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Family Support worker - School Attendance Support Project, Shire of
Cardinia
Community Services / Southern
Pakenham
Family Services
April 2015
Fixed Term, full time
543
Connections UnitingCare is a community organisation with a long and proud history of
supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
We offer a range of services across a continuum of care from early years through to counselling and
in-home support. We provide innovative and early intervention programs that support children, young
people and their families giving them a better chance in life now and in the future.
More detailed information can be found at www.connections.org.au
Purpose of this Position
Connections Family Services operates from five sites in the Southern Region, Pakenham,
Cranbourne, Narre Warren, Dandenong and Windsor. The School Attendance Support Program
(SASP) is an innovative project, in Government Primary Schools in the Shire of Cardinia, to address
school attendance issues. This is a DSS (Department of Social Services) funded project through
Anglicare, Communities for Children Plus.
The overall aim of the project is to improve school attendance and to facilitate student, family, school
and community integration.
Position:
The Family Worker’s role within the School Attendance Support Project is to work collaboratively with
a number of primary schools in the Shire of Cardinia, to identify and engage ‘at risk’ students with
significant school attendance issues. Referrals will be provided to the Family Support worker to
engage students and their families and assist in improving school attendance. From commencement
of involvement the Family worker will explore barriers to regular school attendance and develop
strategies to overcome these.
The Family worker will develop and maintain relationships with key agencies, including teaching staff
and specialist support services and encourage parents to become more involved with their child’s
education. This role is also responsible for providing information to schools and families on referral
pathways to access other services eg Child FIRST, housing and assist in mapping such services in
the Cardinia area.
Page 1 » Connections UnitingCare Position Description
Key Relationships
Line Manager:
Team leader- Education Support Program
Functional Relationships:
Program Leader – Intake, Assessment and Support Services,
Family Services staff, other Connections staff, Department of
Education & Training personnel, School staff, other
professional staff of agencies providing services to families
and the wider service network in Cardinia.
Responsibilities and Accountabilities
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Liaise with key staff at the nominated schools participating in the School Attendance Support
Project.
Receive referrals from Child FIRST and schools as appropriate.
Undertake risk and needs assessments of children and families as referred.
Provide intensive short to medium term case management and casework to families where
complex issues are likely to be present i.e. provision of practical support in the home,
parenting advice and role modeling, individual work with the children, advocacy and referral to
other services.
Arrange and participate in Care Team meetings.
Develop strategies to assist families to overcome the issue of non attendance at school.
Provide proactive/assertive outreach to hard-to-reach families.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date case notes in line with policy and procedure.
Participate in project development and assist Coordinator in the evaluation of project data.
Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with schools and other agencies providing
client services.
Broker services appropriate to the families needs to include linkage to community services
and recreational activities.
Provision of flexible hours to meet the referred family’s specific needs, i.e. early morning to
assist in getting the children to school on time or some evenings to establish good eating and
sleep routines.
Advocate for families as required.
Facilitation of group work programs when required.
Participate in regular supervision with line manager.
Set priorities and manage time appropriately.
Comply with Connections program policies and procedures Key Selection Criteria
Knowledge / Experience / Qualifications
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A degree in Social Work, Psychology or a related tertiary qualification relevant to child and
family welfare.
A good understanding of the ‘Best Interests’ framework, CYFA 2005 and the Child Protection
system.
A sound knowledge of child development and experience in working with challenging
behaviours.
Demonstrated knowledge and insight into barriers to school attendance and related issues.
Demonstrated ability as a practitioner in the child, youth and family welfare field.
Experience in working in a child focused, family-centered approach with specific focus on
family strengthening and empowerment models of practice.
Good knowledge of Cardinia Shire and local resources.
A current Victorian driver’s license.
Satisfactory police and working with children checks.
Technical Competencies
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Ability to engage families and to provide outreach services.
Demonstrated ability to work flexibly to meet the current needs of families and children.
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Demonstrated ability to maintain cooperative working relationships.
Well developed written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare for and
conduct student support group meetings and provide reports to DSS.
Demonstrated organisational and time management skills.
Competency in the use of Microsoft Office suite of computer programs.
Personal Attributes
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Self-confident, focused and able to set appropriate personal boundaries.
Ability to work in a holistic and flexible manner and manage time autonomously.
Ability to engage people from all ages.
Energetic, positive and approachable.
Strong sense of social responsibility and respect for others.
Strong interest in people and their development.
A sense of balance and humour.
Open, honest and flexible approach to communication.
Able to actively listen and suspend judgement.
Self-motivated, able to understand requirements and situations quickly.
Ability to commit to the project for the full term.
This position description will be reviewed in 12 months.
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