Child & Youth Support – Newcastle

Hours: 22.5 hours per week – negotiable 

Reports to: CEO and Hunter Region Coordinator

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 Youth and Children’s Programs

Mirabel is often the one constant in a child’s life. We provide a wide range of programs that span across childhood and adolescence that include recreational activities, camps, therapeutic groups, youth support, educational assistance and advocacy. 

It is common at our Big Days Out and Mega Camps to hear children say that they’ve never had so much fun in their lives. These events are all about creating happy childhood memories while letting children discover that they are not alone in their experiences. Important friendships are formed between the Mirabel children and many of these continue into adulthood. 

Our groups are often the first time that children are able to talk openly about their difficult past without feeling judged or excluded. There is great comfort that comes with knowing you are not alone and are not to blame for your parents’ decisions. There is also great confidence that comes with knowing you have the ability to succeed at school and that you have options for a happy and productive future. 

Our Youth & Children’s Programs provide a pathway out of the cycle of disadvantage typically experienced by these young people.

Where you come in

We’re looking for someone who can make a child or young person feel like they are the most important person in a room. You will need to be able to plan meticulously while being flexible enough to adapt quickly to changing situations. We need someone who can work as part of a team while also being energised by groups of excited and sometimes challenging children. You will need to be comfortable and confident in developing, planning and facilitating support groups with children and adolescents.  You will be expected to work both independently and in collaboration with the Family Support Team to support the kinship carers with any specific concerns regarding their child. 

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

• Lead and develop the New South Wales Therapeutic Groups Program, plan and think outside the box on new and innovative programming to benefit the young people we work with
• Delegate tasks and follow up with team members supporting the groups
• Provide thoughtful, researched Therapeutic Girls and Boys Groups
• Provide recreational activities, camps, referral and follow-up for vulnerable children and youth.
• Provide individual support to at-risk young people as required
• Interact with the children’s carers as required

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

• Plan, organise, facilitate and evaluate our therapeutic groups programs: you’ll be facilitating with a co-facilitator our monthly/weekly therapeutic groups and teens groups. The groups take place in various locations throughout Newcastle from 4:00-6:00pm on a weeknight (approximately 1-2 per week). You will also follow up any issues raised during the groups.
• Plan, organise, facilitate and evaluate recreational activities: we love providing fun events and camps for children and young people. You’ll work alongside other members of our child and youth team to deliver exciting and attractive opportunities for the Mirabel children and youth. You will also follow up any issues raised during events. There will be some weekend work and overnight stays (may include some travel to VIC).
• Provide one-to-one youth support: we work closely with young people who are experiencing crisis or are unable to join our group programs. You may have a small case load of young people to see regularly. The focus of this support will be to maintain the young person’s place within the family, link them in with local services and, where appropriate, prepare them for integration into Mirabel’s group programs. 
• Collaborate with Mirabel team members to ensure maximum impact for families: you’ll work alongside other members of the child and youth team as well as the family support team to plan, deliver, reflect on programs and evaluate impact. 
• Complete administrative tasks and other duties as needed: you’ll keep comprehensive notes in our Outcomes Management Database (Salesforce) and complete impact measurement and evaluation tasks. There may be times where you are asked to help out our Family Programs by attending a Family Fun Day or a Kinship Carer Support Meeting. 
• 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. 

What we’re looking for

• Someone looking for purpose in their work: We’re looking for someone who wants to take a purposeful step in their career and find an organisation where skills are put towards supporting people, not profit.
• Service provision to children and families: we’re looking for someone with at least 2 years’ experience working with children and families including the provision of group work and individual support. 
• Autonomy and initiative: you’ll need to be great at managing your own time and working with your coordinator to come up with a list of tasks to complete as well as developing new and innovative side projects that would benefit Mirabel young people.
• Knowledge and understanding of child protection processes, the education system 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. 
• Experienced juggler: there are lots of different components to this program, so we need someone
• New South Wales Drivers License 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 qualifications in Health, Social Sciences, Education or other relevant fields
• Working with Children Check and Police Check are required before employment commencement.

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.
• 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.