Residential Care Practitioner

UnitingCare Health Pty Ltd.; Toowoomba Regional; On-site; AUD 53,000 - 76,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Superannuation

Not-for-profit salary packaging

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

UnitingCare Queensland seeks a Residential Care Practitioner in Toowoomba for a permanent part-time role (64 hours per fortnight). You will deliver trauma-informed, therapeutic care to children and young people in out-of-home care, supporting stable, non-family-based arrangements and reporting per program policies.

The role requires CARE principles, safeguarding checks (Blue Card, LCS2 screening), and training such as the Hope and Healing Framework Foundations.

Qualifications

• Experience applying CARE Principles with Children and Young People
• Willingness to undergo a Child Protection Act licensing check (LCS2)
• Strong understanding of child protection systems and residential/out-of-home care experience
• Hope and Healing Framework Foundations Training or willingness to undertake this
• Current Blue Card (Working with Children Check) and current Queensland Driver Licence
• Current First Aid & CPR Certificate

Responsibilities

• Work in accordance with the CARE model to make a difference for children, young people and families
• Support stable, trauma-informed, non-family-based care arrangements
• Maintain a clean and safe home environment
• Manage day-to-day tasks within a residential care home
• Complete verbal and written reports per program policies
• Be flexible to work weekdays, weekends and sleep-over shifts
• Support practical application of CARE model in care for children

Skills

CARE model

Trauma-informed care

Report writing

Flexibility

Team collaboration

Education

Certificate IV in Child, Youth & Family Intervention

Certificate IV in Human Services / Community Services / Youth Services or related field

Job description

Residential Care Practitioner | Out of Home Care | Toowoomba

• Employment Term: Permanent Part-Time Opportunity (64 hours per fortnight)
• Location: Toowoomba
• Remuneration: $46.70 per hour + Super + Not for Profit Salary Packaging (Save tax and increase your take home pay)
• Applications Close: Applications will be reviewed as they are received and, therefore, may result in the role closing early if the right applicant is found.

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 Residential Care Practitioner, 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 position will involve:

• 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
• As a Residential Care Practitioner, you will support the provision of stable, trauma informed, nurturing non-family-based care arrangements
• Maintaining a Clean and Safe home environment
• Managing Day to Day tasks within the context of a Residential Care home environment
• Completing verbal and written reports as per Program policies and procedures
• Have flexibility to work weekdays, weekends and sleep over shifts
• Support the practical application of the CARE model when caring for children in our care

The focus of this Program is to provide support to children with to extreme needs, by encouraging them to:

• Feel a strong sense of identity and belonging through development of social and interpersonal skills
• Build positive and trusting connections with family, friends and community through relationship-based experiences and consistent and caring responses
• Have access to opportunities for learning and development to meet their individual needs.
• Create healthy lifestyle choices and access to additional external support services for physical, mental and emotional support and promote positive life outcomes.

What makes a difference for us?

• To be successful in this role you will ideally have the following:
• A minimum of a Certificate IV in Child, Youth & Family Intervention or Cert IV in Human Services, Community Services, Youth Services or related field
• Experience incorporating the six CARE Principals when supporting Children and Young People, or reflection on how you would incorporate these into your practice
• 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)
• Strong understanding of the child protection system and more specifically previous exposure to a residential or out of home care environment
• Completed the Hope and Healing Framework Foundations Training or be willing to undertake this
• Strong therapeutic background with a well-developed understanding of C.A.R.E principles and/or a trauma informed framework of practice
• Current Working with Children Check (Blue Card)
• Current Queensland Driver Licence
• Current First Aid & CPR Certificate

Please note: 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: 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 opportunitiesto 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.