NZQA Expiring unit standard
13426 version 6
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Title
Demonstrate self awareness for mental health support work
Level
4
Credits
9
Purpose
People credited with this unit standard are able to: outline
significant aspects of the mental health support worker's history
and life experience; describe the impact of significant aspects
of the mental health support worker's personal history and life
experience on their mental health support work; and describe
how to manage potential risks to consumers/tangata whai ora
from the mental health support worker.
Classification
Mental Health > Support of Mental Health Consumers/Tangata
Whai Ora
Available grade
Achieved
Explanatory notes
Version 5 of this unit standard was republished in March 2012 to update the last date for
assessment for superseded versions to 31 December 2014.
1
Glossary
Consumer/tangata whai ora is used as a generic term to denote people who are
users of mental health services. They may be referred to by various descriptive
terms in the range of mental health settings.
Culture includes but is not limited to: cultures based upon age, class, disability,
ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation; and may include identification with a culture
through birth or adoption, or genealogy/whakapapa.
Mental health support worker refers to the person seeking award of credit in this unit
standard.
Potential risks to consumers/tangata whai ora mean risks that may arise from the
impact on the mental health support worker of significant aspects of their personal
history and life experience, and may include but are not limited to risks related to –
beliefs, feelings, values, and world view; personal and professional boundaries in
relation to consumers/tangata whai ora; self confidence; self esteem; spirituality;
philosophy of work; views on mental health and mental illness; attitudes to usage of
alcohol and other drugs.
The recovery principles may be expressed in a range of ways, but for the purposes of
this unit standard, they are defined as follows:
a
Recovery is based on the fact that people can recover from mental illness.
b
Recovery is born out of hope.
c
Recovery is a journey defined by the individual.
d
Recovery needs a supportive environment to thrive.
e
Recovery involves individuals redefining who they are in the presence of a
psychiatric label.
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SSB Code 101814
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA Expiring unit standard
13426 version 6
Page 2 of 5
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Recovery is an active and ongoing process.
Recovery is a non- linear journey.
Recovery skills can be learnt.
Recovery involves a person educating themself about their illness.
Recovery involves dealing with both internalised and external stigma and
discrimination.
Self awareness is defined as awareness by the mental health support worker of their
personal beliefs, feelings, values, practices, and boundaries in relation to their work,
work colleagues, and relationships with consumers/tangata whai ora.
2
The following applies to the performance of all outcomes of this unit standard. All
activities must comply with:
a
service provider guidelines, protocols, staff manuals, strategic plans, kawa,
tikanga;
b
Mental Health Commission. 2001. Recovery competencies for New Zealand
mental health workers. Wellington: Mental Health Commission (in particular,
Recovery Competency 4);
c
relevant cultural, legislative, and regulatory requirements, which include but are
not limited to: Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights 1996;
NZS 8134:2001, Health and Disability Sector Standards; Health and Disability
Services (Safety) Act 2001; Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992; Human
Rights Act 1993; Official Information Act 1982; Privacy Act 1993.
3
This unit standard may require some disclosure of personal information. All
communications with people preparing for award of this unit standard are treated
confidentially by assessors. The limits of confidentiality are set according to criteria
that include but are not limited to – legislation, codes of conduct, and service provider
guidelines. These may include but are not limited to – the Official Information Act
1982; Privacy Act 1993; and codes of practice issued by the Privacy Commissioner.
Service provider guidelines means the guidelines of the service provider where the
assessment against this unit standard is taking place.
4
Sources for the recovery approach include:
a
Mental Health Commission. 2001. Recovery competencies for New Zealand
mental health workers. Wellington: Mental Health Commission.
b
http://www.mentalhealthrecovery.com/
Note particular attention should be paid to publications by Mary Ellen Copeland and
Charles Rapp that are either included on or referenced by this web page, or in the
Recovery competencies for New Zealand mental health support workers (op. cit.).
