• Full time 76 hours per fortnight (1.0 FTE)
• Ongoing position

The Loddon Children’s Health and Wellbeing Local will improve access to integrated and community-based multidisciplinary services for children aged 0–11 years who are experiencing developmental, emotional, relational and behavioural challenges, and their families.

The Local will provide a ‘one-stop-shop' supporting infants, children and families, delivering services like psychology and psychiatry, allied health, family supports and paediatric care.

About BCHS

Bendigo Community Health Services has cared for the health and wellbeing of the Bendigo community for more than 40 years. As an organisation we employ more than 200 people across a broad range of services, you will find working at Bendigo Community Health Services both challenging and rewarding.

The success of BCHS starts with our staff, who have a high level of professionalism and dedication allowing BCHS to deliver quality services for the community with a particular focus on the vulnerable and disadvantaged.

Added benefits of working with BCHS include:

• Salary packaging
• Flexible working conditions
• Purchasing leave
• Study assistance
• Training programs
• Novated leasing

The Role

In this exciting new service, you will apply your excellent case management and care planning skills to empower clients to recognise their strengths and wellbeing goals. You will be competent in performing comprehensive safety and risk assessments to facilitate supportive connections and make referrals as needed. Adopting a strength-based approach, you will build the capacity of families to respond to their child's needs through coaching and information sharing.

The responsibilities of the position are:

• Undertake initial and ongoing comprehensive assessments, development of person-centred care plans that contribute to positive outcomes for infants, children, parents, and families.
• Empower clients to recognise their strengths, aspirations and wellbeing goals and facilitate supportive connections that will help them achieve these.
• Provide brief interventions, family decision-making and family group conferencing for families with increasing need that build relationships, communications skills, boundaries and routines.
• Building the capacity of families to respond to their child’s needs through coaching, mentoring and information sharing.
• Provide warm referral and step-up support into more intensive family services through The Orange Door.
• Facilitate access to flexible brokerage funding, in line with Family Services Program requirements, to support children and families to avoid crisis and connect to supports.
• Provide secondary consultations to Family services and Universal services.
• Make timely referrals to appropriate support and specialist services identified in the care plan.
• Collaborate with colleagues internally and externally, in developing and implementing a shared and coordinated approach to improve the infants, children and family social, emotional and physical determinants of health.

Key Selection Criteria

Essential

• Qualifications in Social Work, Community Services, Community Welfare or Community Development related discipline.
• Minimum 3 years relevant experience working in partnership with families who have children aged 0-11 years.
• Experience in best practice case management practices including ability to undertake initial and ongoing comprehensive assessments, development of person-centred care plans that contribute to positive outcomes for infants, children, parents, and families.
• Foundational or sound understanding of mandatory reporting legislation with ability to apply the MARAM Framework and CISS to assess risk and undertake safety planning, and fulfil duty of care.
• Excellent motivational interviewing and holistic wellbeing assessment skills.
• Strong communicator with ability to liaise with a wide range of stakeholders to create and maintain effective partnerships which generate improved outcomes for families.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and innovatively as well as collaborating effectively within a team environment
• A current Victorian driver's license and Working with Children’s Check.

Desirable

• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the local service system.
• Intermediate to high level computer skills such as use of Microsoft Office programs, and electronic client management systems including Microsoft Teams.
• The ability to confidentially maintain accurate records in accordance with BCHS procedures.
• Ability to provide vaccination status information that meets the requirements for healthcare workers. 

For further information about the position contact Megan Staley on 03 5406 1200.

Bendigo Community Health Services encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds and abilities.

Click 'Apply Now' to submit your application.

A position description is attached.