Caseworker – Barreng Moorop

• Location: Preston
• Full time
• Salary- $61,240.39

The Opportunity

The Barreng Moorop program is a partnership between the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA), the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) and Jesuit Social Services (JSS).

The program provides an integrated, intensive support service to Aboriginal children, 10-14 years of age who have current or past involvement with police or likelihood of future involvement due to family involvement with the justice system.

The caseworker position provides casework support to address the issues underlying the young person’s offending behaviour, or young person’s family’s offending behaviour. These issues may include (but are not limited to); family dysfunction, mental health issues, transgenerational trauma, attachment difficulties, intellectual disabilities, experiences of violence and abuse, poverty, disengagement with the education system and lack of social and community connection.

The caseworker will support the young person and their family to access relevant welfare, housing, family and education services through supported referral, advocacy, negotiation and co-ordination of services to provide “wrap around” support to the young person and their family.

To be considered for this role you must demonstrate

• Awareness and appreciation of Aboriginal communities and culture and an understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal people in contemporary Australia
• An ability to work in a culturally respectful and competent manner with young people, their families and communities to ensure that cultural connections are fostered and maintained
• An understanding of the theories relating to complex trauma as a consequence of abuse and neglect, of the issues involved in trans-generational trauma and the ability to translate these into practice in Aboriginal organisation.
• An understanding as to why Aboriginal children and young people are over-represented across Youth Justice and Child Protection and an understanding of these systems.
• Knowledge and demonstrated experience in appropriate interventions/skills required to support young people (and their families) who have disengaged from education and a clear understanding of the requirements/elements of intensive support, crisis intervention and assertive outreach.
• Demonstrated experience in the delivery of structured case management support to young people and their families with complex needs.
• A demonstrated capacity to identify culturally responsive and appropriate referral pathways and a sound knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal, non-Aboriginal and specialist services available across relevant domains.