Community Services Family Services

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1 GREATER GEELONG: BUILDING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH ENTERPRISE, OPPORTUNITY AND INNOVATION IN A QUALITY ENVIRONMENT POSITION TITLE: POSITION NUMBER: 2604 DIVISION: DEPARTMENT: CLASSIFICATION: Band 5 REPORTS TO: DIRECTLY MANAGES: INTERNAL LIAISONS: EXTERNAL LIAISONS: Supported Playgroup Facilitator Community Services Family Services DATE: November 2015 POSITION OBJECTIVES: Team Leader Family Services Development Nil Family Services Department, including Maternal & Child Health, ECEC services Parents and children, family and community services agencies Supported playgroups provide opportunities for eligible families to develop parenting skills and confidence to support their children s development. Supported playgroups are for families with children aged birth to 4 years of age. The primary objectives of the role are to: Develop and facilitate developmentally, culturally appropriate and accessible playgroup sessions that meet the needs of pre-school aged children from diverse backgrounds. Provide a nurturing, safe, stimulating and secure environment for all children attending playgroup. Support and encourage parent involvement in the playgroup activities. Support families to develop their parenting skills in a nurturing learning environment POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: Key Responsibilities: 1. Independently develop, set up and facilitate playgroup sessions for key target groups, such as disadvantaged and vulnerable families, children with additional needs, children from diverse cultural backgrounds and children from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island. 2. Deliver specifically identified evidence based programs. 3. Organise the establishment of areas to conduct Supported Playgroups including sourcing appropriate venues to run the sessions 4. Act as the primary contact point for CoGG in communication with the external agencies e.g. Department of Education and Training (DET), Parent Research Centre (PRC), Barwon Child, Youth and Family (BCYF), Bethany etc. 1

2 5. Conduct In-Home support visits to families who meet additional criteria needs. 6. Develop relationships with key local stakeholders and referral sources to develop referral pathways for disadvantaged families. Effectively engage and support families from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds and encourage participation in playgroup experiences. 7. Take all steps to engage and retain families within the Supported Playgroup program, including In-Home Support (as required) and to follow up engagement of families where necessary. 8. Model and support developmentally appropriate play experiences and parent/child interactions at Supported playgroups and during In Home support visits. Maintain program specific paperwork/data collection including enrolment and attendance records. 9. Support parents and caregivers to build connections and support networks in the community to enhance parenting skills and confidence, with a particular focus on families parenting under difficult circumstances. 10. Undertake transition planning with families to link them into relevant early years services, community playgroups and other community services e.g. libraries. 11. Support and advocate positive parenting and behavior and guidance strategies. 12. Attend relevant professional development as required. 13. Ensure playgroups operate in accordance with relevant guidelines and safety requirements. 14. Promote a positive image of Council to members of the public. 15. Adhere to all Council s policies and procedures relevant to this position. 16. Carry out other duties as deemed reasonable and appropriate to the role as directed from time to time. Values and Behaviours: Our aim is to foster a culture that embraces the values that reflect what we believe will deliver the best outcomes for our community. Our values form the basis of our behaviour. It is our expectation that employees will demonstrate our values when carrying out their work. Integrity Responsibility Innovation Respect Risk Management and Occupational Health & Safety Responsibilities: Understand and comply with Council OHS policies, procedures and legislative requirements relevant to the position. Perform work in a safe and appropriate manner. Ensure behaviour does not discriminate, bully or harass others. Take responsibility for own safety and that of others. Proactively report any incidents, injuries, hazards or unsafe work practices. The following general physical and functional requirements may apply to this position. Specific physical requirements will be attached if applicable. Manual handling tasks. Prolonged periods of eg. sitting at the computer. Regular keyboarding associated activities. Long / short distance travel between sites. Dealing with difficult clients and situations. Demanding deadlines. 2

