Working with professional competency frameworks

"We already have professional competencies - how does Let’s get real relate to these?"

"I’m a registered health practitioner working in a mental health and/or addiction treatment service and I’m already required to be competent – does Let’s get real apply to me?"

Let’s get real is intended to complement professional competencies by having a specific focus on the essential skills and attitudes required of everyone working in mental health and addiction.

The Real Skills in Let’s get real have been informed by the competencies developed by the professions regulated by the HPCA Act 2003 who work in mental health and addiction services (nurses, doctors/psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, occupational therapists), as well as the competencies developed for social workers.

Many elements of Let’s get real will already be reflected in your current professional competency framework. The Let’s get real human resources tool has a section that shows alignment between professional competencies and some of the Real Skills (Appendix H). This is a good starting point for assessing how the Real Skills sit alongside your competencies. Where professional competencies overlap with the knowledge, skills and attitudes in Let’s get real, professionals can avoid duplication of effort by using their portfolios and other evidence to demonstrate their Real Skills. Where you or your organisation identify areas of the Real Skills that sit outside your competencies or that need development, the Let’s get real learning modules provide a resource.

A real life example

Some may find that developing the Real Skills in Let’s get real may actually assist them to better meet their professional competencies. One clinical psychologist explained to us that in reviewing her continuing competency requirements, she found that the knowledge, skills and attitudes involved in providing culturally safe practice could be enhanced by reviewing the 'Working with Māori' practitioner learning module. She discussed this with her supervisor and used completion of the module as evidence of that she had upskilled in this area.

This clinical psychologist also found that the Real Skills can provide a useful reflection point for skills not covered in professional competencies. The Real Skills learning modules 'Working with family/whānau' and 'Challenging stigma and discrimination' were easy to provide evidence for from her clinical practice, even though there was no formal requirement of this in the psychologists’ continuing competency. This highlighted previously unacknowledged skills.

"I’ve been working in mental health and addiction for 20 years - will I have to do this?"

The vision for Let’s get real is that everyone working in mental health and addiction shares common understandings of how to work effectively in services. We know that many people are already working in the way outlined by Let’s get real.

In this sense the framework affirms and values your individual practice. Let’s get real will work best when your organisation or service supports you to work in this way.

For more information please also see our alignment to other competencies and frameworks page.

Page last updated: 28 January 2010