Senior Practitioner

This is a great opportunity for a skilled and enthusiastic individual to be part of a team delivering this innovative approach to vulnerable families whose children are subject to Family Preservation or Family Reunification Orders.  In partnership with Child Protection and other agencies, Intensive Family Services will support families to meet case plan goals by promoting child safety, permanency and development, increasing parenting capacity and family functioning.

In this role you will:

• Contribute as a member of the care team or professional network to support case planning and ongoing risk assessment.
• Work intensively with children and families, delivering effective interventions that increase parenting capacity, family functioning, achieve child safety and enhance conditions for child development. This will include a comprehensive outcomes focus for parents, carers and children including individual, social and economic outcomes.
• Document interventions used to build family functioning, family capability and promote child safety, stability, wellbeing and development for the prescribed outcomes.

To Be Successful in this Position You Will Need:

• A relevant tertiary qualification in social work, psychology, Early Childhood Specialist and/or related behavioural sciences with a minimum of three years relevant experience.
• Demonstrated awareness and commitment to working within the “Best Interest Principles” outlined within the Child, Youth and Families Act 2005.
• Demonstrated understanding of child development and factors that can impede a child’s development, including early indicators and patterns of behaviour leading to cumulative harm.
• Demonstrated understanding and application of individual and systemic theories that underpin effective, intensive, in-home family based interventions.
• Outstanding communication skills and the ability to provide feedback to families, particularly in situations where it may be of a sensitive nature or difficult to hear.
• Ability to think broadly and holistically in relation to interventions to inform a systemic response in relation to client action planning, at the same time focusing on specific issues.
• Demonstrated ability to actively engage families that may be unwilling to receive services.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct comprehensive child focused safety and wellbeing assessments and make sound judgements in relation to prescribed actions.
• Good organisational, time management kills, and ability to be self-directed.
• Computer skills in Microsoft Office packages and other statistical databases such as IRIS.

Please Note: It is mandatory for the successful applicant to hold a current Working with Children Check and be prepared to undergo a National Criminal History Check prior to commencement.