3 KEY SELECTION CRITERIA: 1. Relevant qualification in Early Childhood/Education, Social work/community Services or Health (eg. Diploma or Advanced Diploma in Children s Services, Social Welfare or registered Nurse/MCH). 2. Completion of Small Talk training. 3. Recent experience in development and facilitation of programs and group work for pre-school aged children. 4. Experience in engaging and working with families from diverse backgrounds (as identified in key responsibilities). 5. Experience in developing relationships with key stakeholders and referral sources to develop referral pathways for disadvantaged families. 6. Experience in developing and implementing strategies to support regular attendance at Supported Playgroups. 7. A current Victoria Driver s Licence. 8. All candidates should display integrity, responsibility, respect for others and the ability to be innovative. 9. Working with Children Check. 10. Current police check (issued within last six months) ACCOUNTABILITY AND EXTENT OF AUTHORITY: Independently develop and facilitate a stimulating playgroup program to meet the individual needs of children. Responsible for developing relationships with key stakeholders and referral sources to develop referral pathways for disadvantaged families. Directly responsible for the engagement and support of families into the Supported Playgroup, including conducting In Home support visits to identified clients. Provide In-home support visits to families who have been identified as having additional vulnerabilities. Accountable for creating and capturing accurate and complete records of the business activities related to this position. Collect and provide data to Family Services Team Leader and the Parent Relationship Centre. Liaise with venue contacts regarding playgroup requirements. Maintain program specific paperwork/data collection including enrolment and attendance records. Maintain a high level of professional ethics at all times. Ability to work within specific guidelines, but with scope to exercise discretion in the application of established standards and procedures. Competency with Microsoft Word and Excel. Accountable for creating and capturing accurate and complete records of the business activities related to this position, in accordance with approved policy and procedures. This is applicable to both hardcopy and electronic information, including . JUDGEMENT AND DECISION MAKING: Guidance and advice is usually available from the Team Leader and Coordinator Family Services Development Using the relevant Council polices and procedures maintain safe work practices when providing direct service provision at all venues. Make decisions in relation to venue and equipment requirements. Liaise with venue management regarding procedural processes, issues and availability as required. monitoring of the individual developmental needs of children in consultation with parents and Educators 3

4 Accountable for creating and capturing accurate and complete records of the business activities related to this position. This is applicable to both hardcopy and electronic information, including . Discretion and judgement is required in selection of equipment, work organisation, services, actions and achieving outcomes within time constraints. Ability to work under broad guidance and the capability to work autonomously. Work independently and make decisions within defined roles and responsibilities with general guidance always available. Resolve problems of a routine nature relating to the key responsibilities of the position. Attend relevant team meetings as directed. SPECIALIST SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE: Demonstrated understanding of children s development, parenting and family functioning. Develop relationships with key stakeholders and referral sources to develop referral pathways for disadvantaged families. Ability to develop programs, implement and model developmentally appropriate play experiences within a playgroup setting. Ability to work collaboratively with community agencies. Ability to relate to and work towards meeting the needs of disadvantaged, families and children in consultation with each stakeholder Knowledge and skills in group work and facilitation. Demonstrated ability to develop and facilitate developmentally appropriate sessions for preschool aged children. Demonstrated knowledge and/or understanding of the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework including the Practice Principles and the Learning Outcomes. Group processes. MANAGEMENT SKILLS: Ability to manage time, set priorities, plan and organise workload. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Innovative approach to program development. Ability to identify and manage risks in relation to occupational health and safety. Able to use own initiative, exercise appropriate judgement, and maintain high levels of personal motivation. INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: Non-judgmental and inclusive approach. Ability to identify, discuss and resolve problems within a group. Ability to engage, encourage and work collaboratively with families from diverse backgrounds. Implement effective active listening skills and effective interpersonal communication skills High level of skills to identify, discuss and resolve problems positively. Self motivated and innovative. Flexibility, self-motivation and a lateral approach to problem solving and addressing challenging issues. Ability to demonstrate integrity, responsibility, respect and innovation in all aspects of the position. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE: Relevant qualification in Early Childhood/Education, Social work/community Services or Health (eg. Diploma or Advanced Diploma in Children s Services, Social Welfare or registered Nurse/MCH). 4

5 Recent experience in working and engaging pre-school aged children and their families. Completion of Small Talk training. Recent experience in development and facilitation of programs and group work for pre-school aged children. Experience in engaging and working with families from diverse backgrounds (as identified in key responsibilities). Experience in developing relationships with key stakeholders and referral sources to develop referral pathways for disadvantaged families. Experience in developing and implementing strategies to support regular attendance at Supported Playgroups A current Victorian Drivers Licence. Working with Children Check. Current police check (issued within last six months) 5

6 HOW TO APPLY Applications close: 5:00pm Friday 11 December 2015 Contact Person: Angela Baum, Acting Team Leader Family Services Development, Submit your online application at If you are unable to submit an online application please send your application to: Recruitment Administration Officer Organisation Development City of Greater Geelong PO Box 104 GEELONG VIC 3220 Privacy Statement The collection and handling of personal information is carried out in accordance with Council s Privacy Policy, which is displayed on Council s website and which is available for inspection at, or collection from, Council s Customer Service Centres. 6