that Jean could ask Hillary when they meet to discuss Jean’s
performance in the meeting.
During the meeting Jean offered a number of suggestions as a way of
accommodating one of the client’s of Hillsvale, Hamish. Hamish has an
acquired brain injury which means that he has some difficulties with
learning. Hamish wanted to go the movies however he was the only client at
the centre who wanted to do this. Jean suggested that he might want to
consider some art classes with the others. He got angry at Jean’s suggestion
and refused to participate in the meeting.
Jean is untrained and a new employee at Hillsvale Community Centre. She
would like reassurance about her work so far from her supervisor, Hillary.
Below is an excerpt from their conversation.
Jean ‘Excuse me, Hillary. I’d like to talk to you about what you think about
how I’ve been performing, particularly in relation to the monthly meeting
last week.’
Hillary ‘I have made a few observations—although it’s still early days.’
Jean Park ‘Well, perhaps you could tell me what you’ve observed so far.’
Hillary ‘I suggest we make a time to catch up this week and find a quiet
room where we can speak in confidence. The first carers are about to arrive
and we need to be around. I’ve also had a stressful day. How about Tuesday
morning? I suggest you prepare questions you could ask me as they may be
different to areas that I may discuss.’
Think of at least four questions Jean Park should ask Hillary about her performance at the
monthly meeting.
1.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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2.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Refer to the end of the learning topic for feedback.
Receiving feedback
Listen carefully. Don’t immediately reject or respond to the feedback. It is
better to ‘digest’ what has been said.
Check your understanding. Ask for clarification if you are unsure or unclear.
Do with it what you will! The feedback is the giver’s opinion. You don’t
have to do anything with it. You don’t have to change. It is your decision.
Remember, though, if it is coming from your superior in the workplace, it
may be advisable not to ignore it!
Check it out with others. If more than one person gives you the same
feedback, it is probably worthwhile doing something with it.
Make a decision about what you will do with the feedback. Assess the value
of ignoring or using it and decide what you will do as a result.
Thank the person for giving you the feedback. It may have been painful to
hear but it may also have been difficult to give. Also it is a valuable practice
worth encouraging.
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Activity 5: Receiving feedback
Consider the scenario below.
Hillary and Jean Park are in a quiet room and they’re talking about Jean’s
performance at the monthly meeting. Below is an excerpt from their
conversation.
Hillary ‘I’ve been very busy but I’ve tried to observe you whenever I have
the opportunity. I’d have to observe you over a longer period to really be
fair in my observations. But I will talk about what I’ve observed so far. I am
aware you have ignored Hamish during our recent monthly meetings.’
Jean ‘He’s a very difficult person to work with. He has responded to my
suggestions negatively and I don’t know how to deal with him.’
Hillary ‘You must try. You need to remember that ignoring him will not
make the problem go away; it will only make it worse. We need to work
through this issue. I know Hamish can be difficult to work with but if you
persevere you will find that he is a really nice young man.’
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If you were Jean, what would you think about the feedback that Hillary had just given you?
Answer the following questions.
1
Would you seek any clarification of what was said, and if so what would it be?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2
Do you think that this feedback was helpful?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Refer to the end of the learning topic for feedback.
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Reporting work requirements unable
to be met
What is a supervisor’s role?
Your supervisor is the person who is responsible for ensuring that you
understand your role and responsibilities within the team in a community
services organisation. They are also responsible for supporting and guiding
your professional development through the provision of informal and formal
feedback about your work performance. In fulfilling their responsibilities,
supervisors are developing a workplace relationship with you that should
encourage the use of open and honest communication between you.
