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POSITION DESCRIPTION
Program / Unit:
Residential Caseworker
[Out of Home Care]
NSW Illawarra Shoalhaven
Term:
Award/Agreement:
Position reports to:
Location:
Part Time
SCHCADS Award [NSW SACS Grade 4]
House Supervisor
Illawarra Shoalhaven Offices
Position Title:
ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT
Established in 1997 MacKillop Family Services (MacKillop) continues the child and family
welfare ministries of the Christian Brothers (Oceania), the Sisters of Mercy (Melbourne) and
the Sisters of St. Joseph (Victoria) in Western Sydney, Wollongong, NSW South Coast,
Melbourne, Geelong, Warrnambool and Perth.
Programs include Home Based and Residential Care, Refugee Services, Disability Services,
Youth Support, Education and Training, Family Support and support of women and men
who as children were in the care of our founding agencies.
MacKillop Family Services involves a staff of some 800 personnel and nearly 420 volunteers.
Operating out of more than 30 sites our budget expenditure is $65 million.
MacKillop Family Services has embarked upon a journey of change through its adoption of
the Sanctuary Model. The Sanctuary model is underpinned by the commitments of:
Nonviolence, Emotional Intelligence, Social Learning, Open Communication, Social
Responsibility, Democracy, Growth and Change
The Sanctuary Model is a blueprint for clinical and organisational change which, at its core,
promotes safety and recovery from adversity through the active creation of a traumainformed community. A recognition that adversity is pervasive in the experience of human
beings forms the basis for the Sanctuary Model’s focus not only on the people who seek
services, but equally on the people and systems who provide those services.
OUR VALUES
Respect: We seek to listen and learn from each other and to build relationships with
respect;
Collaboration: We commit to working in a collaborative spirit through cooperation,
coordination, and partnership;
Hope: We commit to creating an atmosphere of hope where people find meaning in their
experiences and relationship;
Justice: We believe in the right of all people, regardless of belief or culture, to be treated
justly and fairly; and
Compassion: We commit to creating an attitude of openness to others and to their
circumstances.
NSW SERVICES
MacKillop’s NSW Services Division currently has two programs: Metro Sydney and South
Coast:
 Metro Sydney provides foster care, specialist youth homelessness, early intervention
and case management services. The program is based in Blacktown and operates
across the Department of Family and Community Services, Community Services
Metro West Region. Services are funded through the out of home care, specialist
homelessness services and early intervention and placement prevention program
funding streams.
 South Coast provides foster care, residential care, case management services and a
Family Referral Service. The program is based in Wollongong [with offices in
Batemans Bay and Bega] and operates across the Department of Family and
Community Services, Community Services Southern Region. Services are funded
through the out of home care program funding stream and the Department of Health.
POSITION PURPOSE
The Case Worker OOHC is responsible for providing high quality and effective case work
services for young people in out of home care.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES
 Ensure that children and young people in out of home care receive services that meet
their needs;
 Develop and maintain strong collaborative partnerships with Aboriginal agencies;
 Ensure that the casework service provides quality outcomes for vulnerable and at-risk
young people; young people who are in the OOHC systems; and their families;
 Participate in the intake process and ensure that young people have a clear
understanding of the residential House Guidelines
 Establish collaborative relationships with a wide range of specialist and mainstream
youth services to improve outcomes for young people; and
 Promote the work of the program in the sector and the community.
KEY RESULT AREAS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Case Worker will:
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Ensure that case work practice is responsive to individual needs; reflects the
organisation’s values, policies and practice frameworks; and complies with
the requirements of the Department of Family and Community Services;
Ensure that the emotional, social, behavioural, developmental and
educational needs of children and young people are met through the
development, implementation and review of individual case plans;
Ensure that children and young people’s wellbeing is actively safeguarded
and that concerns are reported immediately;
Participate in team meetings, service networks, inter-agencies and forums as
required;
Work in partnership with Aboriginal and other agencies
Promote the work of the organisation in the sector and wider community;
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Participate in professional development opportunities as required;
Participate constructively in supervision and performance appraisals;
Participate in the development and review of policies and procedures;
Remain informed of policy and practice developments in out of home care.
Be available to undertake higher duties and/or secondment as required; and
Undertake other duties as required.
KEY SELECTION CRITERIA
The successful applicant will have:
 Demonstrated skills and experience in casework practice;
 Proven ability to relate to and work with young people with social, emotional and
behavioural difficulties;
 Skills and experience in the development of behaviour support plans for young
people with challenging behaviours;
 Demonstrated capacity to develop collaborative relationships across professional
and organisational boundaries;
 Ability to plan, organise and prioritise work;
 Good written and verbal communication skills;
 Ability to interpret and implement organisational policy;
 A commitment to the purpose and values of MacKillop Family Services;
 A tertiary qualification in social work or relevant field; or equivalent experience
 Experience using Microsoft Office.
OTHER JOB RELATED INFORMATION
 Aboriginality and/or experience working with Aboriginal children, young people
and families will be highly regarded.
 The role requires a satisfactory working with children check and criminal record
check, and valid NSW driver’s licence.
 Flexible working hours may be negotiated with the successful applicant.
 The position may require some intrastate travel.
The incumbent is required to:
 Observe and actively support MacKillop’s OH&S policies and strategies.
 Attend mandatory and other training as required.
 Actively participate in MacKillop’s Bid Management process [as required].
APPROVAL
Approved by:
Position Title:
Jude Ekerick
Date: April 2014
General Manager, NSW Services
Incumbent’s Name:
Signature:
Date: