CHCOSHC402A: Develop and implement activities in outside school hours care

Descriptor: This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to develop age and developmentally appropriate activities and programs for children participating in outside school hours care
Employability Skills: This unit contains Employability Skills
Application: This unit applies to the work undertaken in outside school hours care with children aged 5-12 years

Element	Performance Criteria
Elements define the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.	The Performance Criteria specify the level of performance required to demonstrate achievement of the Element. Terms in italics are elaborated in the Range Statement.
1. Identify activity and/or program needs of children in outside school hours care	1.1 Collect information about children in outside school hours care through a variety of methods including asking the children 1.2 Observe children to identify strengths and issues 1.3 Use information collected to determine activity and/or program needs of children in outside school hours care 1.4 Identify and review a range of possible age appropriate activities and programs that are suitable to the outside school hours care context 1.5 Select activity or program based on children’s expressed needs, organisation requirements and resource availability 1.6 Ensure knowledge of individual children’s support and guidance needs is clarified with parents/carers, supervisor and child prior to working with child
2. Prepare activity and/or program plan	2.1 Undertake appropriate planning for activities and programs to ensure children’s needs and organisation requirements are met 2.2 Plan activities and programs in consultation with children, parents and other stakeholders 2.3 Determine operational arrangements for conducting activities and programs and assess feasibility with budgets and timeframes 2.4 Include appropriate implementation and evaluation strategies in the activity and program plan 2.5 Ensure planning activities reflect accepted good practice and industry standards for working with children in outside school hours care
3. Implement outside school hours care activity and/or program	3.1 Implement activity or program according to plan, organisation guidelines and relevant industry standards 3.2 Provide children with access to a range of activities suited to their developmental needs and interests 3.3 Develop flexible implementation plans to suit a variety of contexts and to respond to contingencies 3.4 Adapt activities and programs to changing needs of the group and dynamics as required 3.5 Respond to and manage implementation problems promptly and seek support where necessary from the supervisor
4. Evaluate activities and programs in outside school hours care	4.1 Define criteria to judge effectiveness of activity/ program in consultation with relevant stakeholders 4.2 Use appropriate evaluation strategies during and after activities/programs for revision and development 4.3 Prepare reports on activity/program outcomes as required

Required Skills And Knowledge

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit.

Essential knowledge:

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively perform task skills; task management skills; contingency management skills and job/role environment skills as outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit

These include knowledge of:

Legislation and industry standards as they relate to activities delivered in the outside school hours care context
Planning processes for activities/programs
Budgetary and timeframe requirements for developing and implementing activities/ programs in outside school hours care
Principles of inclusiveness and diversity in the care environment
Support strategies for ensuring participation of children in outside school hours care
Organisation policies, procedures and guidelines for program development, delivery and evaluation
Safety issues and risk management strategies for children’s health and safety in a variety of contexts:
- excursions and travel situations
- outdoor and indoor play areas
- appropriate meal preparation and provisions based on national guidelines for nutrition of children and adolescents
- allergies and related medications
- basic home fire safety
Evaluative processes for outside school hours care programs
Strengths-based approaches to support children’s participation in outside school hours care
Development factors relevant to the age group and appropriateness of the activity/program
Issues related to specific environmental context of care

Essential skills:

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to:

Implement procedures relating to services offered by outside school hours care including, experiences, programs, inclusive practices, behaviour support
Develop, plan and implement age appropriate activities/programs
Work with individuals and groups to implement activities/programs
Work autonomously and in teams as required for implementation and evaluation of activities/programs
Maintain safety of children in all outside school hours care contexts

In addition, the candidate must be able to demonstrate relevant task skills; task management skills; contingency management skills and job/role environment skills
These include the ability to:

Demonstrate interpersonal communication with children (specifically skills such as listening, observation, leading discussions, questioning, clarifying)
Plan with a team in the outside school hours care environment
Use engagement strategies for children to participate fully in out of school hours program
Seek feedback from supervisor about performance
Identify particular support needs of individual and groups of children
Respond appropriately to behaviours of risk
Analyse information, data and relationships of children in care
Effectively use technology for planning activities and programs

Range Statement

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Activities and/or programs may include:	Cultural needs/activities Life/social skills Homework assistance Recreational Developmental
Outside school hours care context may include:	Outdoor use Indoor use Excursions Technology based For children aged from 5-12 years Before school and after school hours
Organisation requirements may include:	Within budget Adherence to policies Health and safety Number of children Risk analysis
Health and safety issues may include:	Gates on stairs Covers on electrical sockets Removal/locking away of dangerous substances Adequate supervision at all times Fences and gates, locking mechanisms Out of bounds areas Vacuuming/sweeping floors to remove small or dangerous objects Particularly close supervision in some areas Children being seated and supervised at meal and snack times Sun safe practices
Basic home fire safety includes knowledge of:	High fire risk groups Behaviour that may contribute to fire injury and/or fatality Role of a working smoke alarm Types of smoke alarms Optimum placement of smoke alarms Smoke alarm testing and cleaning Referring client for smoke alarm installation and maintenance
Operational arrangements may include consideration of :	Number of staff ratios Number of children ratios Existing activity/program plans Contingency plans Limitations of expenditure Health and safety limitations
Implementation and evaluation strategies may include:	Facilitating a trial activity Seeking feedback from children participating Seeking feedback from parents/carers Seeking feedback from other staff Own reflections and observations
Accepted good practice and industry standards refers to:	Standards set down by national and/or state/territory bodies responsible for ensuring the standards of care in out of school hours programs Any legislated standards and/or regulations of care in out of school hours programs
Flexible implementation plans may include:	Allowing for contingencies such as changes in the weather variation to numbers of children and ages participating absence of staff budget constraints lack of resources
Appropriate communication techniques may include:	Focusing attention on the child speaking Taking a position close to the child speaking Ignoring distractions Suspending own opinions and emotions Listening with the senses Demonstrating interest in the topic using body language (e.g. make eye contact, lean forward, nod) Responding to questions Checking understanding through restating using own words, summarising or asking questions

Evidence Guide

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.