Family Groupwork Support – School Holiday Program

Refugee Child Outreach Program (RCO) Settling in a new country with a young family can be extremely challenging for anyone. Now imagine moving countries under deeply traumatic circumstances, with little to no support. Then imagine trying to get yourselves set up and learn to navigate Australia’s complex system of services for children. This is a situation that many families from refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds face alone every day. We know that the first few years of a child’s life are vital to shaping their future. If left behind in those critical years, children run the risk of staying behind for the rest of their lives. The RCO provides service to families with children aged birth to 8 years of age who arrived in Australia and live in Whittlesea and Hume. The aim is to assist families navigate services and explore parenting across cultures.

As a Family Groupwork Support Volunteer You will provide support to the groupwork team, assisting the parents and children to participate in structured activities and support breaks so parents and children can learn, have fun and make new contacts with people. What will I do?

The Family Groupwork Support role will focus on supporting the RCO team to run 2 sessions during the school holidays.

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Participating in groupwork planning with the RCO team
• Help with manual handling tasks in setting up and packing down the activities
• Help with food handling tasks in setting up and clearing away snacks during the session break time
• Participate and support children and families to engage in program activities
• Work alongside bilingual staff and at times interpreters with the support of the Refugee Child Outreach coordinator.
• Participate in group leader reflection and education meeting

** We are looking for someone with:**

• Interest in, and commitment to, enabling people to reach their aspirations.
• Knowledge and experience working with children and/or families
• Experience and/or interest in early year’s children’s services
• Understanding and/or knowledge of the refugee and asylum seeker experience
• Ability to collaborate using a strengths-based approach
• A passion for maximising opportunities for all
• Capacity to work with clear role boundaries
• Understanding of and commitment to the values of BSL