Figure 4: Your supervisor plays an important role in supporting and guiding your
professional development
Due to your participation in the team, you contribute to the development of
the service on a daily basis. You are a valued member of the team.
When you have monitored your own work performance, received feedback
and evaluated your standard of work in relation to workplace expectations,
there may be aspects of the work requirements that you do not feel you are
able to meet. It is your responsibility to inform your supervisor of any work
requirements that you are unable to meet. By doing this, you are being open
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and honest with your supervisor. You are also being a responsible team
member and you are meeting your legal responsibilities and obligations.
Activity 6: Reporting work requirements unable to
be met
Reflect on the following scenario.
Jean Park is having difficulty completing all the tasks allocated to her—plus
additional tasks that occur unplanned.
Hillsvale Community Centre has a computer room. These are specialised
and need to be set up by the disability support workers. There is a roster of
when staff are to set up the computers. However if the staff are late in
setting them up, some of the clients of the centre get very upset. As a result
Jean is often setting up the computers at the beginning of the day.
Recently Jean has been working with Hamish to develop his cooking skills.
She spends time with him going through how to read recipes and plan for
shopping. Hamish looks forward to spending time with Jean every day
working on his skills.
However because Jean sets up the computers (even on the days she is not
rostered on) she is unable to spend much time with Hamish in the morning.
She decides to let her supervisor Hillary know. Below is part of their
conversation.
Jean ‘I feel that I am not giving the individuals in my care the attention and
time that they deserve. I feel that if I were to concentrate on only my duties,
I’d be in a much better position. As it is, I’m feeling very stressed.’
Hillary ‘I see. What other duties are you doing?’
Jean ‘I have to set up the equipment such as the computers practically every
day. That is because the staff rostered to share these tasks with me are not
always available. I usually have to do these tasks single-handedly. This does
not give me enough time to work with Hamish. As a result he gets upset.’
Answer the following questions.
1
How well did Jean discuss how her work performance was not satisfactory? Do you
think she did a good job in discussing her work performance? If not, why not?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2
Do you think that Jean adequately discussed her need for more support?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Refer to the end of the learning topic for feedback.
By informing your supervisor of your inability to meet any work
requirements, you may be identifying an area that you can receive support
from other staff members, or attend professional development training on. It
may also mean that certain aspects of your job specification may be
identified as being unrealistic or that a service policy, practice or procedure
needs to evaluated and updated to reflect current practices within the
service.
The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that all tasks are being completed.
Therefore, if you communicate to your supervisor your inability to complete
work requirements they will need to make decisions and alternative plans to
ensure that someone on the team does the tasks.
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Requesting and obtaining additional
support and training
The quality of community services organisations depend on the knowledge,
skills, attitudes and abilities of all stakeholders involved. The value of the
human resources involved in providing this service cannot be reinforced
enough. You should be developing an understanding of the importance of
encouraging all members of a team to evaluate their work place
performance. Staff, therefore, also require opportunities to develop their
knowledge, skills and interests through the provision of training and
additional support within the workplace.
Communicating clearly
You have monitored your own work performance. You have received
informal or formal feedback from your colleagues and supervisor. You have
identified an area of your professional skills that you would like to develop.
It is now your responsibility to communicate your need for additional
support to your supervisor, in order to improve your performance.
Before you do that, make sure you are familiar with:

