Children With Complex Disability Needs Worker

Established in 1979, Mallee Family Care is a place-based agency delivering 70+ programs and services to meet the diverse needs of our community, across a catchment area of more than 160,000 km².

If you’re passionate about improving outcomes in the lives of children, families and individuals, and in building stronger communities, we would like to hear from you.

Mallee Family Care supports professional development and offers generous salary packaging and paid placements where appropriate.

We are committed to building an organisation that reflects the diversity of the communities we support.

As an Equal Opportunity employer, we invite applications from people of all walks of life. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD), LGBTQIA+, and people living with a disability are encouraged to apply for our roles.

Position Objectives

The Children with Complex Disability Needs Worker (CCDN) role aims to support families of children with disability in voluntary care or at risk of requiring care due to disability. In a collaborative, care team approach the program develops individualised therapeutically focused action plans for children, young people and their families where complex disability support needs are identified. The program allows for an innovative and creative response to the needs of all family members and assists in linking families with third party supports where required.

The objectives of the support delivered under the program are to:

• Help prevent children with a disability require care outside the family home because of their disability complex support needs by building family and parenting capacity.
• To help parents navigate the NDIS, advocating for plans that contain parenting and disability supports that will help maintain the sustainability of care or support family reunification, where possible.
• Support the continuation of the relationship between children and their family’s when they are in care, and continue to build family capability with the aim of maximising the potential for the child to return home, where appropriate.
• Support the return of children to family or into non-residential care arrangements, including providing ongoing support, and continuing to engage periodically to provide additional support as required to prevent a return of the child into care.
• Build the ongoing capacity of family services practitioners to support families to navigate the NDIS to receive timely access to disability supports.
• Build relationships with local disability services, such as Special Disability Schools, to encourage the early identification and early support of families where the complexity of the disability support needs is likely to cause increased family pressure.
• To support NDIS participation of children residing voluntarily in residential care, or at risk of requiring care due to complex disability support needs.

Fixed Term until 30 June 2028

Position Description Children with Complex Disability Needs Worker July 26

Qualifications and Experience:

• A person employed as a Children with Complex Disability Needs Worker will be required to hold an accredited qualification relevant to the position at Degree Level or above, have a passion and commitment for supporting children and families across the child and family support/child protection continuum and ideally have transferrable practice experience in the sector or similar fields.
• Diploma level qualification in relevant field may be considered, on the proviso that the applicant will commit to undertake further Tertiary studies with the support of the Organisation
• Demonstrated ability as a Case Manager in the Disability, Child, Youth and Family welfare field.
• Demonstrated experience engaging with families and successfully providing outreach services, sometimes in a difficult or stressful context.
• Demonstrated experience supporting children and young people with complex needs related to their disability implementing positive behaviour support.
• Demonstrated experience providing a trauma informed approach with families experiencing shame and grief related to caring for their child with a Disability.
• A current drivers licence, a willingness to travel and preparedness to be accommodated overnight when required.

For you to be considered for this role, all applications must be submitted with a Cover Letter, Resume and the Key Selection Criteria addressed, which can be found in the position description. For more information regarding this position please contact Maree Fullgrabe – Human Resource Manager on 5023 5966