/ POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title:

/ Intensive/Enhanced Foster Care Case Worker
Department/Location: / TRACC Intensive Foster Care
Employment Status: / Please refer to letter of employment
Reports To: / Intensive Foster Care Coordinator
Direct Reports: / Nil
Key Relationships/Interactions: / Internal:Coordinator, staff of Intensive Foster Care Program, staff of other TRACC programs, other Anglicare Southern Qld staff members.
External:Department of Communities (Child Safety Services),Foster Carers,Children and young people in care, and other community organisations.

Position Statement / Overall Purpose:

The Intensive/Enhanced Foster Care Case Worker’s major responsibility is to ensure a high level of therapeutic support is provided to Intensive Foster and Kinship Care placements of children and young people who are referred by the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (Child Safety Services) – hereinafter referred to as “the Department”. The Intensive Foster Care Case Worker is also responsible for supporting a case load of Foster Carers who are being supported by the Intensive Foster Care Program.

The Intensive/Enhanced Foster Care Case Worker will work in accordance with the values of Anglicare Southern Queensland and support core business by providing service, guidance and advice within this position’s specialty area.

Intensive/Enhanced Foster Care Case Workers provide direct care of children and/or young people in placement with a wide range of responsibility for program activities, supervision and safety skills. Because of the life experiences and trauma histories that our children andyoung peoplebring to their placement here, staff must not only provide adequate safety and supervision, but must be actively engaged in the process of building relationships, understanding and solving problems as part of a team, and must offer energy, safety and commitment in their work with our children and/or young peoplethrough genuine, caring and empathic engagement. The program supports family involvement through the facilitation, and support for visits and family connections with parents, relatives and other significant people in the lives of our children and young people.

Position Specific Requirements & Qualifications:

  1. Possession of a degree in Social Work, Psychology or Behavioural Science and/or relevant experience (mandatory).
  2. Ability and willingness to hold a Paid EmployeesPositive Notice (Blue Card) for Child RelatedEmployment issued by The Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian (at the worker’s own expense).
  3. Eligibility to gain a successful suitability check through the Department of Communities (Child Safety Services) (LCS-2).
  4. Possession of current provisional or open Australian Driver’s Licence.
  5. Ability and willingness to work on-call (on a rostered basis), includingwork on weekends and public holidays.
  6. Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment (desired)

Key Selection Criteria:

Essential:

  1. Applied knowledge and understanding of child protection and out-of-home care frameworks, including knowledge of or ability to acquire knowledge of the Child Protection Act (1999) and other relevant legislation.
  2. Knowledge of and demonstrated ability in child-centred and strengths-based framework.
  3. Applied knowledge and understanding of trauma and pain-based behaviour.
  4. Demonstrated experience in assessing complex to extreme needs of children and young people and developing Individual Care Plans which utilise existing strengths and skills and target areas for development.
  5. Demonstrated ability to respond appropriately in crisis situations - highly developed problem solving, decision-making and negotiation skills.
  6. Ability to self regulate when responding to crisis situations.
  7. Ability to actively engage in building and sustaining positive relationships with children and young people.
  8. Ability to engage children and young people in interactions and activities that are purposeful and goal orientated with the aim of building their competencies and life skills.
  9. Commitment to enabling children and young people to have positive relationships with their families.
  10. Proven ability to work effectively both within a team and to operate with autonomy while seeking advice and authority when required.
  11. Ability to operate Windows applications, including Word, Outlook and PowerPoint
  12. Ability and willingness to work within a Christian context according to the Mission and Values of Anglicare.

