About the Mirabel Foundation

We are an Australian Children’s Charity that was established in Victoria in 1998 and extended into New South Wales in 2003. Mirabel is the vision of Jane Rowe, who identified a vulnerable group of children and took action to make a positive difference in their lives. In her work as a drug and alcohol counsellor, Jane witnessed the devastating effects that drug use has on the children of drug users and the cycle of abuse that repeats itself through generations if action is not taken.

Mirabel believes that every child deserves a childhood and our mission is to break the destructive cycle of addiction. We achieve this through the delivery of proven programs for children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to their parents’ illicit drug use. We also provide crisis support and parenting assistance for the kinship carers faced with the responsibility of raising the children. Mirabel’s vision is that every child has a childhood filled with love, hope and belonging.

About Mirabel’s Family Programs

Mirabel is somewhere that kinship carers can turn to for help. We listen without judgement, find out what will help, equip families with information and provide long-term support. More than 90% of the kinship carers we support are grandparents raising their grandchildren. Many of them have taken on the full-time care of their children suddenly and unexpectedly. They are often grieving the loss of their own son or daughter while trying to be strong for the children in their care. Some have had to give up work so they can care for their grandchildren while others have had to return to the workforce from retirement, in order to financially support their children. Their circumstances are complex and unique and we work hard to meet the individual needs of each family. 

We provide intake, assessment of needs, telephone counselling, parenting information, referral to specialist services, kinship carer support groups, family camps, family inclusion activities, practical assistance and crisis support. We know that the best outcomes for children are achieved when carers are well supported. 

Where you come in

We’re looking for someone who loves to chat to people of all ages, can readily empathise and make people feel heard and understood. We need someone who is confident providing information and support while being capable of researching available services and finding suitable referral sources. You will need to be comfortable co-facilitating support groups with kinship carers.  We are looking for someone who enjoys working with both small groups of people and one-to-one with carers. You will need to be comfortable working independently and in collaboration with both our Family Support Team and the Child and Youth Team. This role is part-time and based at our office in Edgeworth, Newcastle. Days are negotiable but Fridays are required. 

We’re looking for someone who can confidently deliver the following key objectives:

• Assess the needs of kinship carers, assist them through crisis and provide them with ongoing support.
• Provide parenting information, referral and support to kinship families.
• Co-facilitate kinship carer support/information groups and follow-up any issues raised during groups.

Here’s some of the things that your role will involve:

• Conduct telephone intake and needs assessments of new Mirabel families: you’ll spend quite a bit of time on the phone to new families to assess their needs and see how we can best support both the carers and children. You’ll enter information into the shared database and follow up on anything needed by the family.
• Provide informal telephone counselling and parenting support to kinship carers: we check in with Mirabel families regularly as well as respond to families experiencing crisis. We use validated parenting information and resources to assist carers with their parenting duties.   
• Refer families to specialist services in their local area: we research appropriate specialist services for families and refer them to local organisations that can provide further support.
• Co-facilitate support groups for kinship carers: we facilitate regular online support groups for kinship carers where they can talk about arising issues and find comfort in the company of others who share similar circumstances. 
• Attend family events: there may be times where you are required to attend some Family Fun Days, Carer Relax Days and family camps to provide support and assistance to attendees. 
• Complete administrative tasks and other duties as needed: you’ll keep comprehensive notes in our Outcomes Management Database (Salesforce), complete impact measurement and evaluation tasks and ensure all policies and procedures are adhered to. 
• Act in accordance with Mirabel’s Code of Conduct: we are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all Mirabel children and families at all times. 

The skills we’re after

• Service provision to children and families: we’re looking for someone with experience working with children and families.  
• Autonomy and initiative: you’ll need to be great at managing your own time and coming up with a list of tasks to complete. We’ll help point you in the right direction, but it is up to you to assist in steering the ship.
• Knowledge and understanding of child protection processes and how drug issues affect families: we need someone who has a solid understanding of the issues being faced by the children and families that we support and the ability to share this knowledge with others. 
• Experienced juggler: there are lots of different components to this program, so we need someone who is competent and excited by having a number of balls in the air.
• Current Drivers Licence and Microsoft Office Skills: you’ll need to be able to drive yourself and sometimes transport children to events. You’ll also need to be confident communicating on the computer and social media. 

Required for the role

• Tertiary Qualification in Health, Social Sciences, Families or other relevant fields.
• Working with Children Check required before commencement and Police Check conducted on employment.

In addition, the position requires meeting the behaviour standards outlined in Mirabel’s Practice and Behaviour Policy and Procedure and to:

• promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people to whom we provide services.
• report any suspicions, concerns, allegations or disclosures of alleged abuse to management.
• maintain valid ‘working with children’ documentation and vaccination requirements.
• undergo periodic criminal history record checks.
• report to management any criminal charges or convictions you receive during the course of your employment that may indicate a possible risk to children and young people.