A Guide to Portfolio and Case Study Development

The information below has been developed to assist trainees and assessors to understand the requirements of assembling a portfolio or writing a case study, where the presentation of a portfolio or case study is a requirement of a unit standard assessment.

From 2010, this information will also be printed in those Workplace Assessment Portfolios and Trainee Assessment Portfolios which specify a portfolio or case study, so that trainees and assessors have ready access to it.

What is a Portfolio?

A portfolio is a collection of your working papers that must be assembled to meet the requirements of a particular assessment. A portfolio will include copies of all documents that you have used or written when supporting a person (or people) in a health, disability or community setting. When reviewing your portfolio, an assessor will expect to see clear evidence that the documentation you have provided meets the required outcomes of the assessment task.

When planning a portfolio, you must obtain the consent of all parties involved. Even when consent has been granted, you may still need to remove key identifying details of the person or people you are supporting.

The documentation you provide in a portfolio will vary, depending on the requirements of the particular assessment task. But all portfolios are likely to include:

Signed consent forms from the people with whom you have worked, that allow you to include documents such as the copy of a care plan or a person’s social history.
Copies of all notes you develop as you work with people in a supported setting e.g. photocopies of your field/case notes, observations, memos, reflective journal etc.
Copies of all forms you may have used or created to carry out your role e.g. an incident reporting form, an activities register, a checklist for field trips/outings etc.
Copies of all documents that your organisation requires you to comply with or complete as part of your work e.g. copies of specific policies and procedures, a service delivery plan, an inventory of equipment, a risk management strategy etc.

It is generally acceptable to include documentation that has been developed within the last twelve months of your practice with the person or people you are supporting.

What is a Case Study?

A case study is a presentation that describes your experiences with a particular person(s) or situation. This presentation may be fictionalised to the extent that identifying details are removed; but a case study should be based on an experience that actually happened in connection with a person(s) you were supporting, or with a particular situation that you were involved in. When reviewing your case study, an assessor will expect to see clear evidence that the documentation you have provided meets the required outcomes of the assessment task.

A case study can be used to provide evidence about a person or situation that:

You have worked with or in as part of your support role.
Links theory to practice.
Leads you to reflect on the situation and on the steps you took.
Can be verified as having actually taken place.

A case study can be presented in one of three ways (or a combination of these ways):

A collection of copies of documents which have been completed based on details, plans and evaluations associated with a person(s) or situation, with all identifying detail removed. Together, these documents should provide details of the person(s) or situation that you were involved in; what happened and why; what the outcomes were; and what you learnt from the experience.
A written (essay) format that contains the same information specified in italics in 1 above.
A standalone oral and/or PowerPoint presentation that contains the same information specified in italics in 1 above.

It is generally acceptable to include documentation that has been developed within the last twelve months of your experience of the person or people you are supporting or the situation(s) that is/are the subject of your case study.

It is important that your manager, supervisor or team leader confirms that the case study you have developed reflects an actual situation in which you were involved.

Location http://www.careerforce.org.nz/index.cfm/1,206,417,-1,html