The Organisation

Youth Off The Streets is a non-denominational community organisation working for disadvantaged young people who may be homeless, drug dependent and / or recovering from abuse. Youth Off The Streets supports these young people as they work to turn their lives around and overcome immense personal trauma such as neglect, physical, psychological and / or emotional abuse. It is our goal that these young people will leave our care drug free, with a high school education, living skills and a full time or part time job in hand.

The Role

We are looking for a House Manager to oversee the daily running of our crisis accommodation site at Erskineville, and to provide support to the Director, Sydney Homeless Services. The Team Leader will plan & facilitate activities that enable young people to develop their capacity to take responsibility for their lives.

The successful person will be the first point of reference for youth worker staff in their role to assist young people within the service to meet their personal goals, make informed life choices and live with greater independence. This support from youth workers includes employment and education options, life skills training, mentoring opportunities, and support and structure for young people in line with the program guidelines.

The Team Leader will be responsible for the proper use of systems in line with program guidelines, reporting on program deliverables and ensuring the service meets work health and safety obligations.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Support Director Sydney Homeless Services to ensure high quality outcomes are achieved for the service in line with Program Level Agreement, Family and Community Services guidelines and YOTS requirements
• Contribute to monthly, quarterly and annual reporting against program deliverables according to contract and program requirements
• Work on shift as a Youth Worker in times of low staffing or high demand
• Maintain a safe and supportive environment ensuring flexibility and adaptiveness to all situations
• Encourage, coach and mentor staff to work towards reaching the program’s key outcomes
• Promote and maintain a safe and friendly environment for young people
• Promote youth participation in line with YOTS organisational culture
• Ensure the wellbeing of our young people is at the centre of all decisions and actions in service delivery
• Ensure that policy and procedures are in place, and understood, to ensure that legislative requirements are met and maintained
• Recruitment, supervision and development of staff
• Oversee the day to day running of the site
• Assist in the development of quality outcomes, innovative programs and identifying gaps in resources
• Initiate and maintain internal and external support groups and networks
• Work with the Director, Sydney Homeless Services to ensure outcomes of team meetings are actioned
• Report to the Director any major incidents involving young people or staff
• Other duties as required

Essential criteria, including but not limited to:

• Degree qualification in behavioural science, social work or related discipline.
• Experience in supervising and managing staff in a 24 hour care setting
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in case management theory, best practice principles and their application in residential care/child protection
• A demonstrated working knowledge of the youth and welfare sectors, their services & systems and strong working relationships within these sectors
• Past experience with Children’s Guardian, The Office of the Ombudsman, Department of Family and Community Services, NSW Police and Juvenile Justice
• Knowledge of adolescent/adult mental health issues and theory
• High level of conflict resolution and interpersonal skills in order to build relationships with staff, volunteers, clients, partners and community members

Desirable criteria, including but not limited to:

• Management qualification

The Person:

This is a rare opportunity to join a passionate and high profile not for profit organisation that values the current youth of today and the youth of tomorrow.

Ideally, the successful candidate will have a desire to work within a dedicated and service driven Homelessness Service Team, where you are working closely with employees to achieve great results. You will have a team focus and have the confidence to communicate effectively with a range of diverse individuals. You will also have a 'can do' attitude and enjoy working together to achieve the desired outcomes of the organisation.