About the opportunity
Intensive Family based support (IFBS) is a family preservation program aimed at reducing the risk of harm to children and young people, while helping them remain with their families and avoid placement in out-of-home care.
As the IFBS caseworker you will provide assessment, Intensive home visiting, crisis management, and longer term casework as per the Homebuilders Model to families at high risk of having their children removed into care for protective concerns or having their restored into their care.
This is a full time contract working 35 hours a week until the 31st of December 2020, you will be working in our office in Canberra ACT.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide planning support and structure for the safety of children and young people and immediately take appropriate action in line with agency policies and relevant professional responsibilities where the safety of the child or young person is at risk.
- Assess family’s strength and needs using the NCFAS G+R and other approved assessment tools. Assist families to formulate goals that are child focused and address the safety and wellbeing of children. Formulate goals that meet their needs, provide families with appropriate assistance to achieve these goals.
- Facilitate the development and implementation of case plans with families
- Coach families to be able to easily access the IFBS out-of-hours on call and call out arrangements
- Prepare families to self-manage crisis using the Homebuilders crisis card instructions, and rehearse the crisis self- management steps with them.
- Organise and participate in contact visits as set out in the case plan including conducting risk assessments on contact venues, providing special objects/ toys for children to assist in consistency and comfort and refreshments if appropriate. Provide professional observation of the visits and write reports as required.
About You
- Relevant tertiary qualifications in Social Sciences and/or 5 years casework experience with children and families.
- Demonstrated commitment to children remaining with their own family provided they are safe.
- The ability to assess and work with families to strengthen attachment and bonding between parent and child.
- Demonstrated ability to engage families in crisis and work in partnership with them to achieve their goals, using a variety of intervention strategies from the Homebuilders model.
- Understanding of child protection issues and an ability to conduct risk and family assessments using strengths based approach.
If you have any questions or require further details then please contact Zoe Banbury on zbanbury@uniting.org
Employment with Uniting is subject to satisfactory background checks which include a National Police Check and Reference Check.
