Strengthening Families Practitioner

Position

Strengthening Families Practitioner  

Team

Families & Community Program

Role Classification

SCHADS Level 5

Employment Type

2 x Permanent, Full Time

1 x Fixed Term, Full Time 

Location

Frankston, Sandringham and Hampton East (Bunurong Land)

From time to time the incumbent may be requested to work from or be based at other Family Life sites.

Reports To

Team Leader, Family Services

Effective Date

May 2026 

Overview of Program 

The Families & Community Program at Family Life offers a range of services within the Bayside Peninsula catchment. All programs fall within three streams, Connecting Families, Strengthening Families and Restoring Families.

Strengthening Families, for families with cumulative, escalating needs, provide in-home support child and family support over a more extensive period of time aiming to improve family functioning, restore safety and wellbeing, and divert children and families from the statutory system.

Family Life as an Organisation has been delivering quality services to the Bayside/Peninsula community since 1970, as such we are deeply committed to our place-based approach to support. We value our community and have a strong belief in the importance of activating community to build and sustain all families. This approach allows Family Life to be responsive to the differing needs of the families we support in their local communities.

Position Objective

• The Strengthening Families Practitioner provides short and medium-term case management to support families with children aged 0-17. This position works from both the Sandringham, Frankston and Hampton East Family Life Service Centres (Bunurong Land). The Practitioner will provide a collaborative response to support, working closely with key stakeholders including Maternal and Child Health Nurses, schools / the Department of Education, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (formerly known as DHHS) and other relevant professionals.


• The Strengthening Families Practitioner will work with a range of clients including where there are complex needs and issues of risk and safety. The Strengthening Families Practitioner will be required to conduct outreach visits with their allocated families, whilst providing needs-based case management utilising a child-centred, feminist and strengths-based approach. The Practitioner will work across case management as well supporting parenting group facilitation and/or community-based work.
  

Key Responsibilities

The key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Managing a high-risk caseload, with complex needs, using trauma informed approaches to practice, and utilising theoretical frameworks and evidence-based


• Working with families by applying a range of service modalities including but not limited to; intake and assessment, brief support, a care team approach, group work, outreach case management and developing strong working relationships with key agencies such as Child Protection, schools and Maternal and Child Health Services.


• Increasing capacity of parents to meet their child’s health, safety and developmental needs, and to build self-resilience through linkages to community support, education, and training and employment opportunities.


• Carrying specialist portfolios such as group work to promote interventions designed to strengthen family capacity and provide psychoeducation and reduce family violence in the community.


• Promoting safety and stability through strong assessment, case plans and application of appropriate risk assessment frameworks.


• Providing a collaborative response to Family Violence, including the provision of brief and medium-term interventions.


• Working effectively with parents from a range of backgrounds including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from CALD backgrounds, people who are LGBTQIA+, people with a disability, and young people with a history in out of home


• Delivering services to quality standards, complying with relevant legislation and contractual requirements.


• Engaging in regular supervision and critical reflection with the Team Leader and group reflective practice with the Practice and Program Development


• Participating in appropriate training sessions, network meetings, team meetings and peer supervision as directed by the line manager.


• Collecting, recording and maintaining all required documentation to evidence impact and effectiveness of service delivery in a complete, accurate, and timely manner, as requested by the organisation’s standards and program contracts.


• Taking an active role in the organisational priority of building on our “place based” approach to support, by activating community to increase accessibility and community involvement in supporting local families.


• Practitioners are required to deliver a full time equivalent case load of 1,314 hours (at a minimum) of service delivery to clients annually.


• Facilitate a minimum of one group per year, which may require work after-hours. 
  

Key Selection Criteria

1. 
   Bachelor level qualification in Social Work, Psychology, Social Sciences or equivalent.


2. 
   Ability to manage a high-risk caseload, with complex needs, using trauma capable approaches to practice.


3. 
   Experience in the delivery of case management based on the ‘Best Interest Principles’ as defined under the Child Youth and Families Act 2005 and other relevant frameworks.


4. 
   Ability to work effectively with families experiencing a range of complexities including mental health issues, alcohol and other drug (AOD) misuse, family violence, adolescent family violence, sexual abuse and trauma.


5. 
   Working knowledge of universal, secondary, and tertiary service systems, including Child Protection.


6. 
   Experience working with infants, children, adolescents and their families using Strengths-Based, Trauma Informed, Systems Based, Family Inclusive, Feminist Framework and Community Based Approaches.


7. 
   Ability to articulate and reflect upon personal and professional values and work effectively under pressure and respond appropriately to crises.


8. 
   Ability to promote safety and stability through ongoing application of risk assessment.


9. 
   Commitment to meeting the needs of at-risk families, children and young people guided by the organisation’s whole-of-family approach and community-based model of service delivery.


10. 
    High level of verbal and written communication skills to conduct effective risk assessment, case noting and sound administration. In combination with this experience, the ability to utilise these within the organisation’s computer-based software.


11. 
    Information technology skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, video conferencing platforms and client management systems.


12. 
    A passion for building and maintaining strong relationships with community members, stakeholders and partner organisations.


13. 
    A Growth Mindset; the ability to think flexibly, innovatively and with a solution focused approach.