4.3 – Advocate for Client

Purpose & Context

Career Development Professionals (CDPs) advocate on behalf of clients to ensure accessibility to services and programs, including those beyond career development services, such as access to public services, social programs, education and training needs, or health services.

Effective Performance

Competent career development professionals must be able to:

P1. Identify barriers facing client, e.g. limited education, poverty, lack of Canadian credentials or work experience
P2. Help clients gain access to needed resources and supports, e.g. support self-referrals
P3. Seek informed consent to negotiate services, if appropriate
P4. Negotiate access to services
P5. Help resolve issues, for example:
- Meet with employer and client to address workplace conflict or unmet training needs
- Meet with other service providers to discuss and resolve missed appointments, transition plans into theworkforce, accommodations required for employment

Knowledge & Understanding

Competent career development professionals must know and understand:

K1. Principles of anti-oppressive practice
K2. Legislation and regulation, e.g. Canadian Human Rights Act, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Provincial
Acts and Codes and the Criminal Code, rights of LGBTQ2+ persons (i.e. gender identity and gender expression as
protected groups from discrimination)
K3. Common barriers, e.g. lack of Canadian work experience, poverty, access to child or elder care
K4. Resources, e.g. access, accommodations
K5. Relevant legislation, codes of practice, organizational policies and procedures

Contextual Variables

Competent career development professionals must be able to perform this competency in the following range of contexts:

In situations where barriers are complex, advocating for clients is significantly more challenging.

Glossary & Key References

Terms

Industry-specific terms contained in the standard defined here, where applicable.

Anti-oppressive practice: an intersectional approach that confronts formal and informal roles of power between a CDP, their client, and socio-economic structures and systems.

Informed consent: refers to an agreement by a client (or their legal representative) to participate in an activity. It is specifically made between the client (or their legal representative) and the CDP. Informed consent is an ongoing process that ensures the client understands and agrees to the purposes, goals, techniques, procedures, limitations, potential risks, and benefits of services to be performed, and other such pertinent information that is reasonably possible given the type of service offered.

Information Sources and Resources for Consideration

Shepard, Blythe C. & Mani, Priya A. Eds. Career Development Practice in Canada. Toronto: CERIC Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling, 2014. ISBN: 978-0-9811652-3-3.

Zunker, Vernon G. Career Counselling: A Holistic Approach 9th edition. Boston: Loose-leaf Edition, 2016. ISBN-10: 978-1-305-40106-8

Context Rating Scales

Criticality

Q: What is the consequence of a professional being unable to perform this skill according to the standard?

Moderate risk: CRITICAL

Frequency

Q: How frequent and under what conditions is this skill performed?

Routinely, regular course of procedure

Level of Difficulty

Q: Under routine circumstances, how would you rate the level of difficulty in performing this skill?

Moderate difficulty or complexity

Time Required to Gain Proficiency

Q: What is the average length of time or number of repeated events that are minimally necessary for an individual to become proficient in performing the skill to the standard?

To become fully proficient in this competency, a career development professional requires a minimum of one year of experience advocating for at least 10 different clients, representing a broad range of individuals.

Autonomy

Practitioners typically perform this competency with and without supervision, and alone.

Automation

It is unlikely that this competency will automate.

Requisite Work Aids, Tools, Equipment or Materials

None