About the role:

This is a full-time permanent position (70 hours per fortnight) located in Kempsey NSW.

About the opportunity:

Uniting is seeking an Intensive Family Preservation (IFP) Caseworker dedicated to providing comprehensive casework and case management to families. Our goal is to enhance family functioning and prevent families from entering the statutory child protection system, ensuring children remain in a stable and nurturing home environment.

• Provide casework and case management services to families within the child protection system who have been assessed as needing the support of a family preservation program.
• Practice in accordance with evidence-based frameworks.
• Provide planning support and structure for the safety of children and young people and immediately take appropriate action in line with agency policies and relevant professional responsibilities where the safety of the child or young person is at risk.
• Assess the crisis the family is facing and establish an intervention involving home visiting, which ensures the safety of the child is paramount.
• Assess families’ strengths and needs using the NCFAS G+R and other approved assessment tools.
• Assist families to formulate and achieve goals that are child focused and address the safety and well-being of children.
• Facilitate the development and implementation of case plans with families.
• Conduct risk assessments of worker safety and develop strategies to offset risk so that workers are able to continue to access the family home.
• Contribute positively to the development of collaborative partnerships with Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) Caseworkers in the region, and with other key organisations and community networks.
• Deliver services in culturally inclusive and respectful manner to Aboriginal Families and to families who come from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds including working with other bilingual workers and interpreter services.
• Be available to participate in an on-call roster.

Your Qualifications & Experience

• Tertiary qualifications in Social Work, Psychology or a related bachelor’s degree with relevant casework and/or clinical experience with at risk children and their families, or equivalent and relevant to the field of work.
• Two or more years of experience in your field of expertise.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to assess and work with families to strengthen attachment and bonding between a parent and child.
• Demonstrated ability to engage families in crisis and work in partnership with them to achieve their goals, using a variety of evidence-based intervention strategies.
• Demonstrated understanding of child protection issues and an ability to conduct risk and family assessments using strengths-based approach.
• Experience in delivering child and/or youth focused support interventions.
• Experience working with fathers and families experiencing domestic violence.
• Current NSW Working with Childrens check and NSW Drivers License.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received.

Indigenous families are overrepresented in this program and within the child protection system. Appropriate cultural knowledge and understanding is important to deliver effectively in this role. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are encouraged to apply.

Benefits and culture

Working to inspire people, enliven communities and confront injustice brings its own rewards, but there’s more.

• Welcoming you exactly as you are
• Starting base salary of $87,997 per annum
• Access to generous salary packaging options
• Wellbeing programs – fitness passport
• Access to Uniting’s URewards program
• Career development opportunities
• Amazing workplace culture 

Should you have any questions, please contact Belinda Condon from Uniting's Talent Acquisition Team at [email protected], using the subject line: Intensive Family Preservation Caseworker - Kempsey enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Employment with Uniting is subject to satisfactory background checks, which include National Police Checks, Working with Children Checks and Reference Checks.