• Become part of our family and make a difference to young Australians through supporting their education
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and/or Pacific Islander applicants only
• Permanent full-time opportunity
• Mt Druitt, NSW

about us

The Smith Family is an independent children's charity helping Australian children living in disadvantage to get the most out of their education, so they can create better futures for themselves. As we lead up to our Centenary, it’s an exciting time to be joining our family. We are currently seeking a Case Worker, for On PAR to help us achieve The Smith Family’s vision.

Reporting to the On PAR Program Manager, and working with a dedicated and passionate team, this pivotal role provides intensive case management to students and their parents/ carers participating in the On PAR program. The On PAR (Participation, Attendance, Retention) program provides an early intervention, child-centred, family-focused, intensive case management approach to improve educational attainment of vulnerable children who may identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and/or Pacific Islander.

The Case Worker will support the student, the family and the school to understand the barriers to the child’s engagement in school and education attainment. The On PAR Program includes a focus on evaluation to ensure the program evolves to meet the needs of the community. Team members will also be coached through the Parenting Research Centre to support quality, evidence informed practice.

role requirements

A day in the life of our On PAR Case Worker might look like this, but every day can be different. Primarily, you will be responsible for:

• Maintaining a case load and, in partnership with the service user, contributing to the design, implementation and evaluation of services
• Maintain a network of local service providers and other supports and act as a coordination point, including supporting access to specialist services
• Effectively manage data and inform program quality, effectiveness and evaluation through sharing practice knowledge and expertise
• Participate in coaching and practice reflection, and ensure professional and organisational standards are upheld

Our successful candidate will bring the following:

• Degree Qualification in Social Work, Welfare or similar or equivalent years of experience within Case Work field
• A strengths based, person-centred, trauma informed practice approach
• Knowledge of the issues faced by vulnerable families and ability to ethically gain trust and confidence
• Experience in developing outcomes focused plans in partnership with service users, providing support and leveraging specialised services
• Ability to collect, manage and analyse data and complete appropriate administration task
• Competency in working with community members with lived experience, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Pacific Islander and CALD communities and organisations
• Full current NSW Driver’s Licence with the ability to travel to local events and The Smith Family offices within Sydney

This is a school based position and therefore needs to adhere to the NSW health guidelines that have been set by the Department of Education in NSW. All NSW school staff are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Here’s why we think you’ll love The Smith Family:

Living up to our employment promise, our team members tell us that working for The Smith Family they have great job flexibility and the ability to work alongside committed, passionate and professional team members whilst engaging in challenging, fulfilling and diverse work. The Smith Family ensure a strong commitment to organisational values, Reconciliation Action Plan, child protection, Work Health and Safety. In turn, our team members believe that they offer commitment to our vision, mission and values and effective collaboration with fellow team members to deliver strong performance outcomes.

If you are passionate about what you do, committed to make a difference and this sounds like your next role, please submit your application via the Apply Now button, we’d love to hear from you.

You may view the position description attached.

For any other information, please contact Chloe Valleri, On PAR Program Manager at [email protected] using the subject line: On PAR Case Worker enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Applications will only be considered from persons of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and/ or Pacific Islander descent for this position, under special measures pursuant to constitute a special measure under subsection 8 (1) of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975).

Due to the nature of this role, the successful candidate must be prepared to undertake a National Police Check and a Working with Children’s Check. We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to principles of cultural diversity. Applications from people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent are encouraged.