effective communication strategies

service policies, practices and procedures

job roles and responsibilities.
When you ask for additional support, your supervisor might provide the
following:

meet regularly with the supervisor to plan, evaluate and reflect on your
work performance

offer additional support from the team members you work with most of
the time

solutions to the problem.
Additional support for you may come in the form of:

20
adjusting the duties expected of you
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
changing your shift times.
Additional support or considerations within your workplace may be
necessary when there are changes, pressures or issues within your personal
life and responsibilities that may be influencing your work performance.
Again, it is your responsibility to inform your supervisor of your needs as
well as reasons for needing additional support.
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Reporting a need for training
In-service professional development and training is invaluable for
maintaining and developing staff’s knowledge and enthusiasm for their role
within the community services organisation. The provision of training and
development opportunities is a shared responsibility between management
and staff.
Management is responsible for providing the financial support for staff to
attend in-service training and development. This may mean providing for
the costs of a particular training course or meeting the costs of the
replacement staff for the absence of a staff member who is attending a
training course. The extent to which the management financially supports
the in-service training and development of staff will vary from service to
service.
Staff are responsible for attending in-service professional development
opportunities. Staff may also be responsible for researching the different
training opportunities that may be available and that meet their professional
development needs. Staff or the supervisor will be responsible for
requesting to attend an in-service course from management as well as
completing the registration requirements for attending an in-service training
opportunity.
The way staff report the need to attend training to their supervisor will
depend on the structure of your organisation. However, reporting to your
supervisor directly would be preferred in all services.
If the community services organisation in which you are employed is part of
a large organisation such as a council or management body, you may need
to just fill out a form to attend a relevant training opportunity and give this
to your human resource management team. Your supervisor will probably
need to sign the form before the human resource department can process it.
If it is a smaller organisation that you are employed in, you may just need to
verbally inform your supervisor of your need to attend training, and it will
be the responsibility of the supervisor and management to organise your
attendance for you.
Whenever a staff member reports a need for training, the supervisor and
management must try their best to provide for this training. All team
members would benefit from being encouraged by both the supervisor and
management to regularly participate in professional development.
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Activity 7: Reporting a need for training
Think about your workplace, or if you are not working when you last worked in a job, and
how you went about telling your supervisor you needed more training? Did you first think
about the skills you needed to work on? What about conducting some research to see what
you could do to work on these skills?
Write your answer here.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
There is no feedback to this activity.
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Seeking and obtaining assistance and
direction
In a community service centre, we find ourselves constantly seeking and
obtaining assistance throughout the day. The assistance we get enables us to
meet the needs of the individuals we care for, their families and staff.
Figure 5: Never be afraid of asking for help from you work colleagues
We ask for others to help us with things such as:

location of resources (eg, ‘Has anyone seen the books?’)

choice of program ideas (eg, ‘Does anyone know of a good song?’)