Desired:

  1. Experience in out-of-home care, particularly foster care.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities:

  1. Accountability: Developmentally focused: Ensure children, young people and carers are understood and responded to from a developmental framework

Responsibilities:

  • Understand how to respond to differences in chronological and developmental levels of children and young people
  • Promote development and adjust expectations in response to your understanding of individual child or young person’s developmental level
  • Provide support to children and young people in regard to placements, targeting specific issues relevant for their Care Plan.
  • In collaboration with the TRACC Team, develop individual Care Plans which utilize existing strengths and skills of children and young people and target areas for development.
  • Work in partnership with other Intensive Case Workers to inform of Carer needs regarding ongoing education and skill development and the needs of children and young people who are placed with them (e.g. this shared information may impact positively on the Foster Carer’s Learning and Development Plan).
  • Encourage the Foster and Kinship Carers to empower children and young people by providing them with opportunities to learn developmentally-appropriate skills required for living, problem-solving and stress management.
  1. Accountability: Family involved: Support carers, children and young people to have positive relationships with their family

Responsibilities:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of family/kinship connections to children and young people our care.
  • Work in partnership with carers to support children and young people’s connections with their family and community.
  • Assist carers in developing and maintaining their own support network within their family and friends.
  1. Accountability: Relationship based: Form and maintain positive, nurturing relationships with carers, children and young people

Responsibilities:

  • Build relationships that are based on trust and respect and through sensitivity, availability, acceptance and investment.
  • Maintain open, honest and respectful lines of communication with the children/young people, carers and co-workers.
  • Conduct weekly or as required home visits with children and young people to ensure they are supported in their Intensive foster care placement.
  • Contribute to communication between children, young people, Foster Carers, Foster Care Case Workers and Coordinator, particularly in regard to critical or challenging stages of the care process.
  • Journey alongside children and young people to encourage an understanding of their story and continue the healing process, particularly via a focus on relationship.
  • Assist children and young people to develop skills necessary for building positive and empowering relationships within circles of significance (e.g. school, peers, TAFE).
  • Conduct weekly or as required home visits and provide ongoing face-to-face, phone and email support to individual Foster Carers.
  • Provide support to Foster Carers in regard to placements, targeting specific issues relevant for the Case Plan and needs of children and young people who are subject to child protection orders.
  • Support children and young people to access appropriate respite and to develop a relationship with their respite carer.
  1. Accountability: Trauma informed: Respond to children and young people with an understanding of complex trauma

Responsibilities:

  • Ensure emotional and safety standards and requirements are met (as outlined in the Child Protection Act 1999).
  • Demonstrates an ability to recognize and respond therapeutically to pain-based behaviour.
  • In collaboration with the TRACC Team, facilitate and ensure appropriate therapeutic interventions for children and young people in Intensive family-based care.
  • Promote pro-social behaviour and employ strategies, responses and techniques that are respectful to the child or young person’s dignity and rights to manage challenging or extreme behaviours.
  1. Accountability: Competence centred: Ability to actively engage children and young people in interactions and activities that are goal orientated

Responsibilities:

  • Provide children with opportunities to learn resilience and living skills appropriate to their age and ability.
  • Plan and actively participate in activities to support and increase skills and competencies.
  • Contribute to the individual assessment of each child, utilising their professional training and observation.
  • Participate in goal setting with the children/young people to identify their goalsand needs and how they can be reached.
  • Develop resources to assist Foster Carers in the therapeutic care of children and young people.
  • Provide support to Carers in the event of a Standard of Care issue, Matter of Concern or grievance.
  • Link Foster Carers to appropriate professional supports and specific fostering bodies (e.g. Foster Care Queensland, Carer Support Groups).
  • Assist in organizing, preparing and delivering Pre-Service Quality Care Training and additional required training for prospective Foster Carers.
  • Ensure each Foster Carer has a Learning and Development Plan
  1. Accountability: Ecological orientated: Actively contribute to an environment that enables children and young people to grow and develop

Responsibilities:

  • Demonstrates an awareness of the physical and emotional environment by assisting carers to create a home that is emotionally and physically safe, nurturing, appropriately engaging and stimulating, which fosters growth and resilience.
  • Support carers to develop routines withchildren and young people.
  • Support carers to enable children and young people experience success in their community through participation in age and developmentally appropriate recreation, education etc.
  • Liaise with professional services engaged in the ongoing care of the child or young person (e.g. schools, mental health services, ancillary health services).
  • Work cooperatively with other agencies and where necessary advocate for each child, e.g. school, Department of Communities (Child Safety Services).
  1. Accountability: Promote an effective, supportive, caring and accountable team environment.

