KIT-KTS Project Facilitator

Youth Action & Policy Association NSW Inc (YAPA) is the peak organisation representing young people and youth services in NSW.

Background Information

The Keeping It Together (KIT) project is an ongoing partnership between YAPA and NSW Family Services Inc. (FamS), the peak body for non-government organisations providing support services to families experiencing stress. The KIT–KTS Project Facilitator will be responsible for the delivery of an exciting new project under this partnership, funded by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services under the Keep Them Safe action plan (KTS).

The KIT–KTS Project partnership will target ten communities across NSW (i.e. one specific location in each of the ten KTS regions where this project will operate). FamS have elected five regional areas to deliver their part of the project partnership. Therefore, the position of YAPA KIT–KTS Project Facilitator will be responsible for the delivery of this project with one community in each of the following regions:

1. Western Sydney,

2. South-West Sydney,

3. Coastal Sydney,

4. Central Coast and

5. Illawarra.

The community in each region will be chosen in consultation with KTS Regional Project Managers, Community Services regional staff and members of YAPA & FamS, as having the greatest potential to benefit from improved partnership planning across government and non-government agencies.

About The Project

At least 10 agencies identified as key players in each community will take part in results-based joint planning sessions that will build upon existing relationships and a shared commitment to achieving outcomes for vulnerable children and young people. Typical outcomes of these planning sessions will be better collaboration, improved referral systems, reduced duplication in service delivery, an increase in partnerships and a more strategic & sector-wide approach to addressing client needs. The KIT–KTS Project partnership will also build upon key learning outcomes from the “KTS change management facilitated regional discussions project” being rolled out by the Centre for Community Welfare Training throughout 2011/12, which covers issues relating to

• engaging families, children and young people,
• the use of new information sharing provisions under NSW legislation (i.e. Chapter 16A), and
• collaborative practice in order to assist services translate these learning outcomes into their planning and practice.

Major Objectives

To facilitate results-based planning sessions with one network of services in each of the five KTS regions listed above, to achieve the following objectives:

1. Levels of strategic collaboration will increase between local organisations in order to achieve agreed results for local children and young people.
2. Agencies in local networks will better understand, collect, share and utilise outcome measure for clients in the local area to improve their work and the overall functioning of the service sector.
3. The change in levels of integrative case management by organisations within the interagency / network.
4. To support interagencies / networks to better understand and utilise information sharing provisions under Chapter 16A.
5. To assist organisations to make improvements in services and outcomes for children, young people and families.
6. Agencies will pool resources to address the combined needs of the local service sector (e.g. Shared training and development plans involving staff of multiple agencies may be developed)

A full Job Package including position description and selection criteria is attached below.