DT1V 04 (CCLD 204)Use support to develop own practice in children’s care, learning and development

Elements of competence

CCLD 204.1Make use of support systems to develop you practice

CCLD 204.2Use new knowledge and skills to improve your practice

About this Unit

This Unit is about improving and developing your skills and performance in carrying out your work.

It is for anyone who is working as an assistant in any setting whose main purpose is children’s care, learning and development.

Keywords

What we mean by some of the words used in this Unit
Constructive feedback / An honest opinion about what you need to improve on, with ideas about how to go about it
Development (of your practice) / Improvement of your work, gaining more knowledge and additional skills
Support / Will include some or all of the following formal and informal opportunities:
  • members of your work team
  • supervisors/ managers
  • colleagues from your own, or another setting
  • members of a network
  • appraisals, supervisions, performance reviews

Professional development opportunities / Training programmes or courses, seminars, information days, conferences, exhibitions, study time, updating through reading

Evidence Requirements for the Unit

It is essential that you adhere to the Evidence Requirements for this Unit

GENERAL GUIDANCE
  • Evidence must be provided for ALL of the performance criteria and ALL of the knowledge.
  • Work with children and families does not lend itself to a series of fragmented activities. When assessment planning it is essential that assessors and candidates identify opportunities to integrate a number of activities for assessment on any particular occasion.
  • Assessment of knowledge and understanding should wherever possible be carried out during performance to ensure that theory and practice are linked.
  • The evidence must reflect, at all times, the policies and procedures of your workplace as linked to current legislation and the values and the principles for good practice in children’s care, learning and development.
  • All evidence must relate to your own work practice.

SPECIFIC Evidence Requirements for this unit
Simulation:
  • Simulation is not permitted for this unit.

The following forms of evidence ARE mandatory:
  • Direct Observation: Your assessor * must observe you in real work activities which should provide evidence for some part of Element 2 of this unit.
  • Reflective Accounts: You should describe your actions in a particular situation and explain why you did things. You may be able to use a reflective account to provide some of the performance evidence for this unit, for example, identifying and reflecting on your own learning style and how you have used learning opportunities to your benefit, reflecting on how your own background and experience has affected your practice, use of a diary or log book to show how you have used support.

Issues for consideration:
  • The following performance criteria may be difficult to evidence by observation Element 1 - all performance criteria
Element 2 – PCs 1, 3 and 5
Competence of performance and knowledge could also be demonstrated using a variety of evidence from the following:
  • Questioning/Professional Discussion: Questions may be oral or written. In each case the question and your answer will need to be recorded. Professional discussion should be in the form of a structured review of your practice with the outcomes captured by means of audiotape or a written summary. These are particularly useful to provide evidence that you know and understand principles which support practice, policies, procedures and legislation, and that you can critically evaluate their application e.g. the types of training you have been able to access, how you have asked for and used feedback on your practice, how you have identified gaps in your knowledge and skills and taken action to ensure these gaps are filled.
  • Products: These are non-confidential records made, or contributed to, by you, e.g. records of courses you have attended, personal development plan.
  • Confidential Records: These may be used as evidence but must not be placed in your portfolio, they must remain in their usual location and be referred to in the assessor records in your portfolio e.g. appraisal records or performance indicators.
  • Original Certificates and other evidence of prior experience and learning: Where you have relevant prior experience it must match the requirements of the standards. Certificates of training, awards and records of attendance must be current and valid. Your assessor will also want to check the content of such training so that this can be matched to the standards and check that you have retained and can apply learning to practice, eg your assessor will focus on how you have used any relevant training you have undertaken to develop and enhance your practice.
  • Case Studies, projects, assignments: These methods are most appropriately used to cover any outstanding areas in the knowledge requirement of your award.
  • Witness Testimony: Colleagues, allied professionals, children, young people, families and carers may be able to provide testimony of your performance. Your assessor will help you to identify the appropriate use of witnesses.

*This is a mandatory unit and as such Direct Observation MUST be carried out by an assessor. Expert Witnesses could supply additional evidence.

Knowledge specification for this unit

Assessment of knowledge and understanding should wherever possible be carried out during performance to ensure theory and practice are linked.

You need to provide evidence for ALL knowledge points listed below:

To be competent in this Unit, you must know and understand the following: / Enter Evidence Numbers
1The strengths and weaknesses of your own practices
2The effect of your own background and experiences on your practice
3Your own learning style
4The systems available for supervision and support
5The importance of setting professional goals and targets
6The professional structure of the sector and the opportunities for career progression
7Ways of undertaking professional development

CCLD 204.1 Make use of support to develop you practice

Performance criteria
Enter Evidence Numbers
DO / RA / EW / Q / P / WT
1Find out about support in the work you do
2Use support to ask for constructive feedback on your practice
3Use support to help you identify goals and targets
4Use the feedback to find areas of your practice that need development
5Ask support for information about development opportunities

CCLD 204.2 Use new knowledge and skills to improve your practice

Performance criteria
Enter Evidence Numbers
DO / RA / EW / Q / P / WT
1Take advantage of opportunities to gain new knowledge and skills
2Identify the new knowledge and skills which will be useful in your work
3Use support to find out how to use the new knowledge and skills in your work
4 Use the new knowledge and skills to improve your practice
5Use support to ask for feedback on improvements to your practice

DO = Direct ObservationRA = Reflective AccountQ = Questions

EW = Expert Witness P = Product (Work)WT = Witness Testimony

To be completed by the Candidate
I SUBMIT THIS AS A COMPLETE UNIT
Candidate’s name: ……………………………………………
Candidate’s signature: ………………………………………..
Date: …………………………………………………………..
To be completed by the Assessor
It is a shared responsibility of both the candidate and assessor to claim evidence, however, it is the responsibility of the assessor to ensure the accuracy/validity of each evidence claim and make the final decision.
I certify that sufficient evidence has been produced to meet all the elements, pcS AND KNOWLEDGE OF THIS UNIT AND THAT THE CANDIDTE HAS DEMONSTRATED THE APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLES AND VALUES.
Assessor’s name: …………………………………………….
Assessor’s signature: ………………………………………....
Date: …………………………………………………………..
Assessor/Internal Verifier Feedback
To be completed by the Internal Verifier if applicable
This section only needs to be completed if the Unit is sampled by the Internal Verifier
Internal Verifier’s name: ……………………………………………
Internal Verifier’s signature: ………………………………………..
Date: ……………………………………..…………………………..

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Unit: DT1V 04 (CCLD 204) Use support to develop own practice in children’s care, learning and development