POSITION DESCRIPTION
Position Title:
Program / Unit:
Location:
Term:
Classification:
Position reports to:
Case Worker : Therapeutic Foster Care
Metro Sydney - Therapeutic Foster Care
Blacktown
Full-time
SCHCADS Award Level 4 [NSW SACS Grade 4]
Coordinator Foster Care
ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT
Established in 1997 MacKillop Family Services (MacKillop) continues the child and family
welfare ministries of the Christian Brothers (Oceania), the Sisters of Mercy (Melbourne) and
the Sisters of St. Joseph (Victoria) in Western Sydney, Southern NSW, Geelong,
Warrnambool and Perth.
Programs include Home Based and Residential Care, Refugee Services, Disability Services,
Youth Support, Education and Training, Family Support and support of women and men
who as children were in the care of our founding agencies.
MacKillop Family Services involves a staff of some 800 personnel and nearly 420 volunteers.
Operating out of more than 30 sites our budget expenditure is $70 million.
MacKillop Family Services has embarked upon a journey of change through its adoption of
the Sanctuary Model. The Sanctuary model is underpinned by the commitments of:
Nonviolence, Emotional Intelligence, Social Learning, Open Communication, Social
Responsibility, Democracy, Growth and Change.
The Sanctuary Model is a blueprint for clinical and organisational change which, at its core,
promotes safety and recovery from adversity through the active creation of a traumainformed community. A recognition that adversity is pervasive in the experience of human
beings forms the basis for the Sanctuary Model’s focus not only on the people who seek
services, but equally on the people and systems who provide those services.
OUR VALUES
Justice: We believe in the right of all people, regardless of belief or culture, to be treated
justly and fairly; and
Hope: We commit to creating an atmosphere of hope where people find meaning in their
experiences and relationship; and
Collaboration: We commit to working in a collaborative spirit through cooperation,
coordination, and partnership; and
Compassion: We commit to creating an attitude of openness to others and to their
circumstances; and
Respect: We seek to listen and learn from each other and to build relationships with respect
NSW SERVICES
MacKillop’s NSW Services Division has two programs: Metro Sydney and South Coast:


Metro Sydney provides foster care, specialist youth homelessness, early intervention
and case management services. The program is based in Blacktown and operates
across the Department of Family and Community Services Metro West Region.
Services are funded through the out of home care, specialist homelessness services
and early intervention and placement prevention program funding streams.
South Coast provides foster care, residential care, case management services and a
Family Referral Service. The program is based in Wollongong, with offices in
Batemans Bay and Bega, and operates across the Department of Family and
Community Services Southern Region. Services are funded through the out of home
care program and the Ministry of Health [Kids and Families].
BACKGROUND
MacKillop is piloting an innovative therapeutic foster care model in partnership with the
Department of Family and Community Services. The pilot is based in Western Sydney and
operates across the Metro West Region.
MacKillop’s Therapeutic Foster Care model is based on the successful Victorian therapeutic
foster care initiative, The Circle Program. It is designed to address the needs of:


Children in foster care who are experiencing the impact of trauma, disrupted
detachment and abuse/neglect; and
Foster carers who require additional support to meet the needs of these children and
young people and to assist in the healing process.
An evaluation of the Circle Program1 found that therapeutic foster care achieved positive
outcomes for both children and carers including: enhanced stability; significant developmental
gains for children and young people; continuity of care; high degree of carer satisfaction; and
increased retention of carers.
POSITION PURPOSE
The Case Worker reports to the Coordinator, Foster Care and is a member of the Metro
Sydney Foster and Kinship Care team. The position works closely with the Manager Metro
Sydney, Coordinator Foster Care and Senior Practitioner to develop the therapeutic foster
care service.
The Case Worker is responsible for providing high quality and effective therapeutic case
work services for children and young people and provides leadership and coordination of the
therapeutic care teams that coordinate care and support for each child placed in the
therapeutic foster care service.
The Case Worker has primary responsibility for the professional support of carers and for
intensive therapeutic case management for each child within the program.
1
Frederico, M., Long M., McNamara, P., McPherson, L., Rose, R., and Gilbert, K. (2012 ) The Circle Program: an Evaluation of
a therapeutic approach to Foster Care. Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, Melbourne, Australia
http://www.cfecfw.asn.au/sites/www.cfecfw.asn.au/files/The%20Circle%20Program%20%20An%20evaluation%20of%20a%20therapeutic%20approach%20to%20foster%20care.pdf
The Case Worker will work collaboratively with the Senior Practitioner as care team
members to ensure the development of a therapeutic, culturally appropriate case plan for
each child. The position also participates in the recruitment, training and assessment of
prospective therapeutic foster carers.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES



