LEVEL 37 TO SP 10 (Packaged salary inc FBT, car and superannuation)

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1 POSITION TITLE: PROGRAM: SALARY: HOURS PER WEEK: TEMPORARY FAMILY CARE CASEWORKER PENRITH TEMPORARY FAMILY CARE LEVEL 37 TO SP 10 (Packaged salary inc FBT, car and superannuation) 35 hours per week, permanent contract RESPONSIBLE TO: Program Manager Barnardos Penrith Temporary Family Care Pay Level: Barnardos Australia Certified Agreement Level 37 to SP 10 Salary: From $70,176 to $85,116 including FBT, car and superannuation. Negotiated according to experience & qualifications. (SCHADS Level 3 equivalent) Annual Leave: 4 weeks per annum pro rata Probationary period: 3 months from the date of commencing work

2 BARNARDOS TODAY Barnardos is one of Australia's largest children's charities providing services which successfully prevent and reverse the effects of abuse, neglect and homelessness on children and young people. Barnardos is a non government, non denominational welfare organisation which has been helping children for over 120 years. Barnardos is committed to the belief that every child needs a caring family and that growing up in one's natural family is a basic right. We have been committed to permanency planning for the past 20 years and have proven results at a standard of world s best practice in stability and outcomes for children. Barnardos Australia is run by a Board of Directors and is a company limited by guarantee and is a registered charity. Barnardos annually helps nearly 7,000 children of all backgrounds and cultural heritage through 70 welfare programs operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in NSW and the ACT. In addition we provide quality case-management materials to more than 100 government and non-government agencies in Victoria, ACT, NSW and Queensland. Barnardos also administers a small grants scheme throughout Australia. Barnardos has a very flat management structure. Service delivery is through small teams who are encouraged to be creative. Most services to children and their families are located in Children s Family Centres which include a range of programs such as family support, counseling, crisis accommodation and child care services. We provide an integrated approach supporting families. Research is valued and we are committed to evidence based, practical professional approaches to alleviating poverty and disadvantage in the lives of children and young people. We have a range of programs for adolescents including individual and group work. Our Out of Home care programs include Temporary Family Care for children in crisis or in need of respite care and Permanency & Adoption Program. Specialist adolescent placement programs are also provided.

3 Barnardos knowledge is used to advance the cause of disadvantaged children and young people and advocate on their behalf. Our professional skills and services contribute to the welfare of all Australian children. Examples of this are the My Story program and the Supporting Children and Responding to Families (SCARF) case management systems, as well as other training, teaching and professional monographs are available to other child welfare agencies. At Barnardos Australia we expect our staff to enact the Values and Operating principles of the organisation whilst carrying out their work. The key set of values to guide decision making are: Keeping the Child and the Young Person Central, Strengthen Families, Relate Respectfully, Value Our Knowledge, Pursue Social Justice, Invest in the Future and Be Persistent for Change.

4 BARNARDOS PENRITH TEMPORARY FAMILY CARE PROGRAM STATEMENT OF DUTIES FOR TEMPORARY FAMILY CARE CASEWORKER PROGRAM: Barnardos Penrith Temporary Family Care (TFC) Program HOURS: 35 hours per week OBJECTIVES: Temporary Family Care (TFC) is a program to protect children following a family breakdown or child abuse. A family breakdown may be caused by problems such as poverty, isolation, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness. The program identifies those at risk of abuse and provides fostercare and access to other services to reduce that risk. Trained foster carers provide twenty-four hour crisis or respite care, working as part of the Barnardos team with the focus on finding permanent solutions for the family of children at risk of abuse and neglect so that they may be restored to the family as soon as possible. Where safe to do so the goal of Temporary Family Care is to avoid the long-term separation of a child from its family. The family is seen as a child s strongest source of stability, identity and sense of belonging. For those children who are not safe within the family, TFC provides care while the court determines the child s future. In cases of crisis due to illness, emotional or mental health issues, where no other suitable family member is available, Barnardos offers Crisis Care. Children are placed as close to their home as possible with the minimum of disruption to school and daily routines. Siblings are kept together and all children in care are encouraged to keep in contact with their families as much as possible. TFC Respite Care has respite carers who provide regular intervals of care for children whose families are isolated, have no other support or are under severe stress, and where there is a risk of abuse or neglect. Such respite carers often provide long-term support to the child and parent to enable the child to live at home safely.

