Child and Family Practitioner

About the role

CatholicCare Victoria's Family Services program offers DFFH-funded services to children, young people and families across the Strengthening, Restoring and Kinship streams. This Ballarat-based position is an outreach role delivering integrated services almost entirely in client homes and community settings, with regular travel to client environments. It sits within a capability-based model where practitioners adapt their approach to the level of need and risk in each family.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality, client-centred services across the Strengthening and Restoring streams, managing a blended caseload
• Carry out comprehensive assessments, planning, intervention and review, and maintain accurate, compliant case notes
• Provide practical, therapeutic and system-based support and empower families to strengthen and restore relationships
• Apply frameworks such as MARAM, BICPM, Safe and Together, Outcome Star, Ages and Stages Questionnaire and Family Assessment, and escalate child safety concerns appropriately
• Take part in care team meetings and coordinate with partner agencies, statutory bodies and community stakeholders

Required profile

• Tertiary qualification in Social Work, Psychology, Community Services or a related field
• Demonstrated experience working with children, young people and families
• Understanding of child safety, risk assessment and family dynamics
• Commitment to child safety and the Catholic Safeguarding Standards

Required skills

• Knowledge of, or willingness to learn, the named frameworks
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage competing demands and prioritise
• Reflective practice, emotional intelligence and self-regulation
• Desirable: experience across early intervention and high-intensity models, and in multidisciplinary teams