Community Support Services ITO Limited
SSB Code 101814
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA Expiring unit standard
13426 version 6
Page 3 of 5
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
Outline significant aspects of the mental health support worker's history and life
experience.
Evidence requirements
1.1
Significant aspects of the mental health support worker's personal history and
life experience are outlined.
Range
significant aspects may include but are not limited to – culture,
including significant cultural values; family or whānau origins,
history, and structure; migration and settlement patterns; reasons
for migration to and within Aotearoa New Zealand; community and
recreational involvement; economic and socio-cultural influences;
education and training; work experience; disabilities; physical and
mental development; mental health history; sexual orientation;
spiritual and religious influences; media presentation of mental
health and mental illness.
Evidence is required in relation to four significant aspects.
Outcome 2
Describe the impact of significant aspects of the mental health support worker's personal
history and life experience on their mental health support work.
Evidence requirements
2.1
The impact of significant aspects of their personal history and life experience on
the mental health support worker is described.
Range
2.2
The impact of significant aspects is described in terms of their influence on the
mental health support worker's philosophy of work within mental health support
work.
Range
2.3
impact on the mental health support worker – beliefs, feelings,
values, and world view; personal and professional boundaries in
relation to consumers/tangata whai ora; self confidence; self
esteem; spirituality.
philosophy of work within the social services includes but is not
limited to – reasons for chosen field of work; vision and goals for
working in mental health.
The impact of significant aspects is described in terms of the mental health
support worker's strengths and any potential risks to consumers/tangata whai
ora.
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NZQA Expiring unit standard
Range
2.4
mental health support worker's views may include but are not
limited to – cultural, moral, biological, psychological, social,
spiritual.
Evidence is required of one view.
The mental health support worker's value base for working within mental health
support work is described and compared with the recovery principles.
Range
2.6
strengths may include but are not limited to – ability to
communicate positively with consumers/tangata whai ora;
empathy; commitment; respect; sense of social justice; trust
building;
potential risks may include but are not limited to – fear,
stereotyping, institutional perspective.
evidence is required of two strengths and any risks.
The impact of significant aspects is described in terms of the mental health
support worker's views on mental health and mental illness.
Range
2.5
13426 version 6
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evidence is required of comparison of three value statements that
guide the mental health support worker in mental health support
work with the recovery principles.
Awareness of the mental health support worker's own attitudes towards the use
of alcohol and other drugs is described in terms of their possible impact on
working with consumers/tangata whai ora.
Outcome 3
Describe how to manage potential risks to consumers/tangata whai ora from the mental
health support worker.
Evidence requirements
3.1
One risk management strategy is described in terms of how it manages
potential risks to consumers/tangata whai ora from the mental health support
worker.
Range
3.2
risk management strategies may include but are not limited to –
further education and training, membership of a reference group,
personal counselling, supervision;
reference group may include but is not limited to – professional
association; peer group; co-worker group; collective; governing
body or board; whānau, hapū, iwi; ko nga kaumātua raua ko nga
kuia; spiritual group; trustees.
Any potential risks to consumers/tangata whai ora are matched to the risk
management strategy described for evidence requirement 3.1.
Community Support Services ITO Limited
SSB Code 101814
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA Expiring unit standard
13426 version 6
Page 5 of 5
This unit standard is expiring. Assessment against the standard must take place by
the last date for assessment set out below.
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process
Version Date
Last Date for Assessment
Registration
1
11 February 1998
31 December 2016
Revision
2
16 December 2002
31 December 2016
Review
3
26 October 2005
31 December 2016
Review
4
18 March 2011
31 December 2016
Rollover
5
17 November 2011
31 December 2016
Republication
5
13 March 2012
31 December 2016
Rollover
6
22 May 2014
31 December 2016
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference
0150
This CMR can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA,
before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses
of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by
NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and
which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that
applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies
to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The
CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing
to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors
and assessors, and special resource requirements.
Community Support Services ITO Limited
SSB Code 101814
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016