Employer: Community Living Association Inc

Region: Australia wide

Closing Date: 26 July 2024

Job Description:

This position involves working with young people with complex support needs who have experienced education difficulties and face challenges in transition to employment.

The Project Team will consist of three workers; Youth Co-op Co-ordinator (currently filled) and two CD Workers who will share all project tasks, ie reaching out and connecting with potential Youth Co-op participants and their networks; and developing and facilitating a training program with young people.

Project goals are to work with young people who require support in exploring employment goals. The Project is a joint activity of Community Living Association and Nundah Community Enterprises Co-op and has been funded for 2 years by the Paul Ramsay Foundation.  Sources of referral are CLA teams, Child Safety, Youth Justice and other non- govt or individual referrals.

Community Living Association is a Developmental Organisation that works with young people with complex support needs and has worker with its constituencies to create innovative responses to issues. These have included IYHG (a person with a disability-controlled housing company), WWILD-SVA (a sexual assault response and prevention service), Nundah Community Enterprise Co-op (a Workers Co-operative) and a range of other People’s Organisation.

Characteristics and Features

• Exercise initiative and judgement in identifying, planning, implementing, and evaluating the project
• Work independently to conduct holistic assessments, problem-solve and respond to constituents with complex needs.
• Actively contribute specialised skills and knowledge, as outlined in the role requirements, internally and externally, and support other practitioners in the team.
• Use discipline skills and knowledge, as outlined in the role requirements, to work with young people engaged in multiple and complex systems, eg. NDIS, Child Safety, Youth Justice/Criminal Justice, Housing, Centrelink, Health, Mental Health
• Manage time, set priorities, plan, and organise the work, engage in professional supervision, and supervise other staff/students as required.
• Advocate, coordinate and communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders in complex systems.
• Engage in critical reflection individually, and as part of a team, to develop practice and practice responses to enhance outcomes for constituents.
• Work both autonomously and in collaboration with the project team, steering group and external stakeholders.

 Duties and Responsibilities

• Outreach to young people
• Developing relationships
• Listening
• Being useful to young person and providing holistic support
• Introducing young people to Youth Group and support group development
• Develop a basic group structure and curriculum of opportunities but be open to Developmental opportunities emerging from young people issues.
• Develop and facilitate a paid work experience program
• Project development as member of the delivery team
• Supporting young people to move onto next steps.
• Supporting young people around barriers they face in relation to employment
• Help to develop a successful / sustainable Youth Co-op enterprise
• Engage in some physical labour alongside young people engaged in training and work tasks.
• Consult on learnings with colleagues and project team
• Apply, and contribute to the development of, CLA’s Practice Framework, the Team’s Practice Framework, and CLA’s Policies and Procedures in the work, to ensure best practice and to ‘champion’ the rights, needs and hopes of the service users we work with.
• Represent CLA in forums and networks, advocating with, or on behalf of, service users, to improve their opportunities and outcomes.
• Participate in regular and ongoing supervision, professional development, and critical reflection.
• Respectfully and actively participate in weekly team meetings and contribute to a positive work environment.
• Share administrative responsibilities (e.g., taking referrals, reception duties, locking up and recording at team meetings).
• Maintain record keeping such as case notes, minor expenditures, report writing and assist the Steering Group with collecting and analysing organisational data and reporting.
• Work autonomously to fulfill the requirements of the role.
• Work collaboratively with your team members, and other staff across the organization, as required.

Knowledge and skills

Core elements of our Developmental Practice are empowering individual and group decision making, supporting the strengthening and development of relationships at both individual level but also through group coming together for collective activity. Supporting people to individually and as groups gain control over money and resources, supporting individual and group knowledge development.

• Developmental Practice (CD) understanding and approach.
• Confidence and skills to engage in outreach and connect with young people and their networks.
• Deep listening skills.
• An understanding and commitment to relationship-based practice.
• Program planning and design.
• Commitment and ability to engage constituencies in planning and design.
• Understanding of behaviour and not taking negative behaviours of others personally.
• engage in some physical labour alongside young people engaged in training and work tasks.
• Creativity -singing, dancing, artistry, storytelling welcomed.
• Need to have holistic analysis and view of the work
• Ability to ask questions and seek guidance.
• Experience of business and/or social enterprise operations valuable though not essential.
• Ability to gain and communicate a basic knowledge of social enterprise operations is required.
• Sound knowledge and skills in working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and the LGBTIQ community.
• A commitment to social justice and an ability to use advocacy skills in practice, where applicable.

Requirements

• Relevant tertiary qualification.
• Blue Card and NDIS Worker Screening Card
• 3 doses of a Covid-19 vaccination
• Driver’s License and use of own vehicle for work purposes (mileage reimbursed as per SCHADS Award).

 

Position Description:

Community-Development-Worker-Selection-Criteria