Team Leader - Family Services

Position

Team Leader - Family Services

Team

Family Services, Families & Community 

Role Classification

SCHADS Award Level 7

Employment Type/Hours

Full Time, Permanent, 38 hours  (1 FTE)

Location

Sandringham, Frankston, Cheltenham and Hampton Hall 

Reports To

Program Manager, Families & Community Program 

Effective Date

April 2025

Overview of Program 

The Families & Community Program at Family Life offers a range of services within the Bayside Peninsula catchment. This includes the Brief Support (BI/EH), Community Bubs, Integrated Family Services (IFS), Integrated Family Services Plus (IFS+) and Family Preservation & Reunification Response (FPRR) Programs. These programs are aimed at providing an enhanced response to families with significant needs, who have children under the age of 18 years old. Support is focused on strengthening the capacity of families to provide a safe, nurturing, and stable environment for their children. Support is also provided to vulnerable families and their children who are often involved with or at risk of entering the statutory Child Protection system.
The aim of our family services is to provide parenting support based on the needs of families, to promote safety and wellbeing. The Practitioner’s roles are aimed at ensuring children are meeting their developmental milestones, and that their needs are being met through this direct work with the families. This support is provided to families and their children using a ‘whole-of-family’ approach that promotes everyone’s involvement. The support is provided using a range of service modalities including outreach case-management, group work, needs assessment and goal setting. 
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 Family Services Team Leader provides effective leadership to a team of Practitioners and is responsible for ensuring that quality services are delivered to our clients, in line with relevant legislative and contractual requirements. The position also supports the team’s practice and continuing professional development. The Team Leader role works as part of the Families and Communities leadership team as well as the broader Family Life leadership group including the Practice and Program Development team contributing to ongoing development, continuous improvement and service innovations and cross program integration. 
The primary responsibility of the Team Leader is to work with the Practitioners of their substantive portfolios to ensure that all service delivery within the program area is delivered to the highest standard, achieves agreed outcomes and aligns with Family Life’s evidence informed approach, Vision, Purpose and Forward Plan. The Team Leader will lead a high performing team that maximises capacity for service development and innovation, drives integration across the program, and works with the Program Manager and other Team Leaders to deliver on the Families and Community growth agenda. 
The Families and Communities Program is just one aspect of the breadth of services offered through Family Life. The team leader will work as part of the broader leadership group to foster collaboration and service design. Working collectively to build streamlined services integration and practice development. 

Key Responsibilities

The key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Leading and providing supervision for a team of staff, students and volunteers to deliver case management, community development, group work and other service delivery practices. 


• Overseeing inbound referrals and coordinating the allocation of referrals to Practitioners across the various program areas. 


• Working closely with program leadership as well as broader teams to design and implement new initiatives to support families, innovating practice and service offerings.


• Remaining up to date with the latest evidence based and evidence informed practices to inform the training needs and skills development of the program.


• Leading quality assurance processes and developing responses to best practice guidelines including innovation of current practice and processes to better respond to organisational requirements and community needs. 


• Direct involvement with fostering a positive team culture and addressing complex scenarios within team and their clients, as they arise.


• Representing the organisation in appropriate service networking and service development forums to build, develop and maintain stakeholder relationships.


• 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. 


• Close collaboration with the other areas of the organisation to co-design and implement initiatives that respond to the changing needs of families and the communities we support. 


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


• The Team Leader will additionally support the program with any other reasonable requirements essential to program functioning. 

Key Selection Criteria

1. Graduate or Postgraduate professional qualification in a discipline appropriate to the management of human services program delivery.


2. Demonstrated experience in a Team Leader role, providing supervision to Practitioners, working to implement innovative approaches to practice and in maintaining high levels of performance and innovation, while fostering a positive team culture.


3. Demonstrated experience of managing complex scenarios as they arise within the different program areas of the Families and Community program. Ensuring that communication with senior management and reporting requirements are completed in a timely manner.


4. High quality leadership skills and demonstrated ability in training, performance management and effectively navigating complex staffing situations.


5. Proven experience in developing and implementing community engagement strategies. A passion for building and maintaining strong relationships with community members, stakeholders and partner organisations.


6. Experience in the delivery of case management based on the ‘Best Interest Principles’ as defined under the Child Youth and Families Act 2005 and program framework and working knowledge of universal, secondary and tertiary service systems, including Child Protection and Youth Justice.


7. Experience working with families, children and young people using strengths, trauma informed, systems based, family inclusive, feminist and community-based approaches with experience in the provision of interventions for high-risk young people who perpetrate family violence and their families/support systems.


8. The Team Leader role requires an individual with a Growth Mindset. Someone who is able to think flexibly, innovatively and with a solution focused approach. Working in partnership with all areas of the Organisation to design and implement innovative programs that address the changing needs of the community and funding requirements.


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


10. High level verbal and written communication skills with the ability to manage time and priorities effectively.


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