Our Purpose

Our Purpose is to support children, young people, and their families to build skills and capacity, address the impacts of trauma and adverse childhood experiences, and develop capabilities that will enable them to be the best versions of themselves. 

About the Role 

Take part in an innovative, ground-breaking, award-winning new program starting at Parkerville Children and Youth Care in 2024! Our Way Home is a new way of doing Out of Home Care, where the voices of the children and young people are central to their lives and decisions, and where connection to family, community and culture are embedded as key to resolving trauma and growing into happy, healthy people. 

This new model has been codesigned by over 200 people including children with a care experience and families who have been impacted by the care system over three years. 

Our Way Home has 4 driving principles:

• Radically Personalised – It is centred on the child, their needs, and their voice, with a view to the time they are no longer in care.
• Connected by Default – Natural connections are key to our wellbeing. We cannot support children if we do not also support families and communities.
• Embedded in Culture – Respect for and connection to Aboriginal Culture is central to our work and is given equal weighting to clinical practice.
• Heart First then Head and Hands – A strong, skilled workforce with aligned values is crucial to this work.

So where does the Therapeutic Carer slot in? 

This role will support the Care Team in maintaining a safe, secure, and therapeutic environment for clients residing within the Our Way Home Program. The role is required to provide direct care to the clients within the service and to implement and support actions identified within individual care plans. This role may act autonomously under the direction for the Therapeutic Support. This role may offer support and direction to Support Workers.

This role will be offered on a permanent basis, on a 24-hour roster. The roster is run across 365 days a year.

This role will commence on 18th January 2024 and undertake an 11-day induction, to begin fully within the role on 01st February 2024.

As a Therapeutic Carer, your duties and responsibilities will be: 

• Provide day to day care for children in ways which meet their developmental needs, and have a positive effect on their self-esteem, attachment and security, in accordance with duty of care requirements and agency processes, including being non punitive.
• Assist children to develop social skills, problem solving and independent living skills as appropriate to their age and developmental level.
• Support children who have had adverse life experiences abuse/neglect, trauma, attachment, separation, grief and loss.
• Manage and respond to challenging behaviours in a trauma informed manner.
• Write file notes and maintain appropriate records in regard to a child or young person.

In order to be successful for this role, the applicant will have: 

• A qualification in Youth work, Community Services or other relevant field of study; or extensive experience in a similar role. 
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to engage with children and their families.
• Skills in caring for children and an understanding of child development.
• Demonstrated ability to document and report incidents and behaviour succinctly and objectively.
• Demonstrated capacity to work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team.

Desirable:

• Experience managing challenging behaviours.
• Understanding the impact of trauma on child development
• An understanding of issues related to child protection.

Parkerville Children and Youth Care are uniquely positioned to provide the successful applicant with the following benefits. 

• SCHADS Schedule B Paypoint and Level 2.1 – $32.21 per hour
• Discounted Health Insurance Plans
• EAP Service with Wellness resources
• Salary Packaging of up to $15,900
• Ability to Purchase Additional Annual Leave after 12 Months of Employment. 
• Ongoing Learning and Development Opportunities

Parkerville Children and Youth Care have a zero tolerance to alcohol and drugs. 

It is essential that all applicants meet the above criteria and are permitted to work and remain in Australia with no limitations.

Please apply directly via Seek. 

We hope to hear from you by 4:00pm, Monday 20th November. Applications will be assessed on a regular basis, and we may not wait until the closing date before you hear from us. We reserve the right to close the position earlier.

We hope to hear from you by Monday 20th November 2023. Applications will be assessed on a regular basis, and we may not wait until the closing date before you hear from us. We reserve the right to close the position earlier.

Parkerville Children and Youth Care Inc. has met the Safeguarding Children Standards set out by the Australian Childhood Foundation and received full Safeguarding Children accreditation in September 2019 and achieved re-accreditation in June 2022.  

Parkerville CYC is committed to ensure that we maintain a diverse and inclusive workplace where our staff are welcomed and feel safe to be their authentic selves. We welcome all qualified applicants regardless of gender, sexuality, age, disability, religion or cultural background.

We are committed to increasing employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and strongly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply.