Placement Worker

UnitingCare Health; Cairns Regional; On-site; AUD 62,000 - 84,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NFP Salary Packaging

12 weeks paid parental leave

Diversity & Inclusion

Career development opportunities

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

UnitingCare Queensland is seeking a Placement Worker to support Foster and Kinship Carers and the children in their care. Based in Cairns with outreach to Mossman and Innisfail, you will help with intake, referrals and matching, while delivering carer training to meet licensing requirements.

The role focuses on case management, collaboration with carers and stakeholders, and facilitating positive outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

Qualifications

• Experience in Child Protection and delivering Foster and Kinship Care services to children and families.
• Strong understanding of foster care processes and carer support.
• Ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders and carers in times of crisis.

Responsibilities

• Provide intake/referrals and assist with matching children to foster/kinship placements.
• Deliver quality care training for carer applicants and support licensing requirements.
• Conduct initial assessments and renewals for foster/respite carers.

Skills

Child Protection experience

Crisis response

Carers support

Education

Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology or Social Science

Job description

Placement Worker | Foster and Kinship | Cairns

• Employment Term:Permanent Full -Time (flexible work options available)
• Location: Based at Cairns with outreach to the surrounding areas including Mossman and Innisfail as required
• Remuneration: $53.43 p/hr + Super + NFP Salary Packaging

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 Placement 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

This is a rewarding and challengingrole where you will have a significant opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of children, young people, carers and families.

The purpose of this role is to provide support and case management to Foster and Kinship Carers and the children and young people in their care. The primary responsibilities are to assist with intake/referrals, assist with the delivery of quality care training for carer applicants and the matching of children to carer households.

In this role you will be:

• Work collaboratively with carers and other stakeholders to support the needs of vulnerable children and young people in care, and work in supporting and achieving best outcomes for the children and or young people;
• Demonstrate ability to resource, supervise and provide professional development to foster/ respite carers and work in partnership with being creative and innovative in responses during times of crisis.
• Assist with the Intake/referrals and matching of children to care placements as well as administration tasks for accurate data reporting and record keeping for licensing.
• Conduct foster care applicant interviews, completing initial assessments, renewals and foster care agreements for volunteer foster/respite carers as per licensing requirements. Experience in writing assessments is highly desirable.
• Supervise support and provide opportunities for professional development to carers.

What makes a difference for us?

• Experience in Child Protection and delivering Foster and Kinship Care services to children and families.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field highly desirable (e.g. Social Work, Psychology or Social Science)
• Cert IV in Training and Assessor highly desirable
• A current Blue Card or willingness to make an application for one
• 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

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: SalaryPackagingExplained

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

abide by the Child Safe Standards and adhere to the Reportable Conduct Scheme

Diversity & Inclusion

Our approach is simple– everybody iswelcome 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.

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.

Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed in creating services and workplaces that are welcoming and safe for every person. We work together to protect children, young people, adults and the elderly from harm within our services and the communities we support. We speak up for their safety to ensure their voices are heard. Our recruitment and workplace practices reflect our dedication in preventing abuse, harm and exploitation across UnitingCare.