Foster and Kinship Care Practitioner

**About the Role**

The Foster and Kinship Care Team currently have a vacancy for a Case Worker also known at Mercy as a Foster & Kinship Care Practitioner to join the team. This position will be a Permanent Fulltime position based in Toowoomba. The Foster & Kinship Care Practitioner is responsible for the provision of high-quality support to foster and kinship carers to meet the identified needs of children and young people placed in their care.

**To be eligible for this position you will require (Key Selection Criteria)**:

- Relevant 3 year degree with at least 2 years’ previous relevant experience, or 4 year degree with at least 1 year’s previous relevant experience.
- Experience in the support and mentoring of children and young people in out of home care.
- Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the developmental needs of children and young people, the impacts of trauma, and the resulting emotional and behavioral issues and the ability to build positive relationships with children and young people in care.
- Demonstrated ability to analyse, evaluate and make objective judgements, and the ability to articulate recommendations for carer assessments within a structured assessment framework.
- Evidence of current vaccination against Whooping Cough and COVID-19 or willingness to obtain prior to commencement.
- You must hold a current Queensland Provisional Green or above Driver’s Licence.
- You will hold a Working with Children Check (Blue Card) and be able to obtain a positive Police Check and any other legislatively required personal history screening as required.

**Benefits**

We understand that finding the right organisation and the right team is just as important as finding the right role. As a valued employee of the Mercy family, you will be eligible for:

- Role specific professional development inclusive of face-to-face and online training in addition to Mercy Community’s induction and training.
- Flexible working arrangements which can include 1 Rostered Day Off (RDO) per month and negotiated Work from Home (WFH).
- The opportunity to increase your take home pay with our salary sacrificing benefits - up to $15,900 per annum and up to $2,650 of your pre-tax income to pay for entertainment (meals, holiday accommodation etc).
- Staff undertaking on call duties are eligible for an on-call allowance and additional leave entitlements.
- Mercy is a large, growing business with lots of opportunities for promotion and career growth.

This position offers a competitive annual salary of $77,578 to $83,486 plus superannuation in line with level 4 of our Enterprise Agreement (dependent on qualifications and experience). You will also have the opportunity to increase your take-home pay by salary sacrificing and other benefits.

**About Us**

Mercy Community is a Catholic not-for-profit, compassionately inspiring and supporting people to live hopeful, connected lives within inclusive communities. We support families and young people, people living with a disability, and older people, and live by our values of Compassion, Integrity, Dignity and Empowerment.

We have been providing services and support for over 150 years and our team operates across a network that encompasses urban, rural and remote communities. Please visit our website to find out more about our dedicated team and the work we do.

**How to Apply**
- Mercy is committed to Safeguarding - taking actions to promote and ensure the welfare of children and adults at risk, protect them from abuse or neglect and supporting an awareness of whole community responsibility to help and protect all in need._