Caseworker – Intensive Family Support (IFS)

Purpose of the Position

Our Intensive Family Support (IFS) Service is a free, and voluntary service that works with both Indigenous and non-identified families with children unborn to 18 years of age, who are experiencing multiple and/or complex challenges. IFS aims to empower families to take primary responsibility for the protection of their children and works alongside families to eliminate or minimise the risk of statutory child protection interventions.

The IFS Caseworker provides intensive and time-sensitive, in-home support to improve family functioning and safety for children. The IFS Caseworker will work in line with the IFS practice principles, and ATSI Child Protection Placement Principals at all times, using therapeutic strategies and practical assistance to build the skills and capacity of parents/caregivers, creating stronger independent families.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Provide front-line case management support to identify, assess and respond to a range of complex needs over extended periods of time (up to 12 months), utilising family-centred case plans, periodic reviews and targeted assessment measures to accurately monitor and progress families in line with their goals
• Assess the immediate safety and potential risk factors surrounding the child(ren) within the home environment utilising the Structured Decision-Making (SDM) tools
• Utilise the Collaborative Assessment and Planning (CAP) framework to guide holistic and targeted strength and needs assessments of referred families
• Identify, implement and/or outsource practical in-home support, parental skills development, targeted specialist interventions and brokerage assistance with the aim to better equip service users to address their needs and achieve their safety and wellbeing goals
• Conduct frequent home visits (minimum weekly) with service users, to foster meaningful and productive opportunities for families to work towards their case plan goals
• Work collaboratively alongside IFS Team Leader, Specialists and Caseworkers to ensure consistent and best practice service delivery is upheld for all families, partners, internal programs, and external agencies that are in contact with the IFS program
• Ensure work performance and service delivery is aligned to IFS service delivery model, key performance indicators, and CQIDs greater strategic and operational plans
• Work flexibly alongside CQID’s internal services (such as Family Wellbeing) to enhance the overall experience of mutual CQID service users
• Display flexibility and responsiveness in respect to working hours by remaining available to families outside core business hours as necessary to develop and/or implement elements of the case plan
• At all times, work to uphold a quality standard of professional, timely and open communication with service users, key stakeholders, and community members
• Lead client-centred collaborative consultations with Child Safety, the Principal Child Protection Practitioner (PCPP), and/or other identify agencies, alongside or on behalf of service users
• Assist service users to attend and participate in IFS or local community events, groups and activities that promote positive and safe support networks
• Identify and/or maintain positive, reciprocal and effective partnerships, working relationships and networks
• At all times perform IFS caseworker duties in line with CQIDs Code of Conduct
• At all times work within CQID’s Workplace Health and Safety Policies and Procedures
• Participating in and contributing to the organisation’s compliance obligations under the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System and Human Services Quality Standards (HSQS)
• Other duties as directed by the Manager/Team Leader

Qualifications and Experience

To be successful in this role you will need to demonstrate capability in the following areas:

• Assess the immediate safety and potential risk factors surrounding the child(ren) within the home environment utilising the Structured Decision-Making (SDM) tools
• Utilise the Collaborative Assessment and Planning (CAP) framework to guide holistic and targeted strength and needs assessments of referred families
• Identify, implement and/or outsource practical in-home support, parental skills development, targeted specialist interventions and brokerage assistance with the aim to better equip service users to address their needs and achieve their safety and wellbeing goals
• Conduct frequent home visits (minimum weekly) with service users, to foster meaningful and productive opportunities for families to work towards their case plan goals
• Work collaboratively alongside IFS Team Leader, Specialists and Caseworkers to ensure consistent and best practice service delivery is upheld for all families, partners, internal programs, and external agencies that are in contact with the IFS program
• Ensure work performance and service delivery is aligned to IFS service delivery model, key performance indicators, and CQIDs greater strategic and operational plans
• Work flexibly alongside CQID’s internal services (such as Family Wellbeing) to enhance the overall experience of mutual CQID service users
• Display flexibility and responsiveness in respect to working hours by remaining available to families outside core business hours as necessary to develop and/or implement elements of the case plan
• At all times, work to uphold a quality standard of professional, timely and open communication with service users, key stakeholders, and community members
• Lead client-centred collaborative consultations with Child Safety, the Principal Child Protection Practitioner (PCPP), and/or other identify agencies, alongside or on behalf of service users
• Assist service users to attend and participate in IFS or local community events, groups and activities that promote positive and safe support networks
• Identify and/or maintain positive, reciprocal and effective partnerships, working relationships and networks
• At all times perform IFS caseworker duties in line with CQIDs Code of Conduct
• At all times work within CQID’s Workplace Health and Safety Policies and Procedures
• Participating in and contributing to the organisation’s compliance obligations under the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System and Human Services Quality Standards (HSQS)
• Other duties as directed by the Manager/Team Leader