Course Title: Facilitate the financial counselling process
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term1 2020
Course Code: BAFI5232C
Course Title: Facilitate the financial counselling process
School: 375T Vocational Design and Social Context
Campus: City Campus
Program: C5360 - Diploma of Financial Counselling
Course Contact: Jo Wallwork
Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 3983
Course Contact Email: mary-josephine.wallwork@rmit.edu.au
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Nominal Hours: 85
Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
None.
Course Description
This course describes the skills and knowledge required to assess and respond to the immediate and ongoing needs of clients in the context of a strengths-based and client-focused financial counselling model.
This course is clustered with four (4) other courses:
- CHCFIN002 Identify and apply technical information to assist clients with financial issues
- CHCFIN003 Develop and use financial counselling tools and techniques
- CHCLEG002 Interpret and use legal information
- CHCPRP003 Reflect on and improve own professional practice
These five courses are delivered and assessed together.
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title: |
CHCFIN001 Facilitate the financial counselling process |
Element: |
E1. Respond to initial client contact |
Performance Criteria: |
1.1 Obtain informed consent from client to enter into a financial counselling process 1.2 Identify and address any conflicts of interest and/or other ethical considerations 1.3 Identify appropriateness of financial counselling on the basis of routine client information collected and analysed 1.4 Clarify with client the role of financial counsellor and expectations of the representative agency 1.5 Explain rights and responsibilities of client and counsellor in the financial counselling process 1.6 Clarify client expectations and needs to ensure their issues and motivations are suited to financial counselling 1.7 Make an appropriate referral with client consent if client need is identified as outside scope of own work role 1.8 Explain confidentiality policy of the representative agency |
Element: |
E2. Assess client's financial situation |
Performance Criteria: |
2.1 Collect information on client’s financial and extended situation including relevant personal issues that may impact on this situation 2.2 Examine and analyse the material with client to identify areas for further investigation 2.3 Seek additional information as required, including the status and validity of contracts 2.4 Highlight important features of the client’s financial position 2.5 Assist client to identify areas where they want to take action 2.6 Identify and discuss client’s legal rights and responsibilities 2.7 Make technically sound and substantiated assessment of client issues |
Element: |
E3. Discuss options with the client |
Performance Criteria: |
3.1 Work with the client to establish a list of concerns 3.2 Proactively identify areas for possible action and prioritise to reflect client’s concerns 3.3 Provide information regarding client responsibilities and rights in relation to individual debts and overall financial situation 3.4 Discuss with client, options and potential consequences |
Element: |
E4. Develop an action plan in partnership with client |
Performance Criteria: |
4.1 Work with the client to prioritise areas for action immediately and in the longer term 4.2 Assist client to identify workable strategies to address their financial concerns 4.3 Assist client to develop their own action plan to address their circumstances 4.4 Discuss need for advocacy or negotiation by client and/or financial counsellor 4.5 Write and maintain a client service plan which identifies the assessed issues, the client and financial counsellor strategies and responsibilities |
Element: |
E5. Provide and evaluate ongoing support |
Performance Criteria: |
5.1 Identify areas for ongoing support and opportunities for specialist referral to other agencies or professionals 5.2 Identify range of support services able to be provided by the organisation and others 5.3 Work through with the client, the roles and responsibilities of client and counsellor in the support framework 5.4 Implement processes to evaluate effectiveness of support provided to the client by the financial counsellor 5.5 Revise support services in the light of evaluation feedback 5.6 Terminate the financial counselling process in line with organisation procedures and professional role requirements and provide referrals as agreed with client |
Element: |
E6. Maintain client records as required in a financial counselling agency |
Performance Criteria: |
6.1 Implement processes to keep accurate records of financial counselling sessions in accordance with organisation and privacy requirements 6.2 Record appropriate file notes and retain relevant documentation taking into account professional and legal requirements 6.3 Maintain confidentiality of records in accordance with professional and legal requirements 6.4 Secure client records for storage, archiving and destruction as per organisation and privacy requirements 6.5 Prepare and maintain statistical records in line with organisation requirements 6.6 Enter and maintain electronic databases as required by an organisation |
Element: |
E7. Reflect on practice |
Performance Criteria: |
7.1 Implement professional supervision in accordance with policy and procedures of the professional association and the organisation 7.2 Maintain knowledge of current industry information and best practice in financial counselling and utilise in professional practice 7.3 Undertake professional development activities to meet State, organisation and industry requirements 7.4 Ensure reflective practice is consistent with relevant codes of practice and ethical guidelines |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course you will have developed and applied the skills and knowledge required to demonstrate competency in the above elements. By applying these skills and this knowledge you will be able to analyse and use technical and legal information and develop the appropriate written tools and resources to assist individuals to understand their rights and make informed decisions about financial issues within the context of a strengths-based and client-focused financial counselling model.
