VCE VET Community Services flashcards
VCE VET Community Services · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Duty of care
- A legal obligation to take reasonable steps to protect others from foreseeable harm, balancing client rights with safety and following organisational policies.
- Hierarchy of controls
- A ranked system for reducing risk: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, then personal protective equipment as the least effective.
- Risk assessment
- The process of identifying hazards, evaluating likelihood and consequence of harm, and deciding controls to reduce risk to an acceptable level.
- Standard precautions
- Infection control practices applied to all clients regardless of known infection status, including hand hygiene, gloves, gowns and safe sharps disposal.
- Active listening
- A communication technique involving full attention, paraphrasing, reflecting feelings, asking open questions and summarising to confirm understanding.
- Cultural safety
- An environment where a person’s cultural identity is respected and valued, requiring workers to recognise their own biases and adapt communication.
- Accredited interpreter
- A qualified professional who translates spoken language accurately and confidentially, used instead of family members for complex or sensitive matters.
- Open question
- A question that invites a detailed response and cannot be answered with yes or no, used to explore a client’s needs and experiences.
- Person-centred approach
- A way of working that puts the client at the centre of decisions, respects their preferences, builds on strengths and involves them in planning support.
- SMART goals
- Goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, used in care planning to guide support and review progress.
- Referral
- The process of directing a client to another service for support, requiring consent, appropriate information sharing and follow-up to confirm access.
- Professional boundaries
- Limits that protect the worker-client relationship, such as avoiding dual relationships, not accepting inappropriate gifts and maintaining confidentiality.
- Australian Privacy Principles
- Legally binding principles under the Privacy Act 1988 that govern collection, use, disclosure, security and access to personal information.
- Informed consent
- Permission given voluntarily by a person with capacity after understanding the purpose, risks and benefits, and documented in the client record.
- Confidentiality
- The ethical and legal duty to keep client information private, disclosing only with consent or when required by law, such as mandatory reporting.
- Eligible data breach
- A breach of personal information likely to result in serious harm, requiring assessment and notification to affected individuals and the regulator.
- Mandatory reporting
- A legal requirement for specified professionals to report suspected child abuse or neglect to statutory authorities, even without client consent.
- Negligence
- A failure to take reasonable care that causes harm, requiring a duty of care, breach, causation and damage to be established.
- Ethical dilemma
- A situation where two or more ethical principles conflict, requiring identification of issues, consultation, use of codes and documentation of decisions.
- Advocacy
- Acting to support and protect a client’s rights and interests, ensuring their voice is heard within legal and organisational boundaries.
- Professional conduct
- Behaviour that meets workplace standards, including punctuality, respect, honesty, accountability, appropriate dress and adherence to policies.
- Handover
- The transfer of information and responsibility between workers, using clear, accurate and confidential communication to ensure continuity of care.
- Scope of practice
- The range of tasks and responsibilities a worker is trained and authorised to perform, requiring escalation when a task is outside it.
- Supervision
- Regular support and oversight from a more experienced worker to review practice, manage risk and develop professional competence.
- Urgency/importance matrix
- A prioritisation tool that categorises tasks by urgency and importance to decide what to do first, schedule, delegate or eliminate.
- Time management
- Planning and organising time through scheduling, prioritising, minimising interruptions and using checklists to complete tasks efficiently.
- Reflective practice
- A process of reviewing one’s own work to identify what went well, what could improve and how to adjust future practice.
- Delegation
- Assigning a task to another worker with clear expectations, appropriate authority and support, while retaining accountability for outcomes.
- Sustainability
- Meeting present needs without compromising future generations, balancing environmental, social and economic considerations in work practices.
- Resource efficiency
- Using resources such as energy, water and materials wisely through reducing, reusing and recycling to minimise waste and environmental impact.
- Waste segregation
- Separating clinical, general and recyclable waste according to policy to reduce infection risk and environmental harm.
- Social sustainability
- Supporting fair treatment, community wellbeing and equitable access to services so that social systems remain healthy over time.