Field           Community and Social Services

Revision of Whānau/Family and Foster Care unit standards

Subfield	Domain	ID
Social Services	Whānau/Family and Foster Care	28525, 28551, 28552, 28554, 28555, 31408-31412, 31414, 31415

Careerforce has completed the revision of the unit standards listed above.

Date new versions published                                                               May 2021

Planned review date                                                                              December 2023

Summary

The revision of standards in the Whānau/Family and Foster Care domain was undertaken to respond to an industry requirement for the standards to include respite and residential care for children and young persons.  Industry representatives identified the outcomes in the Whānau/Family and Foster Care standards as being applicable to respite and residential care except that they included definitions, outcomes, and performance criteria which limited their scope to a whānau, family, and foster care setting.  Following consultation, the definitions and affected outcomes and performance criteria were broadened to allow for learning and assessment in a respite and residential context.

To reflect the broadened scope of learning and assessment, the standards were moved from the domain, Whānau/Family and Foster Care to the new Care of Children and Young Persons domain.

Main changes

· Titles were amended to reflect the broadened scope and to focus on the significant outcomes.

· Any outcomes, performance criteria, and range statements which used the term, whānau, kin and foster care, were amended to use the term, care.  A range statement was added to specify care settings or contexts as whānau, kin, and foster care; respite care; and residential care.

· The definitions were updated to reflect the broadened scope.

· An inconsistency in the use of the terms caregiver and carer was standardised to carer.

· Standard 31408 included a time-based evidence requirement in outcome 3.  The restriction was unintentional and made the standard unachievable for some candidates.  The time-based component of the evidence requirement was removed.

· References to legislation and publications were updated for currency.  The reference to Legal status to place children and young people in care was removed because the document is not readily available.

· To reflect the broadened scope, standards were moved from the Whānau/Family and Foster Care domain to the new Care of Children and Young Persons domain.  Consent to assess against any standard in the Whānau/Family and Foster Care domain was extended to the same level in the new Care of Children and Young Persons domain.

Impact on existing organisations with consent to assess

Current consent for			Consent extended to
Nature of consent	Classification or ID	Level	Nature of consent	Classification or ID	Level
Subfield	Social Services	4, 6, 7	Domain	Care of Children and Young Persons	3
Domain	Whānau/Family and Foster Care	3	Domain	Care of Children and Young Persons	3

Detailed list of unit standards – classification, title, level, and credits

All changes are in bold.

Community and Social Services > Social Services > Whānau/Family and Foster Care

Community and Social Services > Social Services > Care of Children and Young Persons

ID	Title	Level	Credit
28525	Describe attachment in whānau, kin and foster care Describe attachment for a child or young person in care	3	5
28551	Describe and implement strategies for working relationships with whānau/family in whānau, kin and foster care Maintain relationships with whānau/family of a child or young person in care	3	5
28552	Demonstrate knowledge of laws and responsibilities relevant to whānau, kin and foster care Demonstrate knowledge of laws and responsibilities relevant to children and young people in care	3	5
28554	Describe a safe environment and support personal safety for a child or young person in whānau, kin and foster care Support the personal safety of a child or young person in care	3	3
28555	Demonstrate carer safety in whānau, kin and foster care Demonstrate carer safety in a care setting	3	3
31408	Demonstrate and apply knowledge of cultural identity and culture-related issues within whānau, kin and foster care Apply knowledge of culture-related issues for a child or young person in care	3	4
31409	Demonstrate knowledge of the impact of values and diversity on practice in a whānau, kin and foster care setting Demonstrate knowledge of the impact of values and diversity on practice in a care setting	3	4
31410	Describe impacts of colonisation in Aotearoa NZ and effects on Tangata Whenua in a whānau, kin and foster care context Describe impacts of colonisation in Aotearoa New Zealand and effects on tangata whenua for a care context	3	2
31411	Describe child development and the impact of trauma on a child or young person in a whānau, kin and foster care context Describe age-related brain development and the impact of trauma on a child or young person in care	3	5
31412	Describe and provide child-centred, trauma-informed care for a child or young person in whānau, kin and foster care Provide child-centred, trauma-informed care for a child or young person in care	3	6
31414	Describe self-care strategies and support, and demonstrate teamwork to enhance whānau, kin and foster carer wellbeing Describe self-care strategies, support, and teamwork to enhance carer wellbeing	3	3
31415	Describe a carer's role in preparing a child or young person in whānau, kin and foster care, for life events Describe a carer’s role in preparing a child or young person in care for life events	3	4