Carer Practice Manager – 12 month Contract – Sunshine/Dandenong

About the Organisation

Every day, Life Without Barriers provides support and care to children and young people, as we work collaboratively with families, carers, and communities, to ensure they have the environment they deserve to grow. With a focus on ensuring safety and respect, this is an opportunity to make a positive and meaningful difference in these young lives and help pave the way to a brighter future.

Life Without Barriers is a leading social purpose, not for profit organisation working in more than 300 communities across Australia. We support children, young people and families, people with disability, older people and people with mental illness. We work with people who are homeless and refugees and asylum seekers.   

We want to employ people who reflect the diversity of our clients to ensure we can support each client's individual needs and wants. We encourage people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background and people with disability to apply.

  

About the role

Are you a passionate leader and advocate? Are you excited by the idea of improving outcomes for children in foster care?

A rare and exciting opportunity has come up in our Victorian Child, Youth and Family team to lead recruitment, training and assessment of foster carers and influence practice uplift across the foster care team.

The Carer Practice Manager will lead a team of staff focused on providing a quality ‘Carer Experience’ from first enquiry to application, training, assessment, accreditation and beyond. The Carer Practice Manager supports the transition of newly approved carers to the two regional teams which case manage carer households.

This is a full time, 12 month contract, with the option to work from Sunshine or Dandenong office and flexible working arrangements available. Some local travel is required.  

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver high quality, person-centred supervision and support to a multi-disciplinary team
• Lead the team to deliver quality carer assessments, training and reviews in accordance with LWB policy and practice models
• Advocate for and work collaboratively toward improved practice in local teams and across the organisation
• Work co-operatively with the national Central Carer Enquiry Team to ensure effective management of carer engagement and recruitment
• Collaborate with marketing, strategy and engagement team members to ensure high quality marketing, community engagement and recruitment activity
• Work collaboratively with case management teams to support quality placement matching and carer support processes
• Embed the CARE approach locally by leading a multi-disciplinary service delivery team to provide, monitor and promote quality practice and continuous improvement in service delivery
• Work in partnership and cooperatively with the Practice and Quality Team to ensure quality and consistency of practice across the organisation
• Lead the team to achieve the business plan outcomes and other organisational programs and initiatives whilst demonstrating LWBÂ’s values
• Demonstrate accountability for outcomes by producing reports and insight into team activity when required.

Skills & Experience

• A tertiary qualification in social work, psychology or a relevant human services area
• Current Unrestricted Australian Drivers Licence
• Excellent communication skills across written and verbal mediums
• Demonstrated management experience, skills and knowledge in foster care recruitment and retention/child protection/out of home care services / family support and preservation
• Experience providing professional development through supervision, training, coaching and monitoring
• Experience working in a culturally sensitive manner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and a willingness to work and train in culturally appropriate approaches
• Demonstrated experience providing leadership and support to a multidisciplinary team to achieve objectives, including clinical quality improvement strategies
• Demonstrated experience in managing competing priorities to deliver high quality outcomes within agreed timeframes
• Shared Lives and Step By Step registration.

Successful candidates will be required to clear probity checks including National Criminal History Record Check and Working with Children Check (where relevant to the role).

Benefits

• Fleet vehicle provided, approved for personal use
• Attractive remuneration package plus NFP salary packaging
• Flexible working arrangements
• Rostered day off (RDO) available once a month
• Opportunity to work for one of Australia's Leading Social Purpose Organisation

How to Apply

Include your resume and covering letter in one document, click ‘Apply’ and follow the prompts. For any enquiries contact holly.gallan@lwb.org.au

Applications close at midnight on Wednesday 17th November

Please note: Mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations may be required for this position, in accordance with relevant Public Health Orders across all States and Territories. In these circumstances, evidence of vaccination will be required prior to an offer of employment.