Experienced Child and Youth Support

About the role

Experienced Child & Youth Support

Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week (negotiable)

Reports to: CEO and Programs Manager

Date: January 2025

About Mirabel’s Youth and Children’s Programs

Mirabel is often the one constant in a child’s life. We provide a wide range of programs that span across childhood and adolescence that include recreational activities, camps, therapeutic groups, youth support, educational assistance and advocacy.

It is common at our Big Days Out and Mega Camps to hear children say that they’ve never had so much fun in their lives. These events are all about creating happy childhood memories while letting children discover that they are not alone in their experiences. Important friendships are formed between the Mirabel children and many of these continue into adulthood.

Our groups are often the first time that children are able to talk openly about their difficult past without feeling judged or excluded. There is great comfort that comes with knowing you are not alone and are not to blame for your parents’ decisions. There is also great confidence that comes with knowing you have the ability to succeed at school and that you have options for a happy and productive future.

Our Youth & Children’s Programs provide a pathway out of the cycle of disadvantage typically experienced by these young people.

Where you come in

We’re looking for an experienced professional who can make a child or young person feel like they are the most important person in a room. You will need to be able to plan meticulously while being flexible enough to adapt quickly to changing situations. We need someone who can work as part of a team while also being energised by groups of excited and sometimes challenging children. You will need to be comfortable planning and facilitating support groups with children and adolescents. You will be expected to work both independently and in collaboration with the Family Support Team to support the kinship carers with any specific concerns regarding their child.

We’re looking for someone who can confidently deliver the following key objectives:

- Co
- facilitate thoughtful and evidence-based Therapeutic Children’s Groups and Therapeutic Teens Groups
- Provide recreational activities, camps, referral and follow-up for vulnerable children and youth
- Provide individual youth support to at-risk young people
- Participate and contribute to regular debriefing with the Child & Youth team
- Interact with the children’s kinship carers as required

Here’s some of the tasks that your role will involve:

- Plan, organise, facilitate and evaluate our therapeutic children’s groups and teen’s groups programs: this may include evening groups, school holiday activities or a camp, depending on the goals and approach chosen to maximise children’s participation.
- Facilitate therapeutic children’s groups: these groups take place in various locations throughout Melbourne from 4:40-6:30pm on a weeknight (approximately 1-2 per week). You will also follow up on any issues raised during the groups.
- Support, organise, facilitate and evaluate recreational activities: we love providing fun events and camps for children and young people. You’ll work alongside other members of our child and youth team to deliver exciting and attractive opportunities for the Mirabel children and youth. You will also plan smaller group activities for children and young people with similar interests to help forge meaningful relationships. You will follow up any issues raised during events. There will be some weekend work and overnight stays (approximately one weekend per quarter which may include some travel to NSW).
- Provide one-to-one youth support: we work closely with young people who are experiencing crisis or are unable to join our group programs. You will have a small case load of young people to see regularly. The focus of this support will be to maintain the young person’s place within the family, link them in with local services and, where appropriate, prepare them for integration into Mirabel’s group programs.
- Collaborate with Mirabel team members to ensure maximum impact for families: you’ll work alongside other members of the child and youth team as well as the family support team to plan, deliver, reflect on programs and evaluate impact.
- Complete administrative tasks and other duties including: you’ll keep comprehensive notes in our Outcomes Management Database (Salesforce) and complete impact measurement and evaluation tasks. You will plan programs and work within program budgets in consultation with the Programs Manager. There may be times where you are asked to help out our Family Programs by attending a Family Fun Day or a Kinship Carer Support Meeting.
- Act in accordance with Mirabel’s Code of Conduct: we are committed to ensuring the safely and wellbeing of all Mirabel children and families at all times.

Let’s talk about you

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