The Role:

As part of a small team, this role is to engage and support families who are currently involved with child protection or community-based child protection to support safe and healthy family functioning and relationships. A key element of the role is reunifying children that have been removed from their home. This is a richly rewarding role and effects real lasting change in families and communities.

Duties:
• Undertake outreach work that will include attending clients home to provide families with supports and strategies to build their parenting skills.
• Provide intensive case management to assist families in meeting goals and avoid further child protection involvement. This work includes reporting any increased concern about child safety to DFFH.
• Utilise relevant evidence informed, strengths-based and trauma informed intervention strategies to engage at risk families.
• Deliver a service response that recognises cultural healing.
• Contributing to risk assessments when working with vulnerable families as required
• Provides court/reports evidence as required.
• Conduct and complete case notes. This entails Maintaining both electronic and written case management systems in line with DFFH legislative and Company Policy.
• Support families to attend social and community events.
• Liaising with a range of programs, Child Protection, external service providers and Community Service Organisations as required

Applicants must possess:

• An ability to work in a culturally respectful and competent manner, with young people, their families, and communities, to ensure that cultural connections are fostered and maintained.
• Work experience in a relevant field that supports an understanding of child development and family functioning including theories of attachment, intergenerational and personal trauma as well as relevant risk assessment frameworks, service responses and interventions in working with vulnerable families.
• A well-developed understanding of issues that impact on families, children, and young people, particularly those who are involved with Child Protection
• Sound knowledge of and experience with implementing strengths-based interventions
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and ability to support families, children, and young people to set goals and work towards achieving goals.
• Demonstrated awareness and appreciation of Aboriginal societies and cultures, and commitment to continually build knowledge of such, along with a high level of awareness of the key issues which impact upon communities.
• Sound organisational and planning skills including the ability to work independently and within a small team and maintain up to date case notes.
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships with services and support families to access services and supports as required.
• Ability to mentor other case workers and experience in supporting parents and their children through complex issues and crises and understanding the evidence informed practice approaches requirements of the program.
• Capacity to assist or support other team members when high demand or as directed by the Team leader.

Qualifications & Experience
• Bachelor’s degree in social work, Child Development, Psychology, or a related subject area preferred, or
• A Diploma level relevant qualification with significant professional experience

To Apply:

Please apply here (Your details will be kept confidential until we have interviewed you and you have given your expressed permission for your details to be passed on to the employer).

The Process:
Once we have received your application we will contact you and forward a complete position description. You will be asked to address the Key Selection Criteria and return it to Fox Personnel.
Interviews of short-listed applicants will be arranged.

To discuss the Role:
Please call Fox Personnel on 03 5441 2959