Professional Foster Care Practitioner | Foster and Kinship | Chermside
Employment Term: Permanent Full Time (flexible work options available)
Location: Chermside, with travel across the region as required
Remuneration: $53.43 p/hr + Super + NFP Salary Packaging
Make a meaningful difference with UnitingCare Queensland
At UnitingCare we are leaders in crisis response, the protection of vulnerable children, financial resilience and family wellbeing. Our Family and Disability Services (FaDS) team work passionately across Queensland to support children, young people and families to thrive.
As a Professional Foster Care Practitioner, you'll be empowered to grow your career while playing a key role in delivering an innovative therapeutic foster care model that helps create safe, stable and nurturing homes for children and young people with complex support needs.
Let's make a meaningful difference, together!
Your part in our UnitingCare team
This is a rewarding and challenging role where you will have a significant opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of children, young people, carers and families.
The purpose of this role is to provide trauma-informed therapeutic assessment, intervention and case coordination for Professional Foster Care families and the children and young people in their care.
You will contribute to the delivery of an innovative family-based care model designed to improve safety, wellbeing, cultural connection and placement stability.
In this role you will:
Support the recruitment, assessment, induction, training and ongoing development of Professional Foster Carers.
Receive and assess placement referrals and participate in matching children and young people with suitable care placements.
Provide therapeutic case management, care coordination and ongoing placement support to carers, children and young people.
Develop and review Professional Foster Care Plans and therapeutic support strategies that promote positive outcomes and placement stability.
Deliver trauma-informed therapeutic interventions that strengthen emotional regulation, attachment, safety and wellbeing.
Coach and support carers to implement therapeutic, relationship-based approaches within the home environment.
Facilitate care team meetings, case reviews and collaborative planning with key stakeholders.
Build effective partnerships with Child Safety, education, health, disability and community service providers.
Maintain accurate case notes, reports and compliance documentation in line with legislative and organisational requirements.
Identify and respond to safeguarding, risk and placement concerns, contributing to effective support and risk mitigation strategies.
Participate in supervision, reflective practice, professional development and after-hours on-call arrangements as required.
What makes a difference for us?
Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Psychology, or a recognised equivalent qualification in a relevant human services discipline.
Minimum three years' experience delivering trauma-informed practice in child protection, out of home care, child and family services or a related field.
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Families (TCIF) certification, or willingness to work towards certification.
Demonstrated experience in therapeutic assessment, intervention and case coordination.
Strong understanding of trauma-informed and strengths-based practice approaches.
Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication and relationship-building skills.
Experience working collaboratively with children, young people, families and carers to achieve positive outcomes.
Ability to manage competing priorities and work autonomously while exercising sound professional judgement.
Current Queensland Driver Licence.
Current Blue Card or willingness to obtain one.
Highly desirable:
Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (or willingness to obtain).
Experience applying frameworks such as CARE, Hope and Healing, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention or other trauma-informed practice models.
Experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
What makes a difference for you?
Flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance
NFP Salary Packaging: Save tax and increase your take home pay by salary packaging your everyday living expenses and bills (up to $15,900) and meal entertainment (up to $2,650) per annum. To learn more about this benefit watch the video via the following link: Salary Packaging Explained
A recognition and rewards platform, providing employee discounts at hundreds of retailers, including everyday expenses, holidays, health insurance, annual awards celebration, wellbeing and employee assistance programs
12 weeks paid parental leave and 2 weeks paid partner leave, available after 6 months service, in addition to the government scheme
Diversity and inclusive leave, offering paid gender affirmation leave and cultural leave options (paid and unpaid) for those who may celebrate Lunar New Year, Diwali, Ramadan, NAIDOC weeks and other significant cultural events
Career development opportunities to challenge yourself, grow and make a meaningful difference
A positive and inclusive team based on respect, shared standards, strong values and a commitment to serving others
We’d love you to be part of our UnitingCare family
Joining our FaDS, team, you’ll also be welcomed as part of the UnitingCare family. The second-largest Queensland employer, we’re a proud not-for-profit with more than 16,500 staff and 9,000 volunteers across our brands of BlueCare, Lifeline, ARRCS, The Wesley Hospital, Buderim Private Hospital, St Stephen’s Hospital, and St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital, and have been leading by example for more than 100 years.
Child safe, Child friendly
UnitingCare is committed to being a Child Safe, Child Friendly organisation and will:
provide welcoming, safe and nurturing services for children
implement measures to prevent child abuse and neglect within our services
appropriately and immediately address child abuse and neglect if it does occur
abide by the Child Safe Standards and adhere to the Reportable Conduct Scheme
Diversity & Inclusion
Our approach is simple – everybody is welcome here. At UnitingCare, diversity is at the core of our who we are, our mission and our values. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to all employees no matter their sex, race, culture, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. Demonstrating our commitment to reconciliation and building long-term employment opportunities for First Nations peoples, UnitingCare strongly encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants for this position.
Safe workplace
We work hard to make our services welcoming and safe for every person. We are united in keeping children, young people and the elderly safe from harm, within our services, workplaces and the communities we support. We are committed to speaking up loudly for their safety.
Commitment to Safeguarding
We are committed in creating services and workplaces that are welcoming and safe for every person. We work together to protect children, young people, adults and the elderly from harm within our services and the communities we support. We speak up for their safety to ensure their voices are heard. Our recruitment and workplace practices reflect our dedication in preventing abuse, harm and exploitation across UnitingCare.
