Please note: To be considered for and appointed to a position at Life Without Barriers, you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or hold a valid medical exemption certificate. You will be required to provide evidence of your vaccination status during the recruitment process.

About the Organisation

Every day, Life Without Barriers provides support and care to children and young people, as we work collaboratively with families, carers, and communities, to ensure they have the environment they deserve to grow. With a focus on ensuring safety and respect, this is an opportunity to make a positive and meaningful difference in these young lives and help pave a brighter future.

Life Without Barriers is a leading social purpose organisation of 8,000 employees working in more than 500 communities across Australia. We support children, young people and families, people with disability, older people, and people with mental illness. We work with people who are homeless and refugees and asylum seekers. Join a community of people dedicated to breaking down barriers.

We want to employ people who reflect the diversity of our clients to ensure we can support each client's individual needs and wants. We encourage people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background and people with disability to apply.

About the role

We currently have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Child, Youth & Family Program Manager to join our Milton team in a leadership position. The Program Manager oversees and manages the day-to-day operations of our Family Based Care service, which encompasses our Intensive Foster and Kinship Care, and General Foster and Kinship Care programs.  

This position would suit someone who is passionate about leading and developing a team that is providing a safe and nurturing environment to children and young people in Out of Home Care using a trauma informed approach. Familiarity with the CARE framework would be beneficial.
  
This position is being offered as a permanent full-time position and is based in Milton.  A Tool of Trade vehicle (including fuel card) will also be allocated to the successful candidate.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, lead, motivate and manage a team Child & Family Practitioners and Youth Workers.
• Overseeing the caseloads of direct reports and providing practical support as required.
• Ensure delivery of program services in accordance with program budget, local business plans and in line with client needs and plans.
• Develop, lead, motivate and manage a multi-disciplinary team.
• Ensure a consistent standard of quality is delivered for program in accordance with regulations prescribed in relevant legislation and funding agency standards.
• Manage risks and issues arising in the course of service management.

Skills and Experience

• Demonstrated experience working with individuals, families and communities from a strength-based, culturally appropriate perspective that are part of the out of home care sector.
• Demonstrated experience in working within a multi-disciplinary team.
• Demonstrated experience in managing competing priorities and to deliver high quality outcomes within agreed timeframes.
• A strong focus on quality practice and reporting capability.
• A demonstrated commitment to the care and protection of clients.
• Demonstrated understanding of impact of trauma and attachment on children and young people and complex behaviours.
• Demonstrated experience in team leadership and management.
• Demonstrated ability to manage services and programs within a budget.

Essential Criteria

• Recognised degree qualifications in Human Services or similar.
• Demonstrated experience in managing competing priorities and to deliver outcomes within agreed timeframes and quality standards.
• Demonstrated experience working in a dynamic, high volume work environment.
• Strong coordination, leadership, and peer support skills.
• Highly developed critical thinking and reflective practice skills.
• High level communication, influencing, liaison, negotiation, and mediation skills.
• Current Drivers Licence.

Successful candidates will be required to clear probity checks including National Criminal History Record Check and Working with Children Check (where relevant to the role).

Benefits

• An attractive remuneration package will be offered to the successful applicant, including trade of tool vehicle, mobile phone, and laptop + non-for-profit tax reduction options.
• Supportive team environment.
• Salary packaging tax benefits, meal entertainment benefit, novated leasing and more.
• Growing organisation with great career opportunities.
• Monthly RDO.

How to Apply

Include your resume and covering letter in one document, click ‘Apply Now’ and follow the prompts. For any enquiries including persons with disability that require adjustments, contact [email protected] using the subject line: Program Manager - Family Based Care - Milton enquiry via EthicalJobs. Please note that we do not accept applicants to this email address, they must be submitted online.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as applications may be reviewed prior to the closing date; and as such the closing date is subject to change without notice.

We are dedicated to playing our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and bring continuity of care and support to our clients. If you are successful, we will discuss with you an alternative to a face-to-face interview. 

Life Without Barriers supports the Royal Commission into violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of people with disability. We believe people with disability need to be heard and for these experiences to influence how support services like ours are delivered. View our statement here