Team Leader - Foster Care

• Location: Scoresby
• Employment type: Full time
• Salary: commencing from $124,000 + superannuation + salary packaging.

Lead a dedicated team | Strengthen foster care outcomes | Make a meaningful difference

At Anchor, we believe in an Australia where anyone experiencing homelessness has a pathway to safety and independence. We’re here to help them find it.

Our Foster Care program provides safe, stable and nurturing homes for children and young people who are unable to live with their own families. We work alongside foster carer's, children, young people, families, government and community partners to promote safety, wellbeing, stability and positive outcomes.

We are seeking an experienced and values-driven Team Leader – Foster Care to provide leadership, practice guidance and operational oversight to our Foster Care team.

About the Role

Reporting to the Manager – Care Services, you will lead and support a team of three direct reports and play a key role in maintaining high-quality, child-centred and culturally safe foster care services.

This is a hands-on leadership role that combines people leadership, practice oversight, service delivery, quality assurance and program development. You will support staff to navigate complex practice matters, strengthen relationships with foster carer's and partner agencies, and ensure
that children and young people receive responsive, safe and effective care.

You will also contribute to the continued development and growth of Anchor’s Foster Care program, using practice insights, service data, feedback and sector developments to identify opportunities for improvement.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will:

• Lead, supervise, coach and develop members of the Foster Care team.
• Build a positive, collaborative and accountable team culture aligned with Anchor’s values.
• Provide day-to-day practice leadership, case consultation and guidance on complex matters.
• Support high-quality, trauma-informed, strengths-based and culturally safe practice.
• Oversee case planning, risk assessment, care team meetings, statutory reviews and placement-related decisions.
• Ensure foster carer's receive timely, responsive and effective support throughout the assessment, placement and ongoing care journey.
• Support placement matching, stability planning and early responses to placement risks or challenges.
• Work collaboratively with Child Protection, government agencies and community partners.
• Monitor team performance, caseloads, service quality, compliance and reporting requirements.
• Support the management and escalation of critical incidents and practice risks.
• Contribute to program growth, service development and continuous improvement.
• Ensure practice is consistent with relevant legislation, funding requirements, standards and Anchor’s policies and practice frameworks.

About You

You are an experienced leader with a strong background in Foster Care, Home Based Care, Out-of-Home Care or a closely related child and family service environment.

You bring sound professional judgement, highly developed practice knowledge and the ability to support staff through complex and demanding situations. You are confident balancing operational priorities with the needs and wellbeing of children, young people, foster carer's and employees.

You will ideally bring:

• A degree qualification in Social Work, Psychology, Community Services or a related discipline, recognised in Australia.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing staff in a Foster Care, Home Based Care or related service.
• Strong knowledge of the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic) and relevant child protection and out-of-home care frameworks.
• A deep understanding of child development, attachment, trauma, grief and loss, resilience, therapeutic parenting and permanency and stability planning.
• Experience supporting foster carer's and responding to complex placement, safety and practice issues.
• The ability to provide effective supervision, practice leadership, coaching and performance support.
• Strong communication, relationship-building and stakeholder engagement skills.
• A commitment to trauma-informed, strengths-based, culturally safe and child-centred practice.
• A positive, flexible and solutions-focused approach, with the ability to lead through change and competing priorities.
• A commitment to promoting the voice, safety, wellbeing and inclusion of children and young people.
• Experience with Advantage Thinking and a strong understanding of how personal values and perspectives influence practice will be highly regarded.

Why join Anchor?

At Anchor, you will be part of a values-driven organisation committed to creating meaningful and lasting outcomes for children, young people, foster carer's and the broader community.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Lead a dedicated and supportive Foster Care team.
• Influence practice quality and service development.
• Contribute to the growth and ongoing development of Anchor’s Foster Care program.
• Work collaboratively with experienced leaders and sector partners.
• Support foster carer's to provide safe, stable and nurturing homes.
• Make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and young people.

In addition, we offer: 

• Two additional days of paid Christmas leave.
• Birthday leave.
• Access Employee Assistance Program.
• Salary packaging options.
• Professional learning and development opportunities. 

Essential Requirements:

• A current Victorian Drivers Licence.
• Working with Children Check (employee).
• National Criminal History Check. 

How to Apply

If you are an experienced Foster Care Leader who is passionate about supporting children, young people, foster carer's and staff to achieve positive outcomes, we encourage you to apply.

Please review the full position description and submit your application via the "Apply Now" button, including a resume and cover letter outlining your suitability for the role.

Anchor reserves the right to commence recruitment immediately and close applications early if a suitable candidate is identified. Only applicants with legal working rights in Australia will be considered.

Our Child Safety, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment 

Anchor is a child safe organisation, committed to child safety and wellbeing. Anchor recruits’ staff
in accordance with the Child Safe Standards Victoria. 

At Anchor, we aim to ensure every individual is treated with dignity and respect regardless of their cultural background, ability, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, spirituality, or religion.  We welcome and strongly encourage applications from diverse backgrounds and people with lived experience to apply.  

Anchor is committed to creating a culturally safe environment that values and supports Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people(s); where culture and heritage is acknowledged, and respected, as being core to their existence. We recognise and respect the unique culture and contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people bring to our communities.  We welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.

A position description is attached.