Pregnancy & Early Parenting Practitioner – Specialist Housing Services

The Caroline Chisholm Society is seeking a passionate individual for our Pregnancy & Early Parenting Practitioner – Specialist Housing Services role.  This is a unique hybrid role which includes delivering outreach support for families requiring Specialist Housing Services (SHS), as well as providing support for families referred through ChildFirst.   ChildFirst is an easily accessible, community-based point of entry for children, young people and families needing support.  This role will also work to provide homelessness expertise within a family services team and provide linkages between child and family services and homelessness organizations.

Our dedicated caseworkers at the Caroline Chisholm Society work to create a supportive and welcoming environment to respond to the needs of pregnant women and young families across our offices in Essendon and Caroline Springs.

About us
For the team at the Caroline Chisholm Society (the Society) our mission is simple – delivering a range of pregnancy and family support services that respond to the needs of families. For over 50 years we have supported vulnerable children, women, and their families to achieve and maintain a safe and nurturing environment. We’re proud of our work and equally proud that it is inspired by the many achievements of Caroline Chisholm, a woman who supported and empowered many throughout her lifetime.
In providing support and assistance to pregnant women and parents with young children aged up to 5 years, we work with whole families to support secure attachments, optimise child outcomes through parenting interventions, and prevent and alleviate the impacts of poverty, homelessness, family violence and issues mental health have on parent and child wellbeing.
We’d love you to join our dedicated and diverse team of like-minded professionals and help us to continue this important work, and to honour Caroline by providing support to today’s mothers, babies, toddlers, and the family that surrounds them.

About the role
The Pregnancy & Early Parenting Practitioner – Specialist Housing Services (SHS) reports to the Pregnancy and Early Parenting Manager with whom they discuss a work plan and targets. All tasks are to be completed within practice guidelines, standards, policies and procedures, including:

This role’s key responsibilities include:

• Independently managing cases with the guidance and support of the Pregnancy and Early Parenting Manager, assessing risk factors present within a family in relation to the Best Interest Framework
• Ensuring the unexpected needs of women, children and families are met by networking and collaborating with other supports and service providers, offering single session consults and providing new and pre-loved goods at appointments.
• Delivering and developing specialist homelessness services: advocacy and referral with accommodation and support providers; assessment of housing options and assistance to access these; assist families by making assessments of risk factors present within a family consistent with homelessness frameworks and guidelines.
• Managing family services cases: assess risk factors within a family in relation to the Best Interest Framework, setting goals and preparing outcome plans, understanding and practicing principles of diversity, including when working with people from CALD and Indigenous back grounds, presenting clients when necessary in supervision and maintain client records and confidentiality.
• Leading, communicating and providing an example of good conduct in the workplace:
  • o Establish and maintain strong collaborative relationships and partnerships with Government Departments, and other key stakeholders.
  • o Contribute to the testing, refinement, and continuous quality improvement of the service models, to ensure further development.
  • o Contribute to an effective multi-disciplinary team by proactively participating in staff meetings, training and supervision sessions.
  • o Completing administrative tasks and reports, creating a welcoming environment for clients, volunteers and others staffed by appropriately qualified staff, collecting statistics.

 
About you
We are passionate about the values and objectives of the Society and are looking for someone who shares them.

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

• A relevant qualification or experience in social work, psychology, or community service.
• Demonstrated casework experience handling complex cases.
• Understanding and willingness to learn about pregnancy and parenting and family services practice.
• Experience in homelessness and tenancy is desirable.
• Proven capacity to influence and negotiate, and to build and maintain effective relationships with government departments, key stakeholders and communities, and to work effectively cross sector and help build a multi-disciplinary team.
• Proven capacity to organise, plan and prioritise, ensuring client and program outcomes are met in a timely manner.
• Strong time management skills and able to work flexibly across two sites (Essendon and Caroline Springs).

What we offer
At the Society, we look after our people. In addition to a collaborative and supportive workplace, we offer:

• A 1-year full time contract, salary and benefits as well as salary packaging up to the maximum amount (for further info go to Advantage Salary Packaging)
• Up to an additional four days of paid leave per year
• A focus on well-being and individual flexibility
• Learning and professional development opportunities

Child safe organisation
The Caroline Chisholm Society is a child-safe organisation and is committed to always ensuring the safety and well-being of all children and young people. An appointment is subject to holding a current driver’s licence, a successful police check, and an employment Victorian working with children check.

How to apply
To apply for this position, please submit a CV via the apply now button/link provided. Please include a cover letter that details your suitability for this position and relevant experience.

For any questions, please email hr@caroline.org.au (please do not apply via email).  Please note, only applicants with Australian work rights will be considered.