Question

(a) Outline the purpose of one set of practice standards used in either: Youth/ Mental Health / AOD/ Community Services Work/ Counseling (Select your area).

(b) List Five of practice standards & summaries your understanding of TWO

Answer 1

a)Practice standards are guidelines that describes how a process is done using a set of instructions regarding the authorized people,the requirements ,the activities, the management ,the administration,the supervision etc.
Mental health services plays an important role in health system.The purpose of practice standards is that it helps the entry level practitioners that are new to the services can follow these set of rules.The knowledge level and skill level of people may vary ,but following a set of rules helps to standardize the service.Also the experianced practitioners can use the practice standards to help review their practices and to help others achieve the expected standards.For example Communication and information standard helps practitioners to build rapport with people with lived experiances.Ethical practice standard helps mental health service practitioners to recognize the rights of people and families within the boundary of proffesion and legal.

b)Some practice standards used in the mental health services are

i)Rights and responsibility with safety and privacy-Mental service practitioner should provide care and treatment to people within the boundaries of law.This includes the international standards of human rights and responsibilities.They should provide treatment and services only when needed and complying with the rules of treatment of mental illness.Assess the safety and privacy and also the care ,mental health needs of person and family to propose the appropriate plan for their care.

ii)Information and communication standards-Adapting to an age appropriate communication style helps to build rapport with people.The non verbal communications like the body posture ,eye contact also plays an important role in the communication.Listening and interpersonal skills will also be in this practice standard.Documentation of the information related to their treatment and cure is important in mental health services.Also the privacy and confidentilaity of information provided by the person is needed.

iii)Ethical standard-
Always exercise good mental and physical well being during the practice as mental health proffessional.Any potential breaches of code of conduct and incompetence must be reported.Also the policies and procedures should be followed to provide good mental health service.

iv)Possess the knowledge of community and society-A good service provider should be well aware of the resources in the community and the knowledge of social and political processes that influence the individual and their family.Awareness of the health and welfare systems ,insurance systems,child protection etc. is always necessary.

v) Integrating the recovery based practice-A mental illness service should always support the people take responsibility of their own recovery by supporting them with trust and collaborate with the mental health professional or multidisciplinary mental health team.