duties that need to be completed (eg, ‘Can I get someone to help me
clean up, please?’).
This is effective teamwork. We trust our colleagues, clients and supervisor
to help us meet our job responsibilities and the needs of the clients and
service.
When evaluating and meeting our individual needs for professional support
and training, we should be able to request similar assistance from our team
members, supervisor, management and, at times, the clients.
We will now examine the assistance that we can seek and obtain from our
fellow team members, supervisor and management.
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Colleagues
Colleagues or team members are the most accessible resource available to
us when working in a community services organisation. Each member of the
team has professional skills, knowledge, ideas and experiences to share with
us.
Supervisors
Supervisors provide us with support and guidance in the completion of our
job roles and responsibilities. In the development of our working
relationships, we should have developed the ability to communicate openly
and honestly with one another, so that when we seek assistance it is
responded to. Supervisors are responsible for listening to your professional
development needs and assisting you to meet those needs. Your supervisor
should have experience and knowledge that will be a valuable resource too.
Management
Management’s role in supporting team member’s requests for assistance in
their professional development relates to the provision of adequate polices,
practices and procedures, funding and relevant resources. We have already
discussed the need for financial support for in-service professional
development.
Another way in which management assists staff is by making available
current resources to help staff with their training needs. Resources such as
journals, books, internet sites and videos are valuable for referring to and
including in staff meetings. Some of these resources should be provided
within the workplace to support and encourage staff members to keep up-todate and develop their knowledge.
Your confidence in using one or more of the suggested resources to seek
and obtain assistance for meeting your training requirements will be based
on your individual preferences.
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Activity 8: Identifying resources
1
Do you know any relevant disability journals? If so write them down here.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2
Do you know any relevant organisations that you may be able to contact for more
information to help you as a disability worker? If so write them down here.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Refer to the end of the learning topic for feedback.
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Undertaking training and support
When you are employed in the community services work environment, you
are expected to attend in-service professional development opportunities.
When looking at training and support you should look at the relevant
industry standard for your particular industry. For example the industry
standard for disability support workers the NSW Disability Service
Standards is located in a document called Standards in Action. You can read
it by going to the Department’s website (see additional resources for the
address) and refer to the publications relating to people with a disability. In
it the relevant standard for training and support is standard 8.6, which states
that management provides and facilitates regular professional development
opportunities for staff. Therefore this reinforces the need for staff to be
provided with and to attend professional development opportunities.
In-service training and support can be met in many different forms to enable
services to be able to meet individual training requirements of staff
members and service needs. We will explore these options now.
Undertaking training
Training options are available in two different forms—formal and informal.
Formal training
Formal training options would require study commitment as they involve
assessments and would result in the attainment of a qualification. In
undertaking formal training, you would make use of training organisations
such as university, TAFE or community colleges.
Informal training
Informal training would involve participation for a short period of time,
without assessment requirements, that would focus on one particular
learning topic area. You may receive a certificate of attendance or
participation at the conclusion of the course. This training may be provided
by a TAFE college or a community organisation, or it could be conducted
by one of your staff members. This may require attendance at a conference
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or a day seminar to gain information and then share with the rest of the team
at the next staff meeting.
In-service training
In-service training or professional development may be organised as visits
to another community service organisation to observe their practices and
programs, or as meetings of all your local service providers on a quarterly
basis to share ideas, information and experiences. For example, your
supervisor could organise for experts in early intervention services to come
to a staff meeting to provide an information-sharing session for the whole
team. Your supervisor could also invite family members who may have
expertise in a particular area to share their knowledge and skills.
Hopefully, these different methods for gaining additional training will
demonstrate the range of options available to individuals and services to
develop their skills and knowledge. These options should also demonstrate
that there is training available that does not require a great deal of money—
which many community services organisations do not have a lot of.
This learning topic should, however, reinforce the fact that ongoing training
is essential for all team members working in the community services
industry.
Activity 9: Undertaking training
Let’s think about the types of training you have completed. List below examples of formal,
informal and in-service training you have undertaken in your personal and professional
life. Please complete three examples of each.
Formal
Informal
In-service
an example is Certificate III
in disability work at TAFE
Calligraphy course at local
evening college
Risk assessment workshop
run by your employer
There is no feedback to this activity.
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Undertaking support and supervision
opportunities
Within your work environment, there should be an atmosphere of respect,
understanding and support. When support and supervision is offered to you
or when you are asked to provide the support and supervision of another
team member, you should accept or participate in what is being offered. We
are all part of a learning community and at different times in our
professional life, support and supervision are needed and valuable.
Figure 6: A disability support worker being provided with support and supervision
during a meeting
As you develop your skills and obtain experience as a disability support
worker, you will be increasingly asked to provide support and supervision to
other staff who may not have the same skills and experience as yourself.
Part of working in a team and in a community services organisation is that
you work to help both the team and organisation achieve their goals. One of
the goals is to help staff to develop their professional skills. This benefits
both the organisation and the team as they help to develop more experienced
and competent workers who will provide a greater level of service to the
clients and with a higher level of skill with other team members.
Consider the scenario.
Jean Park a disability support worker is conducting an interview with
Hamish, a client of the service who has a disability. Jean and Hamish are
working through and completing a skills development plan. Hillary is
supervising and supporting Jean whilst she interviews Hamish. Before the
interview Hillary goes through the process and information that Jean needs
to obtain from Hamish. During the interview Hamish is not cooperative and
Jean experiences a difficult time obtaining the information. At this stage
Hillary speaks with Hamish and slowly he starts to become forthcoming
with answers to the questions. At the end of the interview Jean has
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completed the task and she has learnt how to conduct interviews for skills
development plans. She was able to do this with the support and supervision
of Hillary.
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Review
In this learning topic, you gained an understanding of how to review your
own performance and the process involved in developing your skills and
knowledge.
You should also be aware of some ways to access support and training
through your workplace to assist your professional development. You
should feel that you are able to access support and supervision from your
supervisor and fellow team members. Other resources such as books,
journals, videos, formal and informal training opportunities are all valuable
in assisting you to obtain your professional development goals.
Overall, you should understand that in-service professional development is
an ongoing requirement for you throughout your career in the community
services industry.

Do I know some strategies that will enable me to monitor my own
work?

