Therapeutic Specialist - Northern Rivers

Main Duties and Responsibilities: The role of the Therapeutic Specialist relies on the capability and capacity to translate clinical understanding of work with CYP into practice.
This requires skills in the assessment of individual needs of the child or young person, and their family (where family work is appropriate), and an ability to translate these into the Case Plan goals, which are then implemented through the practical application of our Needs Based Restorative framework.
The Therapeutic Specialist has a 'hands on role' by actively working in the young people's life-space (in residential placements), and is able to monitor and observe progress towards the young person's individual Case Plan goals and change approaches or interventions as required, as well as supporting and giving feedback to direct care staff in their application of strategies as they are occurring.
The Therapeutic Specialists 'hands on' role also functions as quality assurance to ensure the NBRF is being implemented at all times, as well as providing support and emotional safety for the whole Allambi community.
This requires the energy and commitment to develop healthy connections with young people, as well as the capacity to form and maintain excellent working relationships with the direct care staff, House Managers, Casework teams and the extended care team.

The Therapeutic Specialist is responsible for the service coordination function, through the collaborative work with the Care Team and for ensuring that the Allambi Case Plans are congruent with the overarching NBRF.
A major element of our approach is that we are responsible for providing comprehensive therapeutic care, so that no important aspect of the client's life, healing and development is over looked.

Personal Capabilities required A willingness to work in accordance with the Allambi values and comply with Allambi's policy and procedure. Capacity to support direct care staff to form positive relationships with children and young people and take every opportunity to respond to their individual needs in a restorative way. Ability to maintain energy and commitment while working in a demanding environment, where young people may display aggression, distress and other complex emotional and behavioural issues. Ability to support direct care staff to play and have fun with children and young people in an age appropriate way. Capacity to support direct care staff to engage with all children, young people, families and colleagues in an inclusive manner regarding race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or disability. Capacity to engage in cultural awareness training and be proactive around inclusivity and cultural safety. Ability to work collaboratively with a team, to share information, be receptive to the ideas of others, and manage team relationships and dynamics in a professional manner. Ability to respond to a wide range of operational issues with flexibility, initiative, creativity and innovation, with the capacity to receive and give constructive feedback. Ability and willingness to learn from the work, from peers, managers and educators, to develop a strong practice framework. Ability to make good use of supervision, and reflect on practice in a mindful way, to learn from successes and mistakes to allow growth. Ability to work in a high stress environment. Ability to take care of self, and manage own stress levels in a healthy way.
Professional competencies and skills required Experience in working with children and young people with complex and difficult emotional and behavioural issues, within a residential care context. An understanding of the impact of trauma on children, and their families. Theoretical understandings of attachment and trauma informed care. Knowledge of the Child Protection Act, Official Children's Guardian standards, Permanency and Support Plan and Human Services Standards. Knowledge of the legal and ethical guidelines governing requirements for mandatory reporting Ability to use collaborative practice principles when working with other stakeholders. Understanding of, or capacity to learn, screening, intake, transition and exit assessment procedures. Ability to manage critical incidents utilising Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) methods. Skills and strategies to set firm and fair boundaries and maintain them. Skills to engage with the family members of the children and young people, work with families, and assist in the maintenance of appropriate family relationships. Skills and strategies to manage the safety of children and young people, and staff, through attention to detail, ability to manage risk, and report all concerns or incidents as per Allambi policy and procedure. Ability to manage client files in compliance with Allambi policy and procedure, contractual and statutory requirements. Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality regarding the child or young person's information and that of their family. Willingness to work within Allambi Workplace Health and Safety policy and procedure, as well as WHS legislation, and report all hazards and incidents. Willingness to implement all Allambi policies and procedures, particularly in relation to maintaining the residential house, all files and other paperwork. Demonstrated written and oral communication skills, to complete the Case Plans and other essential reports and forms, in a timely manner. Computer literacy.
Key areas of work Organise all relevant information about the child or young person and form an assessment plan, which may include collecting information from case files and other service providers. Conduct or organise all aspects of the assessment of the child or young person and their family. Develop permanency Case Plans to ascertain the individual needs of the young person from the comprehensive intake assessment. Collection of information to assist in the mapping of monthly Outcome. Throughout the placement, assist in the development and application of daily routines for each child or young person, so that the clinical thinking and CYP views are included in the development and implementation of the routines. Provision of, or organisation of, specialised therapeutic interventions with the child or young person, and/or their family, as stipulated in the Case Plan. Organise, attend and facilitate Care Team meetings.
Prepare and distribute the monthly Reports.
Be responsible for all tasks that are required for these meetings, including seeking young people's feedback and that of their families. Ensure direct care staff are working according to the child or young person's Case Plan by the ongoing monitoring, assessment, and modifying of the Positive Response and Intervention Plan. Participate and guide reflective practice with a commitment to improving service quality, by bringing a clinical lens to all discussions and using reflective practice to allow the growth of the team in relation to practice. Mentor the day to day implementation of the Needs Based Restorative Framework by direct care staff. Ensure day to day alignment with the State regulatory standards (NSW Framework for Therapeutic OOHC Core Principals, and the Ten Essential Elements or Victorian Human Service Standards). Provision of mentoring, feedback and training to direct care staff in order to develop their therapeutic care skills and the implementation of the Needs Based Restorative Framework. Liaise with DCJ / DHHS for each child or young person and organise Care Team meetings to assist with assessment and formation of Case Plans and the implementation of interventions required. Facilitate collaborative practice through the ongoing development of relationships with the Care Team members and through maintaining effective communication that will facilitate the flow of information between team members, clients and their families, as well as other relevant professionals
Minimum requirements (Essential Criteria) A qualification or working towards qualification, in psychology, social work, occupational therapy, psychiatric nursing, Human Services or similar.
Proof of qualification is required. Experience within case work practice with children and young people in an OOHC environment. Demonstrated experience in management and leadership of employees. Demonstrated autonomy when supporting multiple teams and clients. Knowledge of Needs Based Framework, TCI concepts and strategies. Knowledge of State regulatory standards. Strong knowledge of Allambi Care policies and procedures High level written, communication and time management skills.
Desirable: Qualifications, training or certificates in trauma-informed services are desirable. 2 years experience within case work practice with children and young people in an OOHC environment.
What is on offer? Full Time Employment Salary Packaging (Salary Sacrifice) Fitness Passport 4 Weeks Annual Leave 12 Roster Days Off a year (One per month) Monday - Friday work week.
If you meet the above criteria and you're interested in contributing to an organisation that values the highest level of quality in everything it sets out to achieve, we want to hear from you!
Please note, applications must include a cover letter addressing above essential criteria and a complete resume including two professional references.

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Allambi Care is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes applications from people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds as well as People With a Disability.

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