MacKillop celebrates and draws strength from diversity and respects the dignity of all people. Every person at MacKillop has the right to be safe and to be treated justly. We value every person’s ability, cultural or linguistic backgrounds, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, intersex status, relationship status, religious or spiritual beliefs, socio-economic status, and age.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

This is a Casual opportunity based in Nowra within our Permanency Support Program.

Our offer:

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – free and confidential counselling, coaching and emotional support for work and personal challenges
• Generous Salary Packaging up to $18,500 (helps increase your take home pay)
• Ongoing Career Development, Education and Training

• Click HERE to find out more about becoming a member of the MacKillop Family Services team and what further support we have to offer our employees.

Position Purpose:

This position is situated within the NSW OOHC Unit which is responsible for services including foster, kinship and residential care.

The Contact Worker reports to the Senior Contact Worker and is a member of the foster and kinship care team.

The position provides supervised contact to children and young people in out of home care with opportunities to maintain and develop relationships with their family in a safe, supportive environment under the supervision of trained staff. The Contact Worker is responsible for planning, supervising and reporting on contact visits.

Primary Objectives:

• Ensure that the emotional, social, behavioural, developmental and educational needs of children and young people are met through the provision of trauma-informed care during contact visits;
• Review supervised contact documents and discuss issues and/or concerns with the Senior Contact Worker as required;
• Prepare age-appropriate activities which facilitate safe, enjoyable contact experiences for children, young people and their families;
• Transport children and young people to and from contact;
• Communicate with children, parents and carers in a respectful, open and culturally sensitive way;
• Role model and reinforce pro-social behaviour by providing safety, stability, predictability and consistency through clear expectations, boundaries, responses and sanctions;
• Provide guidance to support the strengthening of positive parenting skills;

Key Selection Criteria:

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• A diploma in a child-related field

• Demonstrated experience in supervised contact, out of home care, children’s services, youth work or a related field;
• Demonstrated understanding of child and adolescent development, the impact of trauma, and the indicators of child abuse;
• Ability to manage challenging behaviour; and prevent and/or de-escalate crises;

Please address the full Key Selection Criteria outlined in the PD as part of your application.

For a full listing please view Position Description.

You must have a:

• Valid and current Driver’s Licence;
• Satisfactory Criminal History Check;
• Valid Working with Children Check;
• Valid and current NDIS Workers Screening Check (for risk assessed / client facing roles)

How to Apply:

Click 'Apply Now' where you will be prompted to proceed with your application via the Ethical Jobs website.

Please make sure you address the Key Selection Criteria as outlined in the PD as part of your application.

For more information, please contact: Ashleigh McHugh at [email protected], using the subject line: Contact Worker - Nowra enquiry via EthicalJobs.

It is our goal that MacKillop Family Services continues to evolve as a culturally safe, culturally competent, and welcoming organisation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people, families, and communities.

Shortlisting for this position may commence immediately so please submit your application as soon as possible.