Ensure therapeutic foster carers are supported to provide high quality care and
positive outcomes for children and young people;
Ensure that children and young people receive therapeutic care and access wraparound support services that meet their needs;
Establish collaborative relationships with a wide range of specialist and mainstream
services to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families, and
therapeutic foster carers.
KEY RESULT AREAS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

















Manage a case load and ensure that individual targets are met;
Ensure that therapeutic case work practice is responsive to individual needs and
reflects the organisation’s values, policies and practice frameworks;
Ensure that the emotional, social, behavioural, developmental and educational needs
of children and young people are met through the development, implementation and
review of individual therapeutic case plans;
Provide intensive support to therapeutic foster carers and assist them to engage in
therapeutic parenting;
Facilitate group work and reflective practice sessions and provide training for
therapeutic foster carers and staff:
Participate in the recruitment, assessment and annual review of therapeutic foster
carers;
Establish and maintain a multidisciplinary care team approach;
Provide an on-call after hours support service to therapeutic foster carers when
required;
Ensure that children and young people’s wellbeing is actively safeguarded and
concerns are reported immediately;
Participate in team meetings, service networks, inter-agencies and forums as
required;
Promote the work of the organisation in the sector and wider community;
Participate in professional development opportunities as required;
Participate constructively in supervision and performance appraisals;
Participate in the development and review of policies and procedures;
Remain informed of policy and practice developments in therapeutic out of
home care and out of home care generally;
Be available to undertake higher duties and/or secondment as required; and
Undertake other duties as required.
KEY SELECTION CRITERIA
The successful applicant will have:
 Demonstrated skills and experience in case work practice, preferably in out of
home care;
 Demonstrated experience in carer support and development, including
assessment and review, training and group work;
 Proven ability to relate to and work with children and young people with social,
emotional and behavioural difficulties, and children who have experienced
complex trauma;
 An understanding of trauma, attachment and resilience theory and child and adolescent
development;
 Demonstrated capacity to develop collaborative relationships across
professional and organisational boundaries;
 Ability to plan, organise and prioritise work;
 Good written and verbal communication skills;
 Ability to interpret and implement organisational policy;
 A commitment to the purpose and values of MacKillop Family Services;
 A tertiary qualification in social work, psychology or related discipline;
 Competence in Microsoft Office including outlook, word, excel, powerpoint.
OTHER JOB RELATED INFORMATION
 The role requires a satisfactory working with children check and criminal
record check, and valid NSW drivers licence.
 Flexible working hours may be negotiated with the successful applicant.
 The position may require some intrastate travel.
The incumbent is required to:



Observe and actively support MacKillop Family Services OH&S policies and
strategies.
Attend mandatory and other training as required.
Actively participate in MacKillop Family Services Bid Management process (as
required).
APPROVAL
Approved by:
Position Title:
Jude Ekerick
Date: 12 November 2013
General Manager, NSW Services
Staff Name:
Signature:
Date:
Additional information about therapeutic foster care:
Therapeutic foster care is intensive and time-limited care for children in statutory out of
home care that responds to the complex impacts of abuse, neglect and separation from
family. This is achieved through the creation of positive, safe, healing relationships and
experiences informed by a sound understanding of trauma, damaged attachment, and
developmental needs.
The key elements of therapeutic foster care are:




The child or young person is positioned at the centre of the program within the
primary care context.
The care team overarches and intersects with the child or young person and care
environment providing focused training and support to either the child, young person
and/or the carers and significant others to facilitate the ability of all those in the care
environment to effectively support the child or young person to recover from the
effects of abuse related trauma.
The care environment consists of the relationships, home, family, school and
networks created by the primary carers with the support of other members of the care
team.
Engagement of the child’s family at all stages where possible and appropriate,
the aim of the program is to promote timely reunification between the child and their
family or the achievement of long term stable care for the child.
Therapeutic foster care is influenced by therapeutic parenting and child centred approaches.
With the support of the care team, the carer will become highly capable and able to adapt
knowledge of trauma and attachment frameworks in the context of the carer-child
relationship. This will enable the assembly of a highly developed environment that promotes
the recovery of children and young people from their experiences of trauma and attachment
disorders.