• Position: Full time
• Location: Preston
• Salary range: $63,300.64 to $80,607.80

About Us

The Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) is the largest organisation of its kind in Australia. VACCA is an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation that supports and advocates for the Aboriginal community. Our strength lies with our people. Our team is committed to the organisation's vision and values; advocates for our children and other vulnerable community members; and shows respect for, observance and compliance with Aboriginal cultural protocols, practice and ceremony. Our Aboriginality is what distinguishes us from mainstream services and what enables us to deliver the positive outcomes we achieve for our people.

The Opportunity:

You will be required to provide holistic, culturally safe, trauma-informed and strengths-based casework support for Aboriginal families with complex needs who are referred to the program, including case planning, service coordination and direct services.

Key point of contact for the family, care team and related service network for each allocated case. In addition, you will play a lead role in the initial engagement, assessment and planning processes for each family.

To be successful you must demonstrate:

• Commitment to VACCA's vision and purpose.
• Awareness and appreciation of Aboriginal societies and cultures and an understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal people in contemporary Australia and the diversity of circumstances of Aboriginal people
• A sound understanding of Aboriginal culture, values, protocols, inter-generational factors and complex kinship systems, as well as the issues facing vulnerable Aboriginal families that may impact on their capacity to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their children, and a demonstrated capacity to work in a culturally competent, sensitive and respectful manner
• A clear understanding of child and adolescent development, trauma, attachment, child abuse and neglect, with good knowledge of the services and interventions that: promote child health, safety and wellbeing; strengthen parenting capacity; improve family functioning and address underlying risk factors for vulnerable families.
• An excellent understanding of the principles of casework practice, with a demonstrated capacity to: actively engage with families that may be unwilling to receive services; build confidence, motivate and sustain change and influence positive outcomes; undertake quality assessments and coordinate planning processes; and undertake quality case recording, data reporting and file management.
• High level interpersonal and communication skills, including a demonstrated ability to: provide information and feedback to Aboriginal children and families in ways that are constructive, respectful of Aboriginal styles of learning and sensitive to the needs of individuals with learning difficulties; and effectively advocate on behalf of families.
• A demonstrated commitment to establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with families, colleagues, government departments, sector partners and the Aboriginal Community.
• Applicants who hold a tertiary qualification in early childhood education, early childhood development; youth work; nursing; maternal and child health; community health; social work; psychology or a related discipline will be highly regarded.