• Wesley Community & Family Care
• part-time position 2 days per week (with potential for additional days)
• independent and flexible work arrangements with supportive co-located services
• salary + super + salary packaging benefits
• work in a creative and supportive working environment

About us

Wesley Mission is a high profile, multi-faceted Christian organisation making a real difference in the community. Our Vision is “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

About the program

ParentsNext is funded by Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment. It is a pre-employment program that aims to help parents with young children to plan and prepare for employment by the time their youngest child reaches school age, or sooner if they wish to do so.

ParentsNext is delivered in two streams, an Intensive Stream and a Targeted Stream. The Intensive Stream operates in areas identified as having a high level of disadvantage and/or a high proportion of Indigenous parents. The Targeted Stream operates in all non-remote regions excluding any Intensive Stream locations in those non-remote regions.

The objectives of ParentsNext are to:

• target early intervention assistance to parents at risk of long-term welfare dependency
• support parents to identify and reach their education and employment goals
• plan and prepare for employment through appropriate activities in accordance with the guidelines
• connect job seekers with contemporary, relevant, and accessible work opportunities
• support parents in sustaining initial stages of their employment.

About the role

We are currently seeking people with the ability to:

• work from our ParentsNext sites providing a warm, respectful and welcoming experience for parents and children
• uphold privacy and confidentiality in all aspects of work and ensure that confidentiality is adhered to always with families and staff
• provide vocational guidance tailored to the participant’s goals and connect participants to suitable opportunities, resources, places and specialist agencies
• create and maintain strong relationships with employment services and employers to identify job opportunities for parents
• administer the Job Seeker Classification Index (JSCI) tool, where required, and Work Readiness tool™ to assess the skills, capabilities and any non-vocational barriers for the participants
• work within the NSW Care and Protection Framework, actively screen for children at risk of harm and report appropriately
• work within the NSW Principles guiding the protection of children impacted by domestic and family violence.

You will be responsible for:

• monitoring and recording participants’ engagement and progress. This includes but is not limited to conducting follow up, seeking regular feedback on activities and referrals, updating plans as required, addressing participation issues as they arise, and managing and supporting participants with multiple and complex needs including non-vocational barriers
• updating and maintaining accurate, complete and timely records and referrals in relevant databases
• developing pathways and partnerships to continuously improve supported referrals, connections and sector capacity building within the local community and service system
• working within ParentsNext guidelines and practice principles to attain and sustain employment outcomes, educational outcomes and for parents to remain connected to the ParentsNext program
• working within an evidence informed practice to provide services to the target group
• achieving performance targets including employment, education and social connectedness.

Essential criteria

• associate diploma, less formal qualifications with specialised skills sufficient to perform at this level or attained through previous appointments, service and/or study and equivalent level of experience and expertise to undertake the range of activities required
• extensive experience in Job Services, and/or Disability Employment Services and associated systems
• experience working in health and/or community case management
• ability to work effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) organisations and communities
• high-level ability to liaise, develop and maintain relationships with professional groups and businesses
• demonstrated ability to engage families at the point of initial service contact, build relationships of trust and cooperation, problem solve and resolve conflict
• child protection knowledge and experience
• able to work independently as well as part of a team
• strong computer literacy including Word, Excel etc
• willingness to affirm Wesley Mission’s vision, mission and values
• current NSW or National driver’s licence.

Desirable criteria

• strong local, collaborative relationships in health and/or community, local employers and training organisations.

Remuneration

Salary and employment conditions are in accordance with the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry (SCHADS) Award, Level 4.

Wesley Mission is a Christian organisation requiring all staff to affirm its values. We are committed to providing an environment in which children can feel safe and valued.

The suitable applicant will be subject to the relevant pre-employment checks for appointment to positions within Wesley Mission (including provision of a valid Working with Children Check clearance number). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are encouraged to apply.