Details of Learning Activities
In-class activities:
- teacher directed group activities/projects
- peer teaching
- group discussion
- class exercises to review discussions/lectures
- role play activities
- independent project based work
- online and other research
- independent study
Teaching Schedule
| workshop one | Consent Ethical considerations conflict of interest appropriateness of FC for client, i.e., is client seeing the right person? Introduce FCA Code of Ethical Conduct Role – client’s expectations Role & responsibilities of both client and FC Referrals – (this will be picked up further and in other units) Legal requirements – such as confidentiality Discussion of WIL placement, how/why this is assessed, what assessment activities for WIL |
| workshop 2 | How to collect financial information and other relevant information Examine and analyse information/client material Contracts Highlight important features of financial position Assist client to identify areas for action Client’ s legal rights and responsibilities Assessing a client’s issue/s Options (including debt) Documentation (legal) Debt and debt recovery Introduction: credit reporting (students access own credit report) consequences of options for clients - credit report Consumer Law CALC |
| workshop 3 | Developing Action Plans/Debt Recovery and EDR (CALC for Debt Collection & Going to Court for a Debt) How to identify the need for legal advice Options Consumer protection and legal rights Introduce Reflective practice |
| workshop 4 | Consumer Law (CALC) and Fines Infringement Court/Special Circumstances Bankruptcy – AFSA Debt agreements Options/actions Resources and Referral Finding and managing resources Appropriate resources for client (referrals) |
| workshop 5 | Credit Law – Case Studies and Assessment Going to court for a debt Credit Law/Other areas of law (CALC) and Bankruptcy (AFSA) National Hardship Register Courts Process – Small Claims: where do clients go/ who attends this/ Home repossession Court Reflective practice |
| workshop 6 | Ongoing Support/Reflective Practice/Resources and WIRE Micro-finance: Good Shepherd to present re NILS, STEP UP, |
| workshop 7 | Review |
| workshop 8 | Final assessment activities - in-class |
| workshop 9 | Final assessment activities - in-class |
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
References
Other Resources
Overview of Assessment
Your knowledge and understanding of course content is assessed through:
- Case study scenarios and questions
- Knowledge questions
- Research projects
- Simulated activities such as role play activities
- the 220-hour work placement
Assessment Tasks
This course is assessed in accordance with competency-based assessment. To demonstrate competency in this course you will need to complete the following assessment tasks to a satisfactory standard. You will receive feedback from the teacher when you have completed the assessment tasks. You should refer to the assessment plan which is available on Canvas for details of each assessment task and for detailed assessment criteria. Assessment Task 1: Written Questions Assessment Task 2: Case studies and Written Questions Assessment Task 3: Case studies and Written Questions Assessment Task 4: Short answer questions and Case studies Assessment Task 5: Case studies and Written Questions Assessment Task 6:Written Questions Assessment Task 7:Written Questions Assessment Task 8: Personal Development Plan Assessment Task 9: Role play simulation and Group work activities
Assessment Matrix
The assessment matrix demonstrates alignment of assessment tasks with the relevant unit of competency. These matrices are available with the assessment tasks on Canvas.
Other Information
Please refer to the RMIT student page for extensive information about study support, assessment, extensions, appeals and a range of other matters: rmit.edu.au/students
Course Overview: Access Course Overview