• Department: Community Programs, Village Connect
• House / Conditions: 16hrs per week, contract end Jan 2026 (with potential for extension)
• Operational Base: Campbelltown / Fairfield (travel across Southwest Sydney)
• Award: Allied Health award, Level 3 - click here for more information
• VACCINATION CATEGORY: A
• RESPONSIBLE TO: Program Lead Systems Navigator (Village Connect)

*Travel is a requirement of this role, hence full licence is required.

*Secondment within NSW health available.

*Days of work and hours negotiable.

*People with lived experience of being a young parent, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are encouraged to apply to join the Village Connect team.

Do you want to work closely with parents and children to create opportunities for growth, development and improved life trajectories?

Are you passionate about working in partnership with families, meeting families where they are at?

Do you want to continue to grow and develop professionally in an agile program, where lived and living experience is a valued mechanism for improving a service?

Do you have excellent clinical skills, understand the health and social sectors well and as such, you can be flexible and adaptable in your practice?

PURPOSE OF ROLE

Village Connect is a pilot project funded by the Department of Communities and Justice, under the Investment Approach for Social Impact Strategy. Karitane, and partners, Uniting and Sonder, provide holistic, wrap around supports to people 25 years or younger, pregnant or parenting, living in Southwest Sydney.

The Village Connect team support parents and children using a holistic social health model of care. Our priority is to meet parents where they are on their parenting journey in a judgement free and flexible manner. Trust building for sustained engagement is a priority for our entire team.

The Occupational Therapy / Speech Pathology role will work collaboratively, as part of a multidisciplinary team providing group and individual goal-based therapies for children from birth to 6years, whilst supporting early identification of developmental concerns, and supported referral for additional or other supports required.

This role requires a high level of clinical expertise and broad generalist knowledge so that supports and methods can be adapted and modified to meet the need. There will be projects or tasks you may be asked to manage or lead and you will be asked to take initiative and bring your ideas to the program.

The Village Connect team includes Health Education Officers, Child and Family nurse, Occupational Therapist, Speech Pathologist, Administration and Program Support, Team Lead and Program Lead Systems Navigator (from Karitane). The team works collaboratively and, in a trauma, informed way with our Uniting Key Worker colleagues and Sonder (24/7) app team.

More broadly we connect and work closely with clinicians from Karitane’s Linking Families, Volunteer programs, Toddler clinic, Early parenting centres (including residential unit, virtual and drop in services) and Jade House (Perinatal Infant Mental Health Team) and all SWSLHD teams (supporting parents 25y or younger).

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA:

1. AHPRA registration as an Occupational Therapist with a relevant degree eligible for professional association membership OR
2. Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) professional association membership with relevant degree, and Certified Practising Speech Pathologist (CPSP) status
3. Minimum of 5 years’ experience working within the health, social, NGO, disability or private paediatric sectors
4. A passion for working in community, with children and their parents using a social health model
5. Demonstrated ability to use clinical skills in a flexible and autonomous way, meeting parents where they are in their parenting journey
6. Experience working in different ways and places such as groups, individual, online, consultative, in natural environments and centre based
7. Experience in developing and/ or running group programs and /or parent education based on population need (either facilitating evidence-based groups or creating groups / workshops based on need)
8. Knowledge, skills and experience in working in a trauma informed way with individuals, including an understanding of the impact of intergenerational trauma
9. Experience working with diverse populations including supporting First Nations parents and children, culturally and linguistically diverse families, and families living in many different circumstances
10. Experience working in multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, keyworker or interdisciplinary models of care where professional and lived experience is valued.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants:

Karitane Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, have the opportunity to (but are not required to) connect regularly with Karitane’s growing team of First Nations staff. Staff have the opportunity to build connection to Aboriginal health services in the district, ACCO’s and ACCM’s, attend cultural events, and be involved in Karitane’s Reconciliation Action Plan group. Karitane strive to provide the cultural support and connection of all First Nations staff.

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested? Give Jo Ubilla (Program Lead, Systems Navigator) a call to have a chat on 0448 145 187 or click "Apply now" to submit your application. 

Closing date: As listed.

To learn more about the Village Connect program, visit our website here.

A position description is attached.