• Position: Permanent, Full Time
• Location: Werribee
• Salary: Up to $121,450 plus superannuation and salary packaging options

The Organisation

The Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency (VACCA) is an Aboriginal Community-Controlled organisation that supports and advocates for the Aboriginal Community and is the largest organisation of its kind in Australia. The VACCA team is committed to the organisation’s visions and values, passionately providing support, service and advocacy for our children and other vulnerable members of the community.

Our strength lies with our people.

About the role

VACCA are currently recruiting for a culturally strong, dynamic and experienced Practice Leader to join the Nugel team. The Nugel Practice Leader is responsible for:

• Providing expert practice leadership on engaging children, families and carers, assessing risk and needs, and supporting interventions
• Embedding and integrating VACCA’s Cultural Therapeutic Ways within the Nugel program, providing expert cultural advice to staff and managers in the Nugel team
• Proactively build the professional capability across the Nugel team; design and deliver innovative practices that enhance practice and promotes quality clinical standards
• Providing mentoring and delivering professional development to the Nugel team, so that Aboriginal cultural practices underpin all aspects of the practice approach
• Ensuring a cultural lens is applied to working with children and families, in particular risk assessments, safety planning, case management and decision making

The Practice Leader also works with Aboriginal children and families, government and sector partners to reduce the over representation of Aboriginal children involved with Child Protection, achieve better outcomes for children, and to build capacity in families so that children can remain at, or be, transitioned home

About You

• Demonstrated understanding of, and commitment to, the values that underpin VACCA’ vision and purpose and the capacity to take a leadership role in championing these internally and externally
• Demonstrated awareness and appreciation