Note: All positions have been placed in alphabetical order.
There are no procedures – this section provides information on each position and their specific roles and responsibilities.
Aboriginal Practice Leader
The Aboriginal Practice Leader (formerly known as the Senior Officer Aboriginal Services) is responsible for leading consistent high standards of services to Aboriginal children by contributing to the development and implementation of effective practices relating to Aboriginal children and their families.
The Aboriginal Practice Leader also provides high level advice to the District Director and leadership team on issues relating to Aboriginal services that are proactive and responsive to the customers needs.
When an Aboriginal child is to be placed in out of home care, an Aboriginal Practice Leader must be consulted.
Assistant District Director (where appointed)
The Assistant District Director has a key role in driving the integration, implementation and management of Responsible Parenting Services and support to vulnerable children and families in the District. Their duties are diverse and can vary depending on the needs of the District Office.
The Assistant District Director provides high level advice on matters related to parenting issues and practice and is responsible for establishing responses within the framework of the Department’s strategic plan and operational guidelines.
While the position has primary responsibility for Service 3 (Individual and Family Support) the Assistant District Director is also responsible for exploring how Service 3 can be integrated into Service 1 (Children in Care) and Service 2 (Protection of Children) to enhance supports to families and vulnerable children.
The Assistant District Director supports the District’s operations and establishes and maintains partnerships with non-government agencies to work together to produce improved outcomes for children, individuals, families and communities. They also assist with the District’s responses to protect children and improve the quality of care that children in care receive. The Assistant District Director does not have delegated authority to approve a child entering the CEO’s care, nor to approve the use of s.33 of the Act – Access to child for purposes of investigation.
The role of the Assistant District Director also incorporates involvement in community projects/community organisations, not only to advance the profile of the Responsible Parenting Service but also to develop positive and proactive relationships within the community.
In addition, the position assists the District Director in managing District teams, staffing and workload management, with the ongoing performance evaluation of the District and reports on any activities and issues within the District to the District Director.
Best Beginnings - Parent Support Worker and Parenting Officer
Best Beginnings Parent Support Workers and Parenting Officers (Best Beginnings Home Visitors) provide a voluntary home visiting service to parents who have been identified as having challenges in their life that will impact on their ability to provide a safe and nurturing environment for their child.
Home visits commence antenatally or before the baby is three months of age and can continue until the child turns two years of age. Best Beginnings Home Visitors provide the families with information, support and advice on infant care and development, caregiver wellbeing and family functioning, and assist parents link in to community resources that will assist them to meet their personal and parenting goals.
Best Beginnings Home Visitors are highly skilled at engaging hard to reach families, have extensive knowledge of infant attachment, health, safety, and developmental needs, and have the ability to develop collaborative professional networks.
The Case Support Officer contributes to the effective management of case work in the District by providing direct case support and administrative assistance to designated Child Protection/Care for Children case management teams and District as required. This includes maintaining all related client and administrative files and the provision of data entry and retrieval from casework information systems.
Under direction from the case manager or Team Leader, the Case Support Officer also provides information to clients relating to casework matters and liaises with and provides information to government and non government agencies in relation to client needs.
Community Child Protection Worker
Community Child Protection Worker (Country and Metropolitan Services)
The Community Child Protection Worker (CCPW) has a high level of knowledge and skills in the area of child protection and provides services and supports to families and communities that enhance the wellbeing of children and other vulnerable members of the community. They are also available to assist staff and other stakeholders to build on community and family capacity through the provision of training, education and information that raise awareness of child safety issues and promote safe environments for children and other vulnerable people.
CCPWs undertake community and casework activities of a complex nature and provide advice and expertise to District staff on child safety and protection issues. Their child protection role is negotiated with the Team Leader.
The CCPW also investigates serious concerns about the welfare and safety of children and assists Team Leaders to ensure a sound level of community work and casework practice in Districts.
Remote Community Child Protection Worker (Country Services)
The role of the remote Community Child Protection Worker (CCPW) is to provide responses within the full spectrum of activity to ensure the protection of children. This includes developing community capacity, safeguarding the wellbeing of children, providing individual support to families and intervening when children have experienced substantial harm or are at risk of substantial harm.
This broad range of responses includes some case management responsibilities; however, the maximum number of cases to be case managed by remote CCPWs is seven.
The District Director oversees the day to day functioning of the District’s operations and establishes and maintains partnerships with other government and non government agencies to develop improved outcomes for children, individuals, families and communities.
The District Director has a key role in assisting the Department fulfil its statutory responsibilities and is responsible for establishing District responses within the framework of the Department’s strategic plan and operational guidelines.
