Posted: 09/09/2024

Closing Date: 23/09/2024

Salary: $43.00 - $44.00

Job Type: Contract

Location: Lismore

Job Category: Community Services & Development

Embarking on a career journey with Social Futures means becoming a part of a mission that goes beyond just a job. We are a voice for social change in regional Australia, with a history spanning over 47 years. Your role within the Child, Youth and Family stream is a new dedicated program to supporting families within preschool settings under the new Brighter Beginnings program and will allow you to:

• Utilise your strong engagement skills to be a first point of contact for families and community entering the Family Connect and Support Program
• Provide high quality, strengths based and person-centred intake, assessment, and interventions, with a focus on child safety and child development
• Be innovative and solution focused in your approach to supporting families
• Work within a highly skilled, supportive, and motivated team

The purpose of the program worker is to provide a soft entry point into service support for families and carer’s at the preschools. The position is based across several Preschools, covering the Richmond Valley and surrounding areas. It is envisaged the program worker will sit in 5 preschools within, but not limited to Casino, Bonalbo and Kyogle. This role will require travel and be delivered in a universal setting on the grounds of community preschools.
The program worker must be willing to adhere to the individual school's WHS and each preschool’s working environment. The program worker may need to enter a Service Agreement between Social Futures and individual preschool’s.
This role is fulltime, 38hrs over 5 days a week, contracted to June 2025. Family Connect and Support Brighter Beginnings is an early intervention service providing timely information and advice, appropriate warm referrals and practical assistance to children, young people and families. The ability to be flexible and responsive to the needs of the service, build positive connections and work collaboratively with key stakeholders are essential to the position. We encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply for this position.
The role will include completing intake and/or risk assessments, case coordination and/or case management and linking families into support services while having a child safety lens about your work. Use your knowledge of family structures and routines, school readiness, plan activities to enhance fine and gross motor skills through resource kits and engage meaningfully with children, families and stakeholders alike. The ability to build collaborative relationships within the preschool’s and work within the frameworks of the Preschool and Social Futures is essential to the position.
This role is a great opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others and ensure school readiness, milestone development and family harmony. Here’s how it will help transform your career:

• Utilise your valuable wisdom in community services and early childhood years development
• Expand your network by collaborating with a range of community-based organisations
• Broaden your skill set through diverse and meaningful work

At Social Futures, we believe in the value of your voice, and we are dedicated to making positive changes every day. We’ve got your back in providing a supportive and inclusive workplace, one that celebrates diversity and promotes inclusion. Here, your wellbeing matters to us.
Among the benefits, we offer flexible working options, access to ongoing learning and development, generous salary packaging options, a staff well-being program, and the opportunity to bank additional days leave per year. Additionally, we prioritise safety and uphold that Social Futures isn’t just a workplace; it’s a community.
Here, we believe in inclusivity, integrity, and learning. Why you’ll like working with us:

• Your voice will be valued and heard in our mission to support positive social change
• You’ll be part of a supportive, diverse, and inclusive environment where we celebrate individuality
• We prioritise your wellbeing, with benefits such as access to online wellbeing platform, flexible working options

We are looking for a passionate individual with a desire to make a difference. The successful candidate will have:

• Tertiary qualifications or equivalent experience in health, education, psychology, social work, social science or social welfare, health promotion or similar
• Demonstrated experience providing high quality, evidence based, customer-centred, culturally appropriate individual and/or family therapeutic interventions and referrals
• Demonstrated experience providing short term interventions to meet immediate needs and longer term case coordination or case management where appropriate
• Excellent written and oral communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills, with the ability to communicate sensitively and effectively with all people to ensure effective relationships
• Demonstrated well-developed organisational, time management and administrative skills with the ability to plan, prioritise and meet deadlines
• Demonstrated experience in maintaining professional boundaries while engaging in person-centred work
• Ability to identify and respond appropriately to child protection and other high risk or vulnerability concerns

We are proud to announce that we have received recognition as an accredited Great Workplace by WRK+. Our amazing team makes our workplace special.
Social Futures is an equal opportunity employer and actively recruit from key communities; including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, LGBTIQSB+, people living with a disability, people with lived experience and people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Working with Children, National Police Check and COVID Vaccination are mandatory requirements for all staff.
How to Apply:
A cover letter demonstrating how your skills, education and professional experience meet the requirements of the role as outlined in the position description, should be submitted with your application.

Applications close 9am on 24 September 2024
For more information about Social Futures please visit our website:
https://socialfutures.org.au/work-with-us/
For further information, please contact Mel Gordon on 0427 617 186

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