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PROVIDE SOCIAL SERVICES
Assist a social service user to deal with
their presenting concerns, issues, or
needs
level:
4
credit:
6
planned review date:
June 2006
sub-field:
Social Services
purpose:
People credited with this unit standard are able to: establish
an environment for responding to the service user’s
presenting concerns, issues, or needs; assist the service
user to identify their presenting concerns, issues, or needs
and plan ways to deal with them; assist the service user to
implement their plan to deal with their presenting concerns,
issues, or needs; and effect closure of assistance to the
service user.
entry information:
Open.
accreditation option:
Evaluation of documentation and visit by NZQA and industry.
moderation option:
A centrally established and directed national moderation
system has been set up by Community Support Services ITO
Limited (Careerforce).
special notes:
1
People awarded credit in this unit standard are able to
demonstrate knowledge of Te Tiriti o Waitangi for social
service purposes, and are able to apply this
competence to the context of assessment for this unit
standard (for further clarification, please refer to Unit
7926, Explain Te Tiriti o Waitangi for social service
purposes).
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
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PROVIDE SOCIAL SERVICES
Assist a social service user to deal with
their presenting concerns, issues, or
needs
2
Glossary
Characteristics and needs of service users may be
physical, spiritual, or mental. Characteristics and needs
may include but are not limited to: age and stage of
development, culture, disability, gender, health status,
language, sexual orientation, and needs for physical
comfort, safety, and privacy.
Service user is used as a generic term to denote people
from user groups of the social services. They may be
referred to by various descriptive terms in the range of
social service settings.
3
All communications are treated confidentially. The
scope and limits of confidentiality are defined through
negotiation and informed consent, and criteria
established by legislation, ethical practice, and service
provider guidelines. In the context of this unit standard,
sources of criteria established by legislation, ethical
practice, and service provider guidelines include but are
not limited to: Official Information Act 1982, Privacy Act
1993, service provider codes of conduct, codes of
practice issued by the Privacy Commissioner, social
service codes of ethics, and service provider guidelines,
protocols, staff manuals, strategic plans, kawa, or
tikanga.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
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PROVIDE SOCIAL SERVICES
Assist a social service user to deal with
their presenting concerns, issues, or
needs
Elements and Performance Criteria
element 1
Establish an environment for responding to the service user’s presenting concerns, issues,
or needs.
performance criteria
1.1
Establishment of the environment attends to the service user’s characteristics
and needs.
1.2
Establishment of the environment clarifies the role, function, and any legal
responsibilities of the social service worker and service provider with the service
user.
1.3
Establishment of the environment identifies the kawa or protocols for
responding to the service user’s presenting concerns, issues, or needs.
element 2
Assist the service user to identify their presenting concerns, issues, or needs and plan
ways to deal with them.
Range:
interpersonal skills - attending, listening, following, clarifying, encouraging,
questioning;
assistance - co-creating and exploring alternatives, providing information,
providing services, referral to other services.
performance criteria
2.1
Assistance is provided using interpersonal skills that respond to verbal and nonverbal communications including body language, and attend to the service
user's characteristics and needs.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
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PROVIDE SOCIAL SERVICES
Assist a social service user to deal with
their presenting concerns, issues, or
needs
2.2
Assistance enables the service user to describe and prioritise their presenting
concerns, issues, or needs.
2.3
Assistance enables the service user to identify ways in which they can deal with
their presenting concerns, issues, or needs.
2.4
Assistance enables the service user to develop a plan to deal with their
presenting concerns, issues, or needs.
element 3
Assist the service user to implement their plan to deal with their presenting concerns,
issues, or needs.
Range:
interpersonal skills - attending, listening, following, clarifying, encouraging,
questioning;
assistance - co-creating and exploring alternatives, providing information,
providing services, referral to other services, counselling skills.
performance criteria
3.1
Assistance is provided in accordance with the social service worker's part in the
plan.
3.2
Assistance is provided using interpersonal skills that respond to verbal and nonverbal communications including body language.
3.3
Assistance is provided in ways that encourage self determination of the service
user and discourage dependency by them on the social service worker or
service provider.
3.4
Assistance is provided in ways that are consistent with the service user’s
characteristics and needs.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
7952 version 4
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PROVIDE SOCIAL SERVICES
Assist a social service user to deal with
their presenting concerns, issues, or
needs
element 4
Effect closure of assistance to the service user.
performance criteria
4.1
Closure is effected according to completion of the social service worker’s part in
the service user's plan.
4.2
Closure identifies relevant issues for future contact.
Range:
relevant issues for future contact may include but are not limited to
- factors that may lead to resumption of contact; future roles,
functions, and services; means of re-establishing contact with the
social service worker and service provider; other sources of
referral.
Comments to:
Careerforce
PO Box 2637
Wellington 6140
Please Note:
Providers must be accredited by the Qualifications Authority
before they can offer programmes of education and training
assessed against unit standards.
Accredited providers assessing against unit standards must
engage with the moderation system that applies to those unit
standards. [Please refer to relevant Plan ref: 0222]
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016