Responsibilities:

  • Have a sound understanding of the CARE therapeutic framework on which TRACC’s practice is based and be able to communicate this framework to foster carers and others involved in the care of the child or young person (e.g. education and health services).
  • Facilitate communication between Foster Carers and the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (Child Safety Services) particularly in relation to critical or challenging stages of the care process.
  • Share the after hours support of Foster Carers to ensure continuity of care for Foster Carers, children and young people. This after hours support will be shared by other Intensive Foster Care team members and the Coordinator of the Program.
  • Contribute to the building of a TRACC Team environment through professional practice that is child-centred, strengths-based and is congruent with the CARE Principles and the Mission, Values, policies and procedures of Anglicare.
  • Attend and actively contribute to team meetings.
  • Communicate in an open, transparent and considerate manner with members of the Team.
  • Work in collaboration with team members.
  • Willing to engage in supervision as per the Anglicare supervision process.
  • Adhere to the Anglicare Code of Conduct.
  • Attend and actively participate in children/young people care plan meetings and goal setting within the team.
  • Attend case plan meetings with Department of Communities (Child Safety Services) and other service providers, as requested.
  • Participate in relevant alternative care and community networks.
  • Have a commitment to gaining self-awareness of how personal values impact the children being cared for and individual responses to specific behaviours.
  1. Accountability: Quality Improvement.

Responsibilities:

  • Participate in and contribute to Admission Conferences and planning necessary for the entry of children and young people into the Program including development of their Individual Care Plan Work in partnership with other Intensive Case Workers and Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (Child Safety Services) in order to ensure timely organization of Reviews and follow-up.
  • Provide verbal and written reports as required by the Program Coordinator (e.g. monthly Care Plan Reviews).
  • Facilitate opportunities for Foster Carer education and ongoing development, especially in regard to Departmental requirements for maintenance of Approval status and according to the needs of children and young people who are placed with Foster Carers.
  • As a member of the Intensive Foster Care team, participate in recruitment, screening, selection and training of Foster Carers.
  • Assessment of applicants for purposes of Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (Child Safety Services) Foster Carer approval and re-approval.
  • Maintain a high standard of comprehensive record-keeping for purposes of licensing, research and quality assurance purposes (including record keeping of Carer and Departmental contact).
  • Ensure records for both Foster Carers and children/young people are maintained professionally and according to best practice.
  • Continue professional development; maintain knowledge of current research and practice related to foster care, children and young people.
  • Monitor and maintain relevant documentation to ensure the Program sustains compliance with licensing requirements and relevant legislation.
  • Participate in and respond to internal and external audits and their findings.
  • Assist in reviewing the Program, including policies, procedures, forms and practices.
  1. Other Duties and Requirements
  • Undertake own work practices in a safe manner and comply with the instructions given for workplace health and safety within Anglicare Southern Queensland Policies and Procedures;
  • Do not, during or after employment, disclose information relating to residents, clients and staff of Anglicare or damage the reputation, viability or profitability of Anglicare services;
  • Your responsibilities also extend to any tasks outlined on a duties list, or any other tasks delegated to you by your manager/supervisor, provided that those new job requirements are safe, efficient, relevant, legal and within your abilities.

Additional Requirements

  • All Anglicare staff members who work within Child & Youth Programs are required to participate in training in the CARE Model.
  • All Intensive Foster Care Case Workers are required to achieve and maintain accreditation in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention and Transforming Care

Delegation of Authority:

  • In accordance with the Anglicare Delegations of Authority Policy.

Intensive/Enhanced Foster Care Case Worker (TRACC)Version 1.2

Effective Date: May, 2013Page 1 of 5

Review Date: May, 2015