Principal Practitioner

Employment Term: Permanent Full time

Location: Based at Chermside with occasional travel to the Statewide Out of Home Care Services (able to travel across our South East, South West, Central and Far North Queensland Services when required)

Remuneration: $115,072.11 + 11.5% Super + NFP salary packaging

Make a meaningful difference with UnitingCare

We’re looking for someone who wants to make the world a little better through small moments that leave big impacts. To build meaningful relationships and make a difference in the lives of others.

The Principal Practitioner is an integral part of the Statewide Out of Home Care (OoHC) team with ensuring the welfare of children and young people in our care, are provided a safe place to grow, develop, heal, have a voice to be empowered and supported to live to their full potential.

If you want to make a lasting difference in the lives of our most vulnerable children and young people, this is the job for you.

Let’s make a meaningful difference, together.

Your part in our UnitingCare team

Reporting to the General Manager this position will work directly with the Practice Improvement Advisers, the OoHC Statewide Managers and their Leadership teams, and will:

Drive and inform all components of practice and compliance across our OoHC Services (Residential and Foster & Kinship Care).

Implement strategies including supervision, case reviews and coaching that will support an integrated and collaborative model of service delivery

Ensure the programs are working within relevant quality, compliance and risk frameworks to ensure delivery of high-quality services

Proactively monitor client safety, providing proportionate responses when client safety is compromised and provide coaching and training to staff

Drive continuous improvement activity including the implementation of new or updated practice frameworks, policy and procedures.

Development and maintenance of service delivery documentation, development and monitoring of service improvement, audit, review and compliance.

Provide service level knowledge and practice leadership, acting as a point of contact for program Leaders.

Develop and deliver service specialist training packages across the program streams.

Monitor client information systems ensuring case recording and client files are maintained to a high standard ensuring reporting and assessments are completed

Maintain a working knowledge of contemporary research and best practice models in the field and contribute to service development that is well informed by research

Within the OoHC Service Stream all employees are extensively trained in implementing and embedding the CARE Framework that underpins our practice, in delivering a holistic and evidenced based trauma informed model. In addition to responding in a therapeutic manner with the skills you will acquire through receiving Therapeutic Crisis intervention training and other extensive and evidence based training and development.

What makes a difference for us?

Tertiary qualifications in a relevant field (Psychology, Social Work, Human Services) including a demonstrated commitment to ongoing professional development

Extensive demonstrated knowledge and comprehensive understanding of Mental Health approach and frameworks.

Demonstrated ability to develop evidence-based practice with an understanding of specialist programs; including ideally, an understanding of contemporary community services and sector reform agendas.

Demonstrated understanding of the issues faced by regional and remote services

Proven experience in developing and implementing strategic and operating plans.

Experience in developing and/or delivering training in the field of Out of Home Care, Disability Services or Homelessness.

Demonstrated ability to work in ways that are innovative and culturally appropriate for First Nations and Cultural and Linguistic diverse groups

Demonstrated understanding of key legislation and standards that exist at the Federal and State levels that impact on service delivery for Family services

A Current Blue Card

Positive Child Safety and Personal History Screening check

A QLD Driver's Licence and the ability to travel and work across our South East, Central and Far North Queensland OoHC Services

What makes a difference for you?

At UnitingCare we are leaders in crisis response, the protection of vulnerable children, financial resilience and family wellbeing. Our FaDS (Family and Disability Services) team work passionately across Queensland to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance

Save tax and increase your take home pay by salary packaging your everyday living expenses and bills (up to $15,900) and meal entertainment (up to $2,650) per annum

A recognition and rewards platform, providing employee discounts at hundreds of retailers, including everyday expenses, holidays, health insurance, annual awards celebration, wellbeing and employee assistance programs

A positive and inclusive team based on respect, shared standards, strong values and a commitment to serving others

Eligible employees receive 12 weeks paid parental leave and 2 weeks paid partner leave, available after 6 months service, in addition to the government scheme

Diversity and inclusive leave, offering paid gender affirmation leave and cultural leave options (paid and unpaid) for those who may celebrate Lunar New Year, Diwali, Ramadan, NAIDOC weeks and other significant cultural events

Career development opportunities to challenge yourself, grow and make a meaningful difference

We’d love you to be part of our UnitingCare family

Our FaDS, team are passionate about their work with parents to ensure children remain safe in the home and parents have the skills, resilience and capability to effectively parent and meet their children’s developmental, educational, health and well-being needs. We also provide targeted services to men who are seeking to change their behaviour.

Joining our FaDS, team, you’ll also be welcomed as part of the UnitingCare family. The second-largest Queensland employer, we’re a proud not-for-profit with more than 16,500 staff and 9,000 volunteers across our brands of BlueCare, Lifeline, ARRCS, The Wesley Hospital, Buderim Private Hospital, St Stephen’s Hospital, and St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital, and have been leading by example for more than 100 years. Our team are compassionate, inclusive and committed to the work we do, helping people live life in all its fullness.

Child safe, Child friendly

UnitingCare is committed to being a Child Safe, Child Friendly organisation and will:

Provide welcoming, safe & nurturing services for children

Implement measures to prevent child abuse and neglect within our services

Appropriately and immediately address child abuse and neglect if it does occur

Diversity & Inclusion

Our approach is simple – everybody is welcome here. At UnitingCare, diversity is at the core of our who we are, our mission and our values. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to all employees no matter their sex, race, culture, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. Demonstrating our commitment to reconciliation and building long-term employment opportunities for First Nations peoples, UnitingCare strongly encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants for this position.

Safe workplace

We work hard to make our services welcoming and safe for every person. We are united in keeping children, young people and the elderly safe from harm, within our services, workplaces and the communities we support. We are committed to speaking up loudly for their safety.