Kinship Engagement Worker

Work for a not for profit organisation that celebrates all cultures, diversity and inclusion
- Be innovative and creative in supporting your local kinship care community
- Salary Packaging + generous leave conditions

Berry Street is one of the largest independent agencies within Australia, providing diverse programs to over 35,000 young people, children and families across Victoria each year. We pride ourselves on our ingenuity, evidence based and multi-dimensional thinking to provide the best outcomes for our young people

**Shepparton** is a growing regional city 180km's North of Melbourne with a population of over 50,000 on Yorta Yorta Country.

Our Berry Street Shepparton office serves as a collaborative hub for the local area in supporting young people and their families through programs such as Kinship Care, Foster Care, Residential Care, Community Partnership Programs, Youth Programs and Education.

**Berry Street Benefits**
- Regular reflective supervision from leadership
- A culture that values and support professional development
- $15,900.00 pa (pro rata) Salary Packaging + Additional Salary Packaging for meals/accommodation
- 10 weeks paid parental leave + other generous leave conditions
- Additional 17.5% leave loading
- Access to the Employee Assistance Program, with access for staff's immediate family

**Your Opportunity**

Our people are important to us, we value lived experiences, people’s diversities, and views of all. We are looking for the next person to bring their experiences and who shares the same values and enthusiasm in creating positive experiences and outcomes for our young people and their families.

Berry Street’s Kinship care program is available to provide specific kinship information and advice to the community, Kinship assessment & family services and contracted case management services to statutory cases through Child Protection.

This position has an outreach focus in the community with service delivery across the Shires of Moira, Murrindindi, Strathbogie, Mitchell & City of Greater Shepparton.
- Located at either Shepparton or Seymour office locations
- Flexibility in part time hours of 0.6FTE or 0.8FTE.
- Base Salary $97k pa pro rata

**Your skills and experience**

As a Kinship Engagement worker you will
- Organise, coordinate, and facilitate regular kinship carer support groups, carer events & activities.
- Advise kinship cares of information and advice either via brief face to face intervention or phone support, including referral to support services as required.
- Engaging with formal and informal kinship carers in the community to better respond to their needs and address vulnerabilities.
- Implement education & training opportunities and to provide brief one to one outreach support to better meet the needs of kinship carers, children in their care and their extended support networks.

The role will also include a focus on networking with the aim of building connections with key stakeholders and promoting Berry Streets Kinship care service to facilitate new referrals to the program.

A Diploma qualification in Social Work, Youth Work or other related discipline is a requirement for this position.

We believe children, young people and families should be safe, thriving and hopeful and strive to make this happen each day

Queries to **Sharelle Davidson - Senior Manager on 03 5822 8143**
- Berry Street is committed to being a child safe, child friendly and child empowering organisation. In everything we do we seek to protect children. We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children; children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds; children with a disability; children who identify as LGBTIQA+. We aim to ensure every individual is treated with dignity and respect regardless of their cultural background, ability, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, spirituality or religion._
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and people with a disability are encouraged to apply._