Youth Worker | Intensive Foster and Kinship Care Program

Employment Term: Permanent Part Time

Location: Rockhampton

Remuneration: $88k (pro-rata) + Super + NFP salary packaging of up to $15,900 and $2,650 for meals and entertainment

Make a meaningful difference with UnitingCare Queensland

At UnitingCare we are leaders in crisis response, the protection of vulnerable people and 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.

As a Youth Worker you’ll be encouraged to grow, develop and feel empowered to make the everyday easier for the people we care so passionately about. Let’s make a meaningful difference, together!

Your part in our UnitingCare team

As a Youth Worker, you will:

Working in accordance with the CARE model, you will be able to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children, young people and families by taking a therapeutic centred approach

Guiding carers to provide stable, trauma informed, nurturing family-based care arrangements

Provide direct support to young people in a sensitive, strengths based, and non-discriminatory, non-judgemental way.

Work with individual Carer households to provide training and assistance to support the practical application of the CARE model when caring for the children in their care

Provide support to young people with day to day living situations including personal care when required, including social and community inclusion, with an emphasis on choice, dignity and enhancing quality of life, health and wellbeing, whilst ensuring duty of care is upheld at all times

Participate in the development, implementation and review of individual care plans for young people.

Use a high level of initiative and judgement especially in vulnerable and volatile situations, which includes responding to crises.

Comply with organisational and service delivery requirement including, but not limited to, completion of case notes, handover notes and other documentation, reporting of service issues, attendance and participation in meetings and training.

Uphold and promote the right to privacy, dignity and confidentiality of young people.

What makes a difference for us?

You will have:

A relevant tertiary qualification would be advantageous and/or demonstrated experience working with young people who may have challenging behaviours

Experience incorporating the six CARE Principles when supporting Children and Young People, or reflection on how you would incorporate these into your practice

Understanding of the child protection system and more specifically previous exposure to a residential or out of home care environment

A strong therapeutic background ideally with a well-developed understanding of C.A.R.E principles and/or trauma informed framework

Current Blue Card - Working with Children

A current Open Qld Driver Licence

A current Senior First Aid Certificate

Be subject to relevant criminal and child protection system checks

Must also be willing to undergo a personal history check under the provision of the Child Protection Act 1999 in relation to Licensing of Care Services (LCS2 screening check)

Please note, that as part of UnitingCare’s commitment to professional development and provision of trauma informed care, successful candidates will be paid to attend training in person for TCI, CARE and Three Pillars of transforming care.

What makes a difference for you?

Flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance

NFP Salary Packaging: 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. To learn more about this benefit watch the video via the following link: Salary Packaging Explained

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

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

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

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

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.

Child safe, Child friendly

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

provide welcoming, safe and 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.