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

As a Therapeutic Permanency Specialist within our Sydney West Family Based Care team in Baulkham Hills, you will play an active role in ensuring the safety and well-being of Children & Young People by providing therapeutic support that strengthens placements, and supports the permanency goals and outcomes (including restorations, guardianship, adoption and long term care) of those we support, consistent with the principles of the NSW Permanency Support Program.

Regular travel to the locations of the Children, Young People, Families and Carers is a genuine requirement of this role, and a company vehicle provided.

Key Responsibilities

• Undertake child focused assessment of children and young people.
• Provide evidence informed advice and recommendations on understanding and minimising negative impacts of trauma, promoting healthy age appropriate development and building and strengthening skills and competency.
• Provide evidence informed training and support for carers and staff regarding therapeutic support.
• Lead implementation, maintenance and monitoring of Children and Residential Experiences (CARE) principles and practice, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, Families (TCIF) – including Staff and Carer competency review, training, coaching and mentoring as appropriate
• Undertake assessments and reviews such as Behaviour Support Plans and Restricted Practice Plans as needed to best support the ongoing needs of Children & Young People.

Skills & Experience

• Tertiary qualifications in Psychology, Social Work or similar and current registration or eligibility for registration with the professional body or Psychology board of Australia to practice as a psychologist
• Demonstrated experience in working with children or young people in our of home care who have experienced trauma, abuse and/or neglect
• Ability to develop and promote positive person-centred behaviour supports
• Strong understanding of the impact of trauma and complex behaviours
• Current Driver’s Licence

Successful candidates will be required to clear probity checks including National Criminal History Record Check and Working with Children Check.

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

• Generous Salary Packaging Benefits – claim up to $15,900 per year, tax free!
• Hybrid role – regularly work from office/client locations and home
• Tool of trade vehicle (including private use) provided + Monthly RDO

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 Kristy Crowe at [email protected].

Applications close at midnight on 26th October 2023

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.

We are dedicated to playing our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and bring continuity of care and support to our clients. With this in mind, if you are successful, we will discuss with you an alternative to a face to face interview. 

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