Keeping Children Safe in Culture Worker

 

Keeping Children Safe in Culture Worker

  • Base/Location:Family Services Unit, Echuca
  • Reports To:Family Services Manager
  • Hours:Full Time (37.5 hours per week)
  • Award:SCHADS Level 2 - commensurate with qualifications and/or experience
  • Position Scope:

    The Family Services Unit helps strengthen families to control their own destinies.
    Staff of the Family Services Unit will work together to develop a range of programs and services for families.

Organisational Values:

  • Professional Integrity – We treat all our people with dignity and respect.
  • Quality – We always strive to do our best and improve the way we do things.
  • Responsibility – We commit to the actions we take to achieve the best possible outcome for our clients.
  • Client Focus – We work toward improving the health and wellbeing of our clients and community.

 

Role Purpose:

The Keeping Children Safe in Culture worker role covers the following roles:

  • Development and endorsement of Cultural Support Plans- In this role, you will support development, endorsement, implementation, and review of cultural plans for vulnerable Aboriginal children and young people living in out-of-home care. In this role the worker will also support child protection practitioners and contracted case manager in the implementation of contemporary methods, systems and approaches to enhance the capacity of care teams to better respond to Aboriginal children and young people.
  • Cultural Events Coordination- Provide leadership in the development and participation of Aboriginal children and young people in cultural activities. involving carers in the activities and supporting carers to understand the importance of culture and connection to community.
  • Contribute to the development, implementation and maintenance of the cultural information portal.
  • Placement and Support for children in OoHC-Provide support to Aboriginal children and young people and carers in kinship care placements with the support required to ensure the child’s safety and wellbeing needs are being met. This will require the worker to assess, develop and implement support plans to promote placement stability.
  • Lead the development of newsletters for Aboriginal children, carers and family for Aboriginal children in OoHC

 

Key Responsibilities:

Provide effective leadership by:

  • Modelling agency values
  • Working in partnership and collaboratively with Child Protection and other professionals both internally and externally to achieve results in the best interests of the Aboriginal child/ young person in all aspects of this role.
  • Work as a team in conjunction with other family Services programs to deliver services that respond to the needs of the child, family and/ or carers.
  • Provide quality, timely and effective specialist knowledge to care teams in developing and reviewing cultural plans. Assist care teams to monitor and review cultural plans to meet the cultural needs of vulnerable Aboriginal children and young people, as well as reflecting the best interest principles as the primary consideration for all child protection planning.
  • Prepare documentation, present information and make recommendations to the Family Service Manager on cultural plans, ensuring decision and actions are in the best interest of the child.
  • Provide support and advice and case consultation on the cultural needs of Aboriginal children and young people, including services available to help meet needs.
  • Provide a lead role in organising activities/ events which promote culture and connection to country for Aboriginal children/ young people.
  • Actively contribute and support, as a collaborative team member, in the ongoing development and strengthening of placements for Aboriginal children and young people’s who reside in kinship care placements.
  • Attending relevant case plan/ care team meetings relevant to your roles.
  • Establish and maintain effective working relationships, ongoing communications and successful negotiations with child protection and key stakeholders.
  • Provide authoritative advice and opinion to professional in other disciplines; lead or participate in case conferences, including family decision making with other professionals.
  • Use a range of IT/web-based applications to manage workflow.
  • Identify and apply appropriate research in forming interventions and develop innovative solutions to complex and difficult cases, drawing on a range of professional networks to identify gaps in case assessment.
  • Participate actively in supervision and professional development opportunities.
  • Keep accurate and complete records of your work activities in accordance with legislative requirements and Njernda Aboriginal Corporation records, information security and privacy policies and requirements.
  • Take reasonable care for your own health and safety and for that of others in the workplace by working in accordance with legislative requirements and Njernda Aboriginal Corporation’s occupational health and safety (OH&S) policies and procedures.

 

Key selection criteria:

Applicants Must Possess:

  • Expert knowledge of the unique history and current circumstances of Aboriginal children, families and community and ability to apply this to Child Protection cultural planning.
  • Expert knowledge of Aboriginal cultures and communities, preferably Victorian communities.
  • An expert understanding and ability to embed in practice, the core responsibilities and principles underpinning cultural planning for Aboriginal children residing in out-of-home care.
  • Expert knowledge of child development, attachment and trauma theories as they related to child and family welfare practices.
  • Demonstrated ability to work with Aboriginal children and their families in a complex environment to gather and analyse information that promotes development and implementation for planning.
  • Demonstrated ability to build professional networks across a range of organisations and individuals to promote collaborative working groups that focus on meeting the best interests of vulnerable Aboriginal children and young people.
  • Experience in delivering results that focuses on the best interest of the child and achieves positive, long lasting outcomes for children and families at an advanced level.
  • Self-management invites feedback on own behaviour and impact; uses new knowledge or information about self to build a broader understanding of own behaviour and the impact it has on others; understands strong emotional reactions and seeks ways to more effectively manage them.

 

Personal Qualities:

  • Managing Oneself – Manages and care self to maintain resilience and support when working within a challenging operating environment
  • Teamwork – Cooperates and works well with others in the pursuit of team goals. Collaborates and shares information. Shows consideration, concern and respect for others’ feelings and ideas. Accommodates and works well with the different working styles of others. Encourages resolution of conflict within group.
  • Initiative and Accountability – Proactive and self-starting. Seizes opportunities and acts upon them. Takes responsibility for own actions.
  • Integrity – Committed to Aboriginal communities. Operates in a manner that is consistent with Njernda Aboriginal Corporation’s code of conduct. Inspires trust by treating all individuals fairly.

 

Qualifications:

  • A recognized Diploma of Community Services Work, or similar qualification which is studied over a minimum of two academic years of full time study (or part time equivalent) or extensive equivalent experience.
  • Extensive relevant experience
  • Specialised knowledge or experience in relation to child protection
  • Specialised knowledge or experience in relation to out-of-home care.

 

Other Relevant Information:

  • The successful applicant will be required to undergo satisfactory pre-employment checks, including providing at least two professional referees, completion of a medical declaration, Police Records Check, Working with Children Check, Victorian Driver’s License, and proof of identify and qualifications
  • Commitment to equal opportunity and occupational health and safety principles and practices are required
  • You will need to disclose any pre-existing illness or injury you know about which could be affected by the described work duties. Under section 82 (7) of the Accident Compensation Act, failure to disclose such a pre-existing illness or injury will mean that, if employed, you will not be paid compensation for that condition.

 

All applications close: 7th Feb 2020

Applications must include:

  • a covering letter
  • current resume
  • address the selection criteria
  • the names and telephone contacts of at least two referees.

Address your application marked: “Private & Confidential”

To: HR Manager
Njernda Aboriginal Corporation
307 High Street,
(PO Box 201)
Echuca Vic 3564
Email: jobs@njernda.com.au

 

Please check the closing date to ensure your application is received within the specified time.

Applications may be posted, emailed, hand delivered or faxed (provided that a hard copy is posted on the same day).