Do I know what standard of work is expected by the organisation?

Do I understand the need to report unmet work requirements to my
supervisor?

Am I able to clearly communicate my need for support to my supervisor
to improve my work performance?

Do I understand how to identify and report my own training needs?

Do I know how to access appropriate training? Am I able to access
opportunities for support and supervision?
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Check your progress
You are a recreation officer in a respite care service for children and young
people with disabilities. Your role is to provide some recreational programs
for your clients. The aim of the program is to provide a recreational focus
and outlet for the children and young people in your care whilst at the same
time allowing their caregivers to have some time off to spend time with
other siblings, each other or working.
You have recently been working with a young woman; named Sally, with
severe autism. You are inexperienced in this area and you are finding the
work challenging and at times difficult. Your co-worker has some
experience in working with people with autism but is also finding it difficult
to manage Sally’s behaviour.
When Sally was asked to participate in groups with others, she became
withdrawn and refused to participate. You encouraged her to participate but
that hadn’t worked.
1
How would you go about monitoring your own work according to
requirements for job quality and customer service?
2
How would you know that you had completed activities to the standard
expected in the workplace?
3
What procedures would you adhere to, to report work requirements
unable to be met to your supervisor?
4
List some strategies to clearly communicate a need for additional
support to improve performance to your supervisor.
5
How would you go about reporting a need for training to supervisor?
6
What steps would you take to seek and obtain assistance and direction
on this matter?
Feedback
1. One of your main concerns would be to be aware of what your role was.
In this scenario your role is to provide a recreational program for young
people with disabilities. It would be important for you to have been involved
in meeting with Sally’s family, her case worker and your supervisor, to find
out what was expected of you. Once you had this information you could
then go about reflecting on your performance.
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The primary philosophy of reflecting on your work practices are: reflection,
ongoing evaluation, openness to change, openness to diversity and
continuous improvement. A good place to start would be to list your skills,
knowledge and qualities that are relevant to the role you have been asked to
perform. From here you can develop a list of skills that you need to further
develop. This might be obtaining additional information about autism or
learning about behaviour modification programs.
You might then develop a self-driven work performance plan. Your goal
might be to learn to work as effectively with people with autism as you can.
You would start with reflecting on your work practices, getting feedback
from you co-worker and clients. You would then honestly evaluate your
practices. For example, you might have difficulty in communicating
effectively with young people with autism but you might be patient and
caring. You would identify that you need to understand autism better and
learn more effective strategies for communicating.
You might decide that you need to research the topic, observe other people’s
work and speak to experts in the field about better communication
techniques.
You would then write up a professional development plan, detailing how
you would go about learning about communication with people with autism.
You would record your progress and evaluate its effectiveness.
2. This question is really asking if you are doing a good job. The way that
you know this is to reflect on your own work, through some of the processes
explained previously but also through: informal feedback (from colleagues
or supervisors), formal feedback (performance appraisals) and professional
development (continued development and training).
It is important to be active in seeking feedback from your colleagues and
supervisors. Ask for feedback as soon as possible after you have done
something that you would like feedback about. Choose the time and place
for feedback. If your supervisor is obviously very busy or stressed it may
not be advisable to seek the feedback immediately. It is also not appropriate,
for example, to ask for feedback in front of the clients.
Sometimes immediate feedback won’t be possible. If that is the case,
carefully prepare your questions as close to the event as possible. This way,
when you get a chance to ask for feedback, your recollection will be better.
Ask for the feedback you want but don’t receive. Sometimes we receive
feedback about certain aspects of our behaviour when it is really other
aspects that we want to know about. Ask for it if you think it will be useful.
Listen carefully to the feedback you have been given. Don’t immediately
reject or respond to the feedback. It is better to ‘digest’ what has been said.
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Check your understanding. Ask for clarification if you are unsure or unclear.
Do with it what you will! The feedback is the giver’s opinion. You don’t
have to do anything with it. You don’t have to change. It is your decision.
Remember, though, if it is coming from your superior in the workplace, it
may be advisable not to ignore it!
Check it out with others. If more than one person gives you the same
feedback, it is probably worthwhile doing something with it.
Make a decision about what you will do with the feedback. Assess the value
of ignoring or using it and decide what you will do as a result.
Thank the person for giving you the feedback. It may have been painful to
hear but it may also have been difficult to give. Also it is a valuable practice
worth encouraging.
3. In order to report these requirements effectively you must be familiar
with:

effective communication strategies

service policies, practices and procedures

job roles and responsibilities.
For example you might be asked to help Sally participate in a gymnastics
class.
When you ask for additional support, your supervisor might provide the
following:

meet regularly with the supervisor to plan, evaluate and reflect on your
work performance

offer additional support from the team members you work with most of
the time

solutions to the problem.
Additional support for you may come in the form of:

adjusting the duties expected of you

changing your shift times

additional training

working with an experienced co-worker.
4. It is important for you to understand what kind of additional support you
need in order to improve your performance. It may help you to write down
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some points from the discussions you have had with others in the work
place.
For example with Sally it would be important for you to be able to clearly
explain what behaviours were occurring, how you had responded and then
highlight what you need in order to improve your work performance. So
you might tell your supervisor that when Sally was asked to participate in
groups with others, she became withdrawn and refused to participate. You
might have encouraged her to participate but that hadn’t worked. You were
now unsure to what extent you should try to encourage her to participate, or
if it was better for her to sit outside the group and observe for a while. You
should ask for help with additional strategies for dealing with this
behaviour. For example if you had heard that there is a workshop on
working with people with autism being run soon and should ask to
participate.
5. You would report your training needs to you supervisor by:

speaking informally to him or her

making sure you are clear about what you need and what you are asking
for

bringing up the issue during a performance appraisal

writing a memo or an email

discussing your needs in a team meeting.
6. We could ask for others to help us with things such as:

location of resources (eg, ‘Are there any books or papers on working
with autism?’)

choice of program ideas (eg, ‘Does anyone know of any good
recreational activities that welcome people with autism?’)

duties that need to be completed (eg, ‘Can someone help me with Sally
this afternoon?’).
We can talk to colleagues, supervisors or management about seeking
assistance and direction. We might also explore local libraries, the internet
or phone specific organisations that can help us with particular issues (eg.
Autistic Association of NSW).
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Additional resources
Books
The following are not essential, but provide useful additional information:
Bernstein G S (1998) Human Services - That Must Be So Rewarding: A
Practical Guide for Professional Development, 2nd ed, Paul H. Brookes,
Maryland, USA.
Brammer, L (1996) The Helping Relationship Process and Skills (6th Ed),
Boston, Allyn & Bacon.
Bolton R (1986) People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others and
Resolve Conflict, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
Brem C (1995) Are We on the Same Team Here? Allen and Unwin, Sydney.
Coover, Viginia (1985) Resource Manual for a Living Revolution, New
Society Publishers, US.
Dryden, Windy (1990) Peak Performance – Become More Effective at
Work, Management Books, Kent.
Fresh, Seymour (eds) (1974) Learning about People and Cultures,
McDougal, Littell and Co, Illinois.
Hawkins P & Sohel R (1990) Supervision in the Helping Professions, Open
University Press, Milton Keynes.
Johnson D W and Johnson F P (1994) Joining Together, Allyn and Bacon,
Boston.
Keith, Lucas (1996) (revised edition) Giving and Taking Help, Chapel Hill,
University of North Caroline Press.
Le Rossignol K (1999) Communication Skills for the Workplace, Eastern
House, Melbourne.
Morris, B (1996) First Steps in Management, London, Library Association
Publishing.
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Nelson-Jones, R (3rd Ed) (1996) Human Relation Skill, Sydney, Harcourt &
Brace.
Office of the Director of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment (1997)
Equal Employment Opportunity for Community Organisations, NSW
Government, Sydney.
Occupational Health and Safety- Management, Open Learning Study Guide,
1994, Training Publications of Western Australia, Prospect Place, West
Perth.
O’Sullivan K (1994) Understanding Ways: Communicating Between
Cultures, Hale and Ironmonger, Sydney.
Ponder, J (2001) Welfare in the Workplace – Resource Manual, Northern
Beaches College of TAFE.
Shields, Katrina, Into the Tiger’s Mouth – An empowerment guide for social
action, Millenium Books Australia.
Towers, b (1994) Handbook of Human Resource Management, Blackwell,
Oxford.
Useful websites
Anti-Discrimination Board
http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/
Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services
http://www.facs.gov.au/
Council of Multicultural Australia http://www.immi.gov.au/
Department of Ageing and Disability. NSW Government
http://www.dadhc.nsw.gov.au/DADHC
Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia
http://www.fecca.org.au/
Video resource
Video “It All Adds Up: Numeracy skills for the community care workers”
NTFC Date: 03/07/2003.
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Glossary
autism
A dysfunction of the central nervous system which effects a person’s ability
to process information and impacts on their ability to communicate,
socialise, and learn.
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Feedback to activities
Activity 1
To be a reflective practitioner, you will need to ask yourself the following
questions:

What things did you enjoy doing today?

Why did you enjoy that particular thing?

What things did you do well today?

What things do you think you could do in a different way?

What things did you not enjoy doing today?

Why didn’t you enjoy that particular thing today?

Why do you need to change the way that you do certain things?

Where/from whom can you find out different ways of doing things?
Activity 4
1
Were the minutes accurate?
2
Was her participation in the meeting helpful to Hillary?
3
How could she improve in her negotiation skills with Hamish to ensure
that the meeting runs smoother next month?
4
Were there skills that she needs to work on for future meetings?
Activity 5
1
Yes get more clarification on exactly how Hillary would suggest Jean
work through this issue. How does Hillary deal with Hamish? Can she
recommend any ways of dealing with Hamish when he does not get his
way?
2
The feedback suggests that Jean should try a different approach than
merely trying to avoid Hamish. Jean must try to come up with some
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strategies to manage Hamish’s behaviour. Hillary might be able to help
Jean here.
Activity 6
1
Jean did do the right thing by speaking with her supervisor Hillary
about the difficulties she was facing. However she did not mention that
the other staff were failing to set up the computers on time for the
clients. She did not tell Hillary that because of this her work
performance was not adequate. Hillary will not know that other staff are
failing to set up the computers on time. Jean did not provide her with all
the information.
2
Jean did not mention that she needed more support. She is taking all the
work onto herself without asking Hillary for support. If she asked
Hillary to make sure that the other staff set up the computers on time,
this would allow her to offer more of her time to Hamish. Jean should
of course speak with the other staff first, they may not realise that it is
important to set up the computers on time. The staff might be able to
provide support to Jean by making sure they set up on time.
Activity 8
1
The names of some relevant disability journals that you may want to
refer to in future are:
Australian Disability Review, Journal of the Disability Advisory
Council
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Developmental Disabilities
Breakthrough, Newsletter of the Disability Advisory Council of
Australia
Education and Training for the Mentally Retarded
Focus on Exceptional Children
Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps
The NSW Journal of Special Education
Quad Wrangle, Official Journal of the Australian Quadriplegic
Association
2
Also some specialist organisations that you can refer to for further
information:
Action for Citizens with Disabilities, St Ives, NSW
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The Australian Quadriplegic Association Ltd, Little Bay, NSW
Autistic Association of NSW, Forestville, NSW
Citizen Advocacy, Parramatta, NSW
The Deaf Society of NSW, Stanmore, NSW
Down Syndrome Association, Parramatta, NSW
Disability Council of NSW, Parramatta, NSW
Ethnic Services for People with Disabilities, Marrickville, NSW
Intellectual Disability Rights Service, Redfern, NSW
Institute of Psychiatry, Rozelle NSW
NSW Council for Intellectual Disability, Denistone East, NSW
Royal NSW Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, North Rocks, NSW
Royal Blind Society of NSW, Enfield, NSW
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