Are you looking to join a friendly and dedicated team who is committed and supported? Are you looking to make a difference to people in our care? Then you should apply for this role. Please note that it is a requirement that staff working in a residential aged care environment, be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at time of commencing employment.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Position Title Pastoral Care Practitioner
Location Albury (Dellacourt and Yallaroo Facilities); The Rock (Emily Gardens Facility)
Status Permanent Part-time 15 Hours per Week.
Classification Health Professionals and Support Services Award
(Dependent on qualifications and experience)
Reports to Pastoral Care Team Leader
Last Reviewed August 2026
Lutheran Aged Care – Overview
Lutheran Aged Care (LAC) Albury is an agency of the Lutheran Church of Australia NSW/ACT District and operates as an independently run company with a Board of Governance.
We operate three residential aged care facilities, comprising Dellacourt (122 beds) and Yallaroo (60 beds) in Albury, and Emily Gardens (30 beds) at The Rock. These facilities provide varying levels of care based on the individual needs of our residents. We also operate the Pemberton View and Nicholson Park Retirement Villages and have a growing presence in home care services in the Albury/Wodonga region.
We employ over 350 staff and volunteers in a variety of roles, including nursing, personal care, maintenance, finance, and administration, overseen by the Managing Director and the Management Team.
The Pastoral Care Practitioner operates within the context of the Pastoral Care Team, working in close collaboration with two part-time Pastoral Care Workers and reporting directly to the Pastoral Care Team Leader, who is an ordained minister of the Lutheran Church of Australia.
As a part of LAC’s commitment to providing holistic, person-centred care, the Pastoral Care Team provides spiritual and emotional support to all residents and staff regardless of faith or belief, without discrimination. With regards to support of staff, where appropriate and relevant, the Pastoral Care Practitioner will refer staff on to our Employee Assistance Program providers where more appropriate or extended clinical support may be required.
Role Objective
The primary objective of this role is to support the Pastoral Care Team to identify, assess, help provide for residents’ spiritual needs and/or facilitate access to resources and external spiritual communities to assist the resident if required. This includes providing pastoral care to residents and their next-of-kin during the palliative process, if requested.
The secondary objective of this role is to provide confidential emotional and spiritual support to staff, who may encounter grief, loss, vicarious trauma and other personal conflict, both in the performance of their duties to residents as well as their personal lives.
Key Relationships
Internal
The Pastoral Care Practitioner can expect to interact regularly with the following staff within Lutheran Aged Care:
- Clinical and direct Care Staff
- Non-direct care staff
- Lifestyle Staff and Coordinators
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Human Resources Manager
- Unit and Facility Managers
- Other Pastoral Care Team Members
External
The Pastoral Care Practitioner can expect to communicate with the following external bodies in the course of their duties:
- Resident families and next-of-kin
- Funeral directors and staff
- Counselling and other support services as appropriate
- Representatives of faith traditions
- Cultural and community groups
Key Result Areas & Responsibilities
The following is a contextual summary of the role’s key responsibilities. For a full list of professional expectations for this role, please refer to Spiritual Care Australia’s Capability Framework for Spiritual Care Practitioners (2023). This role aligns with the expected capabilities of a Level 2 Spiritual Care Practitioner.
Provision of Spiritual Care
- Establish rapport and engage with residents and staff in a professional manner, maintaining confidentiality as well as appropriate and respectful boundaries within the scope of their role.
- Where staff are in need of clinical care, appropriately refer staff to Lutheran Aged Care’s Employee Assistance program (EAP) or their medical practitioner.
- Perform effective spiritual assessments for individual residents upon admission, in response to changing life situations, and at regular intervals throughout a resident’s period of admission.
- Develop ongoing spiritual care plans for individual residents, based upon prior assessment and in consultation with the resident, next-of-kin, clinical and lifestyle staff.
- Assist with the development and implementation of meaningful group activities for residents to encourage spiritual growth and resilience.
- Prioritise and respond to spiritual care referrals, in coordination with the other members of the Pastoral Care Team.
- Identify residents requiring spiritual and emotional care advocacy and refer them for additional or more appropriate supports.
- Facilitate resident access to local representatives of their faith communities, as appropriate.
- Provide bereavement support to impacted next-of-kin and staff, as appropriate.
- Maintain timely and accurate records, documentation, and referral processes.
- Identify and recommend spiritual and emotional care resources for provision to residents and staff.
- Identify and promote current evidence, theory, and knowledge for spiritual care, and apply to practice.
