Child & Family Consultant

Position title: Child and Family Consultant

Team: Trauma Informed Programs, Childhood Trauma Consultancy Service (TraCS)

Reports to: Program Manager, Childhood Trauma Consultancy Service (TraCS)

Job type: Full Time, Contract

Date: October 2024

About the Alannah & Madeline Foundation

The Foundation:

- identifies issues that adversely affect the wellbeing of children; we work to help them recover and protect them from bullying and violence
- works across the spectrum of prevention and care to deliver state-of-the-art, evidence-based programs and products
- works with the best minds to identify and reduce significant threats to children's safety through innovation and partnerships

speaks out on the need for systemic change to build a supportive and safe society.

The Foundation also supports Dolly's Dream, educating and empowering families and communities to prevent the devastating effects of bullying.

Our organisation has the highest commitment to child safety, and our Child Safe - Policy outlines our safe practices for children.

Our organisation values are embedded into every way in which we operate at the Foundation. Everyone has a responsibility to promote and demonstrate our values: We act with courage, We are stronger together, We are curious, We believe accountability matters and We act with empathy, always.

Position in context

The TraCS program is primarily funded through School Readiness Funding, which is funding to help children to start developmentally on track by enhancing supports for kindergarten services and educators. The Child and Family Consultant will work closely with educators and other early childhood staff working with children aged 3-5 years in kindergartens and early childhood services to build their capability to work with traumatised and vulnerable children, strengthening the impact of their existing programs.

Our Consultants are hands on and required to work in services when children are present to provide in-the-moment coaching and support to build the capacity of educators to provide trauma sensitive and attuned environments and relationships with their children and families. The Consultants will also work with educators during out-of-session time (and occasional planned after hours work as required) to provide reflective support, training and guidance to further promote the educator and service capacity and to provide safe and confidential spaces for educators to discuss their work with children and families experiencing vulnerability.

Reporting to a TraCS Program Manager, the Child & Family Consultant is a member of the TraCS Team.

This role is based at the Foundation's head office in South Melbourne but will require travel to deliver support at kindergartens and early childhood services. At times, and depending on demand, travel to regional areas may be negotiated with the team member to support the delivery of service to communities outside the metro area.

We support our staff to work flexibly, both in location and hours, based on the premise that work will remain the focus of any arrangement. How and where you work is discussed with each staff member based on individual circumstances, role requirements and accountability for delivery of high-quality work.

Major job responsibilities
- Using specialist knowledge, skills and experience the Consultant will provide a mix of onsite and virtual guidance and support to teachers and early childhood educators to strengthen their skills and capacity in working with children whose lives have been affected by trauma.
- Undertake trauma informed assessments within kindergartens and early childhood education and care services (ECEC's) to build, deliver and regularly review service plans with stakeholders to address the needs of staff and children.
- Working independently, manage key stakeholder relationships to ensure the program delivers service in line with agreements and plans and within budget parameters.
- Build stakeholder relationships in order to engage and deliver clinical reflective practice and coaching for early childhood staff and line managers within early years services to enable them to embed trauma knowledge and theory and to reflect on their interactions with children and families.
- Using expert knowledge, skills and experience to support teachers and early childhood educators to provide safe and supportive learning environments for children who have experienced trauma, enhancing their social and emotional readiness for school.
- Provide guidance and support to educators regarding the implementation of trauma informed approaches which create connection and defuse conflict.
- Develop plans and provide expert advice to strengthen educators work in supporting children with the development of pro-social skills including emotional and social regulation.
- Provide expert consultancy to enable teachers and early childhood educators to understand the impact of their own emotional regulation as vital to p