• Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week (negotiable)
• Reports to: CEO and Programs Manager
• Date: January 2025

About the Mirabel Foundation

We are an Australian Children's Charity that was established in Victoria in 1998 and extended into New South Wales in 2003. Mirabel is the vision of Jane Rowe, who identified a vulnerable group of children and took action to make a positive difference in their lives. In her work as a drug and alcohol counsellor, Jane witnessed the devastating effects that drug use has on the children of drug users and the cycle of abuse that repeats itself through generations if action is not taken.

Mirabel believes that every child deserves a childhood and our mission is to break the destructive cycle of addiction. We achieve this through the delivery of proven programs for children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to their parents’ illicit drug use. We also provide crisis support and parenting assistance for the kinship carers faced with the responsibility of raising the children. Mirabel’s vision is that every child has a childhood filled with love, hope and belonging.

About Mirabel’s Youth and Children’s Programs

Mirabel is often the one constant in a child’s life. We provide a wide range of programs that span across childhood and adolescence that include recreational activities, camps, therapeutic groups, youth support, educational assistance and advocacy.

It is common at our Big Days Out and Mega Camps to hear children say that they’ve never had so much fun in their lives. These events are all about creating happy childhood memories while letting children discover that they are not alone in their experiences. Important friendships are formed between the Mirabel children and many of these continue into adulthood.

Our groups are often the first time that children are able to talk openly about their difficult past without feeling judged or excluded. There is great comfort that comes with knowing you are not alone and are not to blame for your parents’ decisions. There is also great confidence that comes with knowing you have the ability to succeed at school and that you have options for a happy and productive future.

Our Youth & Children’s Programs provide a pathway out of the cycle of disadvantage typically experienced by these young people.

Where you come in

We’re looking for an experienced professional who can make a child or young person feel like they are the most important person in a room. You will need to be able to plan meticulously while being flexible enough to adapt quickly to changing situations. We need someone who can work as part of a team while also being energised by groups of excited and sometimes challenging children. You will need to be comfortable planning and facilitating support groups with children and adolescents. You will be expected to work both independently and in collaboration with the Family Support Team to support the kinship carers with any specific concerns regarding their child.

We’re looking for someone who can confidently deliver the following key objectives:

• Co- facilitate thoughtful and evidence-based Therapeutic Children’s Groups and Therapeutic Teens Groups
• Provide recreational activities, camps, referral and follow-up for vulnerable children and youth
• Provide individual youth support to at-risk young people
• Participate and contribute to regular debriefing with the Child & Youth team
• Interact with the children’s kinship carers as required

Here’s some of the tasks that your role will involve:

• Plan, organise, facilitate and evaluate our therapeutic children’s groups and teen’s groups programs: this may include evening groups, school holiday activities or a camp, depending on the goals and approach chosen to maximise children’s participation.
• Facilitate therapeutic children’s groups: these groups take place in various locations throughout Melbourne from 4:40-6:30pm on a week-night (approximately 1-2 per week). You will also follow up on any issues raised during the groups.

• Support, organise, facilitate and evaluate recreational activities: we love providing fun events and camps for children and young people. You’ll work alongside other members of our child and youth team to deliver exciting and attractive opportunities for the Mirabel children and youth. You will also plan smaller group activities for children and young people with similar interests to help forge meaningful relationships. You will follow up any issues raised during events. There will be some weekend work and overnight stays (approximately one weekend per quarter which may include some travel to NSW).
• Provide one-to-one youth support: we work closely with young people who are experiencing crisis or are unable to join our group programs. You will have a small case load of young people to see regularly. The focus of this support will be to maintain the young person’s place within the family, link them in with local services and, where appropriate, prepare them for integration into Mirabel’s group programs.
• Collaborate with Mirabel team members to ensure maximum impact for families: you’ll work alongside other members of the child and youth team as well as the family support team to plan, deliver, reflect on programs and evaluate impact.
• Complete administrative tasks and other duties including: you’ll keep comprehensive notes in our Outcomes Management Database (Salesforce) and complete impact measurement and evaluation tasks. You will plan programs and work within program budgets in consultation with the Programs Manager. There may be times where you are asked to help out our Family Programs by attending a Family Fun Day or a Kinship Carer Support Meeting.
• Act in accordance with Mirabel’s Code of Conduct: we are committed to ensuring the safely and wellbeing of all Mirabel children and families at all times.

Let’s talk about you

You’re looking for purpose in your work

• You’re looking to take a purposeful step in your career and find an organisation where you can put your skills towards supporting people, not profit.

You are keen to use your exceptional organisational and interpersonal skills to benefit our programs for children and youth

• You can confidently support other team members as well as think on your feet and make judgment calls when required. You will be able to liaise and build positive working relationships with other services, respond to issues within the team, escalate any concerns to the Programs Manager and contribute to an open and positive working environment for all staff.

You have experience in service provision to children and families

• You are an experienced professional in the sector with relevant experience working with children and families including the provision of group work and individual support.

You appreciate autonomy and like to take initiative

• You are fantastic at managing your own time and working with the Programs Manager to come up with a list of tasks to complete as well as developing new and innovative side projects that will benefit Mirabel young people.

You have a thorough knowledge and understanding of child protection processes, the education system and how drug issues affect families

• You know the complexities that comes with supporting vulnerable families and have a solid understanding of the issues they face.

You are an experienced juggler

• You are comfortable working on a number of different programs and happy to help out with events that benefit Mirabel children and families.

Required for the role

• Tertiary Qualifications in Health, Social Sciences, Education or other relevant fields
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience working with children and families
• Knowledge and understanding of child protection processes, the education system and how drug issues affect families
• Strong organisational, interpersonal & planning skills.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Computer literacy, especially MS Outlook, MS Word and ability to learn Salesforce database.
• Ability to act in accordance with Mirabel’s Code of Conduct.
• Working with Children Check and Police Check before commencement.

In addition, the position requires meeting the behaviour standards outlined in Mirabel’s Practice and Behaviour Policy and Procedure and to:

• promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
• report any suspicions, concerns, allegations or disclosures of alleged abuse to management.
• maintain valid ‘working with children’ documentation and vaccination requirements.
• undergo periodic criminal history record checks.
• report to management any criminal charges or convictions you receive during the course of your employment that may indicate a possible risk to children and young people.

Authority

• This position is accountable to the CEO of The Mirabel Foundation and the Programs Manager and will work collaboratively in consultation with the Mirabel leadership team and the CEO.
• Pre-approval from the CEO or Finance Manager is required for all expenses.