Principal Practitioner – Strengthening and Restoring Families

527448 Ballarat, VIC. Bring your expertise to support & develop our workforce in child & families. Work with leaders to embed therapeutic, culturally safe care across programs. Help shape how care is delivered – and make a difference at scale.

You will play a key role in enhancing Uniting's practice and quality excellence in Children, Youth and Family services across the North and West Division, ideally based in either our Horsham, Ballarat or Werribee offices.

You will provide expert advice on complex cases, escalate risks, and support staff through reflective practice, case reviews, secondary consultations, and training. Your focus will be on supporting our workforce in programs like Family Preservation and Reunification, Integrated Family Services, Foster Care and Kinship care, contributing to impactful outcomes for vulnerable families.

You will actively contribute to the development of evidence-based practices at Uniting, ensuring that interventions are culturally responsive and trauma-informed. Your expertise will drive meaningful change and elevate the quality of service delivery in the division.

Your role is integral to the leadership team and reports directly to a divisional Senior Manager. You will have the opportunity to work alongside fellow Principal Practitioners across the region, collaborating on methodologies and service innovations.

This role offers the potential for hybrid working, depending on location, and requires regular travel across the service area.

• Influence practice and care across diverse communities and programs
• SCHADS Level 8, plus superannuation, salary packaging and 17.5% leave loading
• Full-time hours + hybrid work options aligned with operational needs
• Work in a values-driven organisation deeply committed to social justice and inclusion
• Strong internal support and opportunities for ongoing professional development

You Will Bring With You

• Significant experience supporting children and young people impacted by complex trauma, using therapeutic and trauma-informed approaches.
• Deep knowledge and hands-on experience across children, youth and family services, from early intervention through to foster and kinship care.
• A track record in coaching and developing staff, leading reflective practice, facilitating training, and providing case consultations.
• The ability to draw meaningful insights from practice data, identify trends, and recommend improvements at individual, team and system levels.
• A collaborative, solutions-focused approach, working confidently across teams and disciplines to guide high-quality decisions.
• Strong understanding of Family Services, Family Preservation and Reunification, Care & Placement, Family Violence, Youth and Homelessness service streams.

If you're ready to help strengthen the foundations for living for communities, we'd love to hear from you. Click APPLY soon. We\'ll review applications as they come in and might close the ad early.

For any questions, reach out to Libby Jackman on 0421 584 497 during business hours for a chat.

At Uniting we are passionate about working together to inspire people, enliven communities and confront injustice. We have a 5,000 strong workforce of employees and volunteers who deliver a diverse range of services across Victoria and Tasmania.

Visit us: www.vt.uniting.org

Uniting is a child safe organisation and is committed in everyday practice to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children, at all times. As a 'child safe' organisation, employment with Uniting is subject to a satisfactory national (and international where relevant) police check and relevant Working with Children Check in your State prior to commencement of any paid or unpaid work and/or participation in any service or undertaking.

Through the recruitment process, we will ask you for personal information. Disclosure is optional, however, it can help us support you better. We invite you to tell us if you identify as Aboriginal, a person with disability, from a diverse background or LGBTIQA+. You will be given an opportunity in the application form to request additional support. We welcome the opportunity to discuss how we can support you.