- Contribute to continuous improvement within the Pastoral Care Team.
Collaborative Care
- Communicate clearly and respectfully with all contacts, with attentive listening in all interactions.
- Work effectively with the Pastoral Care Team, other staff, and management.
- Participate in regular multidisciplinary and Pastoral Care Team meetings.
- Provide presence and opportunity for staff debriefing after difficult or distressing experiences.
- Identify and address issues of potential conflict in consultation with the Chaplain and HR Manager.
- Demonstrate negotiation skills in finding mutually beneficial solutions to conflict.
Values-Based Care
- Uphold and exemplify LAC’s Values and Code of Conduct in all situations.
- Articulate and contribute to awareness of spiritual care within the context of resident wellbeing and holistic care.
- Demonstrate respect for inherent worth, dignity, and self-determination of all people.
- Demonstrate recognition and respect for varying cultural identities, values, beliefs, traditions, and practices, and maintain self-awareness when interacting with them.
Professional Integrity
- Demonstrate ethical decision-making within scope of role and seek advice regarding complex ethical issues.
- Exercise effective time management and prioritisation of work demands.
- Maintain intentional individual and team-based reflective practices.
- Maintain intentional self-care and regular professional supervision as provided by accredited supervisors.
- Contribute to the development of self-care resources for LAC staff.
- Utilise LAC resources and equipment responsibly and in an accountable manner.
- Comply with LAC WHS policies and procedures.
Professional Development
- Determine professional development goals and prepare annual plans in consultation with the Chaplain.
- Maintain mandatory staff training competencies.
- Maintain personal spirituality as a dimension of spiritual care practice.
- Identify and contribute to professional development opportunities for the Pastoral Care Team.
- Constructively participate in own performance review processes.
Personal Qualities
- Honesty, initiative, reliability, and discretion.
- Cooperative and flexible in working with others.
- High interpersonal skills.
- Empathy and a desire to work with older persons.
- Engages in own professional and spiritual development.
- Self-motivated and organised.
Conditions of Employment
The Pastoral Care Practitioner is a permanent full-time or part-time position from date of commencement. The position is to be worked at the agreed hours per week, within a fortnightly pay cycle. There is no paid overtime for the position, but extra hours worked may be flexibly used as Time in Lieu. Approval must be obtained prior to the working and taking of any Time in Lieu.
Depending on operational requirements, the position is expected to regularly work in LAC’s two facilities in West Albury, as well as occasional work at our facility at The Rock. A company car is available for transport to The Rock. In consultation with the Team Leader, a personal vehicle may be used instead, with fuel costs reimbursed.
Because of this requirement, a current and valid Driver’s License must be held by the successful applicant for the duration of employment.
The successful applicant will be subject to a six-month probationary period, which will include a formal professional review before the end of the six-month period. Lutheran Aged Care reserves the right to terminate employment during or at the end of this probationary period if we deem that the responsibilities of the role are not being reasonably met.
Selection Criteria
Essential
- Demonstrated capacity to meet the expected capabilities of a Level 2 Spiritual Care Practitioner, in accordance with Spiritual Care Australia’s Capability Framework (2023).
- Recent completion of, or current work towards, a qualification in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) or other tertiary qualification deemed relevant and suitable for the role.
- Demonstrated ability to undertake spiritual care assessments and care plans.
- Demonstrated compassion, empathy, and active listening skills.
- Demonstrated computer skills and familiarity with the Microsoft Office suite of applications.
- Demonstrated ability to operate independently and work effectively as a part of a team.
- Demonstrated advanced verbal/written communication, negotiation, and advocacy skills.
- Demonstrated ability to lead meaningful group activities, including assisting in religious activities in conjunction with the Chaplain, Team Leader or representatives of external faith communities.
- Demonstrated understanding of various faith traditions.
- Demonstrated capacity for reflective practice.
- Current Australian Driver’s Licence.
- Current NDIS Worker Screening Check.
- Vaccination Status compliant with legislative requirements for aged care employees.
Desirable
- Qualifications in Pastoral Care, Chaplaincy, Counselling, Community Services, Theology, Philosophy, Allied Health, Nursing, or other relevant discipline.
- Demonstrated life experience in spiritual formation.
- Recent experience in aged care, health care, or community services.
Lutheran Aged Care Albury has been looking after people in the Albury area since 1959. We are committed to service excellence and care for people. inspired by our values. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer who employ people based on their merits and passion for caregiving.
