- Flexible working hours, including work from home possibilities
- Tool of trade vehicle available for personal use & fuel card
- Up to $15,900 annual salary sacrifice & $2600 annual meal & entertainment card
- Work for one of Australia’s largest social purpose organisations
About the Organisation
Every day, Life Without Barriers provides support and care to children and young people, as we work collaboratively with families, carers, and communities, to ensure they have the environment they deserve to grow. With a focus on ensuring safety and respect, this is an opportunity to make a positive and meaningful difference in these young lives and help pave a brighter future.
Life Without Barriers is a leading social purpose, not for profit organisation of 8,000 employees working in more than 500 communities across Australia. We support children, young people and families, people with disability, older people and people with mental illness. We work with people who are homeless and refugees and asylum seekers.
We want to employ people who reflect the diversity of our clients to ensure we can support each client’s individual needs and wants. We encourage people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background and people with disability to apply.
About the Role
The purpose of Child & Family Practitioner – Strong Families, Strong Communities, is to work alongside a child/young person, their family members and key internal and external stakeholders to prevent entry or escalation in statutory child protection services.
In partnership with families and the Department of Human Services, this role will provide an early intervention program that seeks to interrupt intergenerational disadvantage through the delivery of targeted activities that promote safety and wellbeing. The position will work within the CARE model and ensure case plan strategies and goals are congruent with CARE.
This is a Full Time, 2-year Maximum Term appointment based in Port Augusta. Travel across region required.
Key Responsibilities
- Undertake Relationship based social casework utilising the Common Elements framework of practice in partnership with family to develop SMART Family Action Plan goals that target reasons for the child removal and help families make positive changes.
- Deliver targeted and intensive therapeutic interventions that build family functioning and parenting skills, improve parent-child attachment, and create the conditions for children to be safe and do well developmentally and relationally. Implement relationship-based practice consistent with CARE framework and apply evidence-based assessment and other tools.
- Provide Case management services that enable the family to address social ecological risk factors (e.g., family-based violence, alcohol and other drugs, mental and physical health issues, housing, and financial stress), and strengthen protective factors (engagement in education, training, and employment).
- Engage with wider community and relevant stakeholders to establish a strong network and establish community and self-referrals.
- Connect with referred families as soon as possible to build a therapeutic relationship based on the strengths and needs of the family.
- Develop child focused and trauma informed relationships with parents and families by applying the CARE principles and provide opportunities to support children and their families to strengthen relationships
Skills & Experience
- Recognised Social Work qualifications with eligibility for membership of the AASW and/or a Bachelor of Psychology or other relevant qualification
- If required by State Legislation/Contracts – First Aid Certificate
- Demonstrated experience in working with children and young people and families who are subject to child protection intervention and an understanding of current casework practice.
- Demonstrated experience working with individuals, families and communities from a strength-based, culturally appropriate perspective that are part of child, youth & family sector
- Demonstrated understanding of impact of trauma and attachment on children and young people and complex behaviours.
- Demonstrated experience in working within a multi-disciplinary team
- Current drivers licence
Successful candidates will be required to clear probity checks including National Criminal History Record Check and Working with Children Check (where relevant to the role).
To be considered for and appointed to a position at Life Without Barriers, you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a minimum of two (2) doses or hold a valid medical exemption certificate, in accordance with Life Without Barriers Employee COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. You will be required to provide evidence of your vaccination status during the recruitment process.
Benefits
- Work for one of Australia’s largest social purpose organisations
- Life Without Barriers offers ongoing training, support and career advancement opportunities
- Flexible working hours, including work from home possibilities
- Tool of trade vehicle available for personal use
How to Apply
Include your resume and covering letter in one document, click ‘Apply’ and follow the prompts. For any enquiries including persons with disability that require adjustments, contact Dillon at [email protected].
Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as applications are continuously reviewed prior to the closing date; and as such the closing date is subject to change without notice. Current application closing date is midnight 19 July 2023.
Life Without Barriers supports the Royal Commission into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability. We believe people with disability need to be heard and for these experiences to influence how support services like ours are delivered. View our statement here (https://bit.ly/2GzZGWA)