5 Job Purpose: To effectively undertake the casework responsibilities of a Temporary Family Care Caseworker and to ensure a high standard of service is provided to children and families. Specific duties include: Service Delivery 1. Assessment of families referred to the program and negotiation of appropriate action to best suit their needs, using the Looking After Children (LAC) case management tool. 2. Organise and supervise temporary out of home care placements including contact visits between children and their birth families. 3. Formulate, document and implement care plans and restoration plans for children. 4. Undertake the recruitment, training and supervision of foster carers. 5. Visit, supervise and support foster carers and children during a placement. 6. Be flexible to undertake some out-of-hours work, which may include crisis response, training, case reviews or foster carer assessments. 7. Provide foster carers with out-of-hours contact details in the event of an emergency. 8. Maintain written and electronic records in accordance with My Story (case management tool based on the Looked After Children LAC) and Barnardos Open File Policy. 9. Work directly with children and young people in Out of Home Care who may have experienced abuse, neglect, separation or loss. 10. Attend meetings and forums relevant to clients or as directed by the Program Manager 11. Attend Temporary Family Care team meetings. 12. Attend regular supervision meetings with the Program Manager. 13. Attend any external meetings, committees, planning groups or other events as directed by the Program Manager. 14. Promote the Temporary Care Program in the community and with other relevant agencies. 15. Develop knowledge of relevant community resources. 16. Liaise with relevant community groups and Government departments. 17. Adhere to, and implement the policies of Barnardos Australia. 18. Participate in the Centre s intake duties. Self Management Responsibilities 1. Plan and take opportunities for training, coaching and other professional development possibilities 2. Manage work priorities, personal workload and stress levels with the support of the Program Manager

6 3. Comply with the agency policies on Workplace Health and Safety in the workplace and participate as part of the organisation to provide for a safe and healthy work environment PERFORMANCE CRITERIA Competencies expected by the end of the 3 months probationary/orientation period when the Temporary Family Care Caseworker will demonstrate ability to: 1. Undertaken prospective foster carer assessments with another member of the team, including report writing and presentation to the team of these assessments. 2. Demonstrate satisfactory carer assessment skills. 3. Demonstrate an understanding of issues concerning children at risk of harm 4. Demonstrate ability to work flexible hours and respond to crises 5. Demonstrate a firm commitment to the principles of family support and primary prevention of family breakdown. 6. Demonstrate working knowledge of My Story. 7. Demonstrate knowledge of community resources. 8. Demonstrate warm and caring approach to children, families in need and carers. 9. Demonstrate an ability to relate respectfully to people from diverse cultural, linguistic and socio-economic backgrounds. 10. Demonstrate an ability to set workload priorities. 11. Demonstrate an ability to work unsupervised at times. 12. Demonstrate competence in word processing and computer data entry. ESSENTIAL CRITERIA Tertiary qualification in social welfare or related field. Minimum of two years experience in social welfare provision Experience in family support and/or out of home care casework with children and families Knowledge of Child Protection and Out of Home Care structures and their roles in NSW. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, other agencies and Government authorities. Valid NSW driver s license. Computer competency. DESIRABLE CRITERIA Experience undertaking assessments of foster carers, children and their families. Experience in working with children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background. Experience in the use of the LAC or SCARF case management tools.

7 Ximena, Foster care Case Worker, Barnardos Australia Ultimo. WHY CHOOSE BARNARDOS? Barnardos Australia offers employees a broad range of work options recognizing that everyone needs to achieve a good work-life balance. Staff eligible for maternity leave are able to choose to reduce their hours following changes in their family circumstances and Barnardos is committed to offering a family friendly environment ensuring that time with your own family is valued. As a charitable body Barnardos is able to pass on to its employees the benefits of a packaged salary reducing your Taxed income and so increasing your take home pay. All positions at Barnardos allow you to package a vehicle in your salary you can use this vehicle for both business and personal use. (Positions must be over 15hrs per week) At Barnardos, staff are afforded support and flexibility providing a work environment where professionals have the resources they require to provide innovative and flexible services to children and families including access to regular quality supervision. By keeping case-loads small Barnardos ensures that both clients and staff are getting the time they need to achieve positive outcomes. Barnardos have a number of work conditions that support staff to continue with their professional development including study leave. TO APPLY: Submit your CV and a detailed response on how you meet the Essential and Desirable Criteria listed above to sjamal@barnardos.org.au