The District Director has delegated responsibility and authority for the decision to bring a child into the CEO’s care and the use of s.33 of the Act: that is to have access to a child for the purposes of investigation. The District Director is also responsible for the implementation of policies and practices to protect children and improve the quality of care that children in care receive and to ensure quality assurance mechanisms are applied and maintained for practice standards, casework and community initiatives within their District.
The District Director provides supervision to professional staff who deliver case advice and interventions and is responsible for managing District staffing and overseeing workload management within the District.
Education Officer (including Early Education Officer)
The Education Officer (EO) is a qualified teacher with specialist knowledge, skills and experience. EOs are available for advice and consultation in relation to educational matters and provide an educational support to departmental clients.
The primary role of the EO is to support children and their families, particularly those who are disadvantaged, to prepare children for school and to access and maintain their involvement with educational opportunities.
There are two programs provided by Education Services: the Home School Support Program and Early Education Service.
The Home School Support Program provides services to children and families who are clients of the Department. It is directed at primary and secondary students and school leavers. The EO works with caregivers, schools, educational institutions and the community to arrange a variety of educational or training options for children.
The EO can assist with educational placement and planning for children with education needs through:
- Education assessment to determine required supports
- Remedial and learning difficulty supports
- Implementation and management of tutoring
- Alternative education placements
- Vocational education placements
- Apprenticeship and Traineeship.
The Early Education Service is administered by the Early Education Officer who works with children 3 – 8 years of age. The Service assists parents and/or foster carers to gain knowledge development skills to support and promote their child’s intellectual, language, social, emotional and physical development to enable the child to succeed at kindergarten, pre-primary, and school. This Service is provided on a voluntary basis and the Early Education Officer works in partnership with the family through home visits, early education groups and by facilitating links with other community services.
Family Resource Workers (FRWs) are non-statutory, non-case carrying roles whose duties across the Department are extremely diverse and depend largely on the needs of the District Office.
Activities undertaken by FRWs may include: arranging contact visits and undertaking supervision of these in a way which will provide a stabilising support to this process; working closely with carers to provide support in their care of children; participating in community work projects and initiatives; implementing parenting skills training, one to one or group work; undertaking administrative case support tasks, for example organising camps; and assisting with issues which arise in their support work with clients i.e. budgeting, social isolation, parenting etc.
The Field Worker (FW) works in the areas of child protection and children in care and is responsible for engaging, building and maintaining relationships with families and their children and communities to strengthen their capacity to provide care and safety to children.
The FW assists and supports families and their children to identify their strengths, and refers families and children to relevant agencies and community resources where required.
When necessary, the FW may take legal action to promote the safety and wellbeing of children.
Parent Support - Caseworker
The Parent Support Caseworker manages a portfolio of clients in accordance with the Responsible Parenting Service’s clinical framework.
The Parent Support Caseworker undertakes assessments and develops and supervises case management plans for family support and they are available to provide advice to families and other stakeholders on support strategies.
The Parent Support Caseworker is also responsible for maintaining effective relationships between Responsible Parenting Services, families, government agencies and other key stakeholders to achieve program outcomes.
Parent Support - Parent Visitor
The Parent Visitor provides an in-home visiting service for parents and works collaboratively with Parent Support Caseworkers in delivering individualised parenting plans to parents in the program.
The Parent Visitor also assists the Parent Support Caseworker identify a parent’s strengths and establish goals and participates in a range of home and community activities with parents to achieve the goals of the parent plan.
Each metropolitan District will have at least two Psychologists available. They are either six year trained Clinical or Counselling Psychologists or registered Psychologists, all with skills at assessment and intervention with adults and children who are experiencing psychological or behavioural difficulties.
Psychologists are able to provide advice, support and training to foster carers. As well, they are able to consult on cases and advise and liaise with health and education professionals.
Experienced Senior Psychologists can provide Court reports and parent capacity assessments and have some capacity for forensic assessment or to assist with referrals to a private Psychologist where appropriate.
The Resource Officer (also known as the Financial Assistance Officer) administers the Family Crisis Program. Under this service the Resource Officer assesses a client’s eligibility for monetary assistance where the Department considers it appropriate. They are also responsible for monitoring expenditure and providing information and advice to the District Director on relevant Family Crisis Program matters.
The Resource Officer assists customers to develop budget management skills and provides information to customers of community resources available, makes referrals and negotiates support, where appropriate, within the Department, to government or to non-government agencies. They also provide information and advice to Field Workers, government and non-government agencies regarding customer needs.
The Resource Officer is also in a position to identify and refer to the Duty Officer, children and families involved in domestic violence situations or who are experiencing other "welfare" related difficulties.
Senior Officer - Care Services
It is the primary responsibility of the Senior Officer - Care Services (SOCS) to guide and supervise the District placement practices and procedures.
The most important function of the SOCS is to find placements for children who are brought into care. A SOCS must always be consulted when the placement of a child is being considered and be involved in case discussions where there are difficulties with the placement.
Placements can be with general foster carers, relative or kinship carers, non-government agencies, group homes or hostels. It is the responsibility of the SOCS to assess the suitability of the placement and to ensure that it matches the child's needs and provide support to the caregiver when a child is in placement.
In metropolitan Districts, the recruitment and assessment of general foster carers is the responsibility of Fostering Services, but in country Districts this is carried out by the SOCS who are also responsible for the recruitment, assessment and training of group homes and hostel carers. SOCS also assist Field Workers in the recruitment and assessment of relative and kinship carers.
Metropolitan SOCS work with Fostering Services in the recruitment of general foster carers through local advertising and by regularly hosting information evenings. SOCS also sit on the Fostering Services selection panel.
The SOCS must quality assure all relative and kinship carers interim and final assessments, ensure that record checks and Working with Children cards have been correctly completed, register the carer, approve carer subsidy payments and support and guide Field Workers in the timely completion of Special Needs Loading applications.
The SOCS’ other duties include annual reviews of general foster carers and Chairing Care Plan/Care Plan Review meetings.
Senior Field Worker - Generic
The Senior Field Worker (SFW) provides a professional assessment, planning and intervention service to individuals, groups and communities within a service delivery team.
The Senior Field Worker (SFW) can be consulted about all aspects of child protection work including the provision of supports and services to families and communities to enhance the safety and wellbeing of children and other vulnerable individuals.
The SFW provides advice and training to District staff on matters concerning the care, safety and protection of children and is also available for consultation to other service delivery agencies. Other responsibilities include: participating in planning forums on cases, co-working with Field staff on difficult cases and providing specialist advice in allegations of abuse in care and to co-work child protection investigations.
The SFW also works with stakeholders to provide community education and information to raise awareness of child safety issues and promote the wellbeing of children and other vulnerable people in the community.
The SFW may also, as directed, manage a small local office and ensures the efficient and effective use of resources. This includes supervising and supporting staff in the performance of their duties, prioritising and allocating work and ensuring it is performed in accordance with departmental standards and practice guidelines, representing the Department in the local community and reporting to the Team Leader and District Director on local issues and operations.
Some country Districts also employ Aboriginal Child Protection workers. These officers are employed on the basis of their cultural knowledge and expertise.
Senior Practice Development Officer
The Senior Practice Development Officer (SPDO) provides advice and consultation to the District Director, Unit Manager, Team Leaders and other Field staff in the District on operational policy and practice matters and complex casework practice issues. They also monitor and review departmental practice standards within the District and contribute to the professional development and practice development of staff, providing guidance and training.
The SPDO may also Chair complex or contentious Care Plans/Care Plan Reviews as required.
StrongFamilies Coordinator
The role of the StrongFamilies Coordinator is to promote coordination and collaboration between agencies in their work with families who have complex needs, with a particular emphasis on Aboriginal families. StrongFamilies Coordinators do not themselves provide a case management service or direct services to families. Their role is to support the agencies to bring about an interagency case management approach and build the capacity of the agencies to work collaboratively.
StrongFamilies Coordinators have a key role in ensuring agencies are held accountable for doing what they agreed to do within StrongFamilies processes. The Monitoring Group requires StrongFamilies Coordinators to provide feedback to agencies regarding agency staff participation in StrongFamilies’ processes.
The Team Leader is generally responsible for the day to day functioning of the team including the allocation of work to team members, the supervision of team members and provides consultation and advice on casework matters and decisions. They also have administrative responsibilities for the approval of case expenditure, staff leave arrangements and performance management appraisals.
The Team Leader has delegated responsibility and authority for case practice within their District team and for maintaining and ensuring quality assurance mechanisms in relation to case practice. This may include providing direction and advice in relation to the case plan, being available for consultation, Chairing meetings (including Care Plans), ensuring consultations occur with specialist staff and forwarding information to line management as required.
Youth and Family Support Worker
Youth and Family Support Workers (YFSW) are non-statutory, non-case carrying roles that work intensively with a small number of Aboriginal Families to develop long term solutions to high risk behaviours, including child abuse and family violence as well as engaging with “at risk” Aboriginal children to focus on their safety and link them into appropriate services.