Organisation : Settlement Services International
Location : Melbourne (Collingwood)
Work type : Contract/Temporary
Sector : Children, Community Support Services, Disabilities, Families, Youth & Young People
Salary type : Annual Package
About the organisation
About SSI
SSI is a community organisation and social business that supports newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with people with a refugee and asylum-seeking background, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, people with disabilities, youth and children and more to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.
About the Program
The Multicultural Foster Care (MFC) Program provides a range of services to assist children and young people who have been found to be in need of care and protection to meet their permanent care plan needs – safety, stability, and well-being through a culturally aware and responsive lens.
The MFC Program uses a client-centered, strengths-based, trauma-informed framework to guide its service delivery and facilitate sustainable and practical outcomes for children, young people, families and carers; working in partnership with local ethnic and sector partners.
Its cultural lens aims to link children and young people with a bilingual worker and/or carer and/or community-based matched bilingual support worker. The MFC Program has contractual responsibilities and regulatory responsibilities with the Department of Health & Human Services.
About the role
The focus of this role is to recruit, train and assess (using the Step-by-Step assessment tool) and to review foster carer assessments and create carer development plans.
Not only you will bring the best foster carers along the journey, but you will also create positive engagement experiences and support them in the valuable work they do.
Duties/responsibilities include:
- Recruit, train and assess foster carers according to the OOHC, SSI, CCYP, and child-safe standards;
- Provide training and coordinate the assessment of Multicultural Foster Carers;
- Assist with liaising with internal and external trainer and bilingual aids when required;
- Produce comprehensive assessment reports using analytical skills to inform recommendations;
- Complete Carer Reviews, Information Exchange/Sessions and Carer Development Plans to a high standard;
- Conduct thorough referee checks and associated checks;
- Presentations/Reports to the SSI MFC accreditation panel;
- Report to MFC Manager in regards to the progress of assessments as well as any issues/concerns raised during the course of assessment or other interactions throughout the assessment process.
About You:
The successful candidate will ideally have:
- Tertiary Education in Social work or relevant qualifications and/or relevant equivalent experience
- Experience conducting comprehensive assessments (experience using Step by Step would be an advantage)
- Strong analytical skills, including the ability to see or hear that little piece of information or inconsistency that would determine suitability for foster carers
- Comfortable having tough conversations in a sensitive and appropriate way
- Capacity to engage with people from all walks of life and adapt to changing circumstances
- A relevant tertiary qualification and current driver’s license (pool cars are available)
If you have previously worked with culturally and linguistically diverse communities and you possess an approachable nature coupled with strong communication skills this will be an advantage.
What we offer at SSI
- Access to in-house training and learning opportunities for professional development and growth;
- Working alongside professional and dedicated team members all wanting to make a difference in our communities.
How to apply
Applications not allowed for this job listing.
Please quote in application: Foster Care Assessor via Pro Bono Australia.
Sector: #Children, #Community_Support_Services, #Disabilities, #Families, #Youth_and_Young_People
