Family Liaison Officer

**Family Liaison Officer - Tamworth/wider New England region**

**Project Overview**:
The PLF works with DFAT and DEWR to support the administration of the PALM scheme and facilitate opportunities for Australian employers to connect with workers from the Pacific and Timor-Leste. The PLF is managed by Palladium and has been established as a trusted intermediary in supporting Australia-Pacific circular labour mobility.

**Role Overview**:
The **Family Liaison officer(s)** will be responsible for helping the accompanying families to settle into life in Australia by providing information, practical support and guidance to families and serving as a first point of contact for initial and ongoing settlement needs during their time in Australia.

**Primary Duties and Responsibilities**:
Under the direction of the Family Liaison Manager the Family Liaison Officer will:

- Build relationships with Approved Employers (AEs) participating in the pilot, relevant regional relationship managers, essential service providers (doctors, schools, childcare centres), Country Liaison Officers (CLOs), and local councils and diaspora groups in the regions in which families will be settled, to ensure that on arrival, families are well supported and able to access the needed services in a timely manner.
- Connect families with the Department of Home Affairs Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) program, and other relevant Home Affairs migrant settlement resources, to ensure that families can access applicable supports (e.g., Medicare, Child Care Subsidy, Family Tax Benefit). In most cases, we expect SETS to assist families to access such support, and assist with connecting families to schools, doctors etc., but where this is not possible, the Family Liaison Officer will provide such assistance to address any service gaps.
- Build relationships with accompanying families, positioning themselves to be a key support and point of contact for families after their arrival in Australia, including to periodically check-in with families to monitor their progress settling into life in Australia.
- Be the primary contact or referral point for families and other PALM stakeholders in the event of serious incidents involving family members.
- Work with Community Connections to establish informal groups to enable families to share experiences and support each other. These groups are also expected to serve as fora through which information and training (including preventative, educational, and early intervention programs and services) could be provided.
- Monitor and record issues affecting families and children, identifying common issues that arise, and working to address them proactively across the broader cadre of families.
- Work with the PLF Quality, Learning & Performance Team (QLP) to gather and record information relevant to the Family Accompaniment pilot's Monitoring & Evaluation framework.
- Deliver briefing to families on arrival to ensure they are well positioned to access required services and settle into life in Australia.
- Support families as they prepare to return home in the final months of their time in Australia.
- Undertake and deliver the outcomes and objectives of the role in accordance with the expected Core Capabilities, Ways of Working and Values of ONE PLF including the Palladium Child Protection Policy and Code of Conduct.

**Required Qualifications**:

- Tertiary qualifications in social work, human services, social/behavioural sciences, community services or a related discipline.
- Minimum 2 years work experience in case management. Background or experience in working in migrant settlement, family support programs or services an advantage.
- Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of case management frameworks.
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience in critical incident management.
- Excellent people-to-people skills, with demonstrated experience managing relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including children.
- Current working with children and young people Blue Card (or equivalent) as the work includes close contact with children.
- Experience in data collection and database management.
- Experience of working in or with Pasifika communities a strong advantage.
- Knowledge of one or more Pasifika languages is an advantage.

Due to the evolving nature of our program, it is possible that the incumbent may be expected to undertake duties that fall outside the remit of their original Terms of Reference to ensure the ongoing success of the program.

Where this is required, the following will occur:

- The adviser has the skills and experience to fulfill the duties.
- This arrangement will be short term in nature.

**Benefits**:

- Great team culture with social activities and events
- Working for a program that is making positive impact

**Applications close on 27 September 2024 and will be assessed on a rolling basis.**

This role will be centrally based in Tamworth and local knowledge an