Senior Worker – Children’s Specialist Support Service

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY AND BENEFITS

• Permanent, full-time
• $96,212.37 + super + NFP salary packaging
• Generous leave provisions including wellbeing days
• South Melbourne based

The Children’s Specialist Support Service (CSSS) is part of Launch Housing’s Specialist Child & Family Services area within the broader Families & New Beginnings function, based at the Launch Housing South Melbourne Crisis Accommodation site. The CSSS supports children, young people, and their families who are accessing the homelessness service system, thereby decreasing the impact of trauma on both their immediate and long term emotional and physical wellbeing.

The CSSS is a unique program in that the child or young person is our primary client. The CSSS provides a range of services including child-centred assessment and case management, enhanced case management, and group work opportunities.

OUR PERMANENT AND FIXED TERM EMPLOYEE BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• Contributing to useful and rewarding work and giving something back to the community
• Wellbeing days, ceremonial leave, carers leave and study leave
• Flexible working arrangements
• Purchased leave
• 17.5% leave loading
• Gender neutral paid parental leave (after 12 months of service)
• Training and career growth opportunities across Launch Housing
• A portion of your income can be tax-free by salary packaging your personal expenses
• Additional tax-free salary packaging on dining and accommodation expenses
• Positive, supportive and progressive work environment

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

As a Senior Worker – Children’s Specialist Support Service (CSSS), you will be responsible for providing a high-level child-centred assessment and complex case management response to children, young people, and their families who are experiencing homelessness and/or family violence. You will work together with children and their caregivers within a trauma-informed, child-centred systems approach to understand what immediate and longer-term supports are required and to help put them in place.

You will also provide support, secondary consultation, mentoring, coaching, training, and education to staff members & volunteers within their team, organisation and externally. You will work collaboratively with the Coordinator CSSS to provide leadership, guidance and support within the CSSS team, ensuring their actions and messaging are consistent with Launch Housing’s values, taking a “one team” approach to support initiatives developed across all areas of the business.

Please note that you will be on the On-Call roster.

You will

• Provide a high-level, child-centred assessment and complex case management response to children, young people, and their families who are experiencing homelessness and/or family violence, in line with the Launch Housing Practice Framework.
• Engage with children and their families to determine eligibility for the Enhanced Therapeutic Case Management (ETCM) program, and/or facilitating referrals to other internal and external services or programs as required.
• Support the delivery of the Children’s Assessment and Planning (CAP) program via the provision of short-term child-centred case management.
• Provide outreach support to children and families with complex needs who are accessing the homelessness support system.
• Utilise trauma-informed approaches to enhance safety, stability, and support children’s developmental needs. This may include (but not limited to) engaging children in art/craft/play based activities, provision of parenting support, and advocacy to increase the child’s voice and visibility in the homelessness service system.
• Support and respond to critical incidents on clients and staff, including comprehensive assessment of risk and safety planning.

For more information, please refer to the attached position description.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR (KEY SELECTION CRITERIA)

At Launch Housing we are always on the lookout for great people who share our values. If you are kind, passionate and believe that it is possible to end homelessness then we want you!

You will have

• Experience working effectively with children, young people, and/or families within the homelessness and/or family violence service systems.
• Experience engaging children and families through therapeutic play based and/or family systems and evidence-based trauma approaches (highly desired).
• Demonstrated understanding of the impact of homelessness on children and families, child development, attachment theory, and child safe practices.
• High level of experience in undertaking risk assessments and safety planning.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and previous experience mentoring and/or coaching staff (highly desired).
• Demonstrated ability to build positive relationships and communicate with people of diverse backgrounds and abilities.
• A valid Victorian Driver’s Licence (mandatory).

This position is classified under ‘special measures’ of section 12 of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010. While all applicants are invited to apply, applicants who indicate that they identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander will be prioritised in the selection process.

ABOUT LAUNCH HOUSING AND OUR CULTURE

Our mission is to end homelessness. We aim to get people housed, keep them housed, and be an influential voice on ending homelessness. We are a secular, independent provider of choice for clients and we’re striving to be the go-to organisation on homelessness for government, media, philanthropy, private donors and the community.

Our people are the backbone of our organisation and supporting their wellbeing and professional development is critical to our ability to help our clients and the community. We value lived experience and diversity in our staff, and actively work to ensure everyone is able to make their career with Launch Housing fulfilling.

Launch Housing is working to become more trauma informed and as a leading employer in the homelessness sector, it is important to let you know that you will hear stories of distress, hardship, trauma, or violence when working with us. We encourage you to reflect on how this may impact you when considering applying for the role. Sustaining the Health & Well-being of our staff is our priority. We provide high-quality training & supervision, Wellbeing Days, and access to Employee Assistance Program.

Launch Housing offers a wide range of career opportunities and employs a diverse range of talent. We strongly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons to apply! We acknowledge, respect and celebrate Aboriginal cultures, languages, connections to Country and heritage, customs and practices. We’re committed to support Aboriginal peoples to obtain genuine and fulfilling career with us!

Launch Housing is a dog-friendly organisation, which allows dog owners to bring them onsite, please contact the Talent Acquisition Team on [email protected] if you have any concerns prior to your interview.

If you require reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know at [email protected]. Launch Housing is committed to being a child safe organisation and has zero tolerance to child abuse. Our hiring process involves rigorous screening of applicants. All of our people including students, contractors and volunteers must hold a valid Working with Children Check and satisfactory criminal history record check.

Launch Housing is an Equal Opportunity employer and supports accessible working arrangements for all. This includes people with a disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, culturally, religiously and linguistically diverse people, young people, older people, women, and people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse, intersex or queer. We acknowledge Lived Experience as a unique expertise and encourage people with a Lived Experience of Homelessness to apply. All applicants must have the right to work in Australia.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this opportunity, please click on ‘Apply Now’ button. Please submit a cover letter addressing the key selection criteria and your CV.

If you need additional information about this role, please contact Rani Higgins on [email protected] using the subject line: Senior Worker – CSSS enquiry via EthicalJobs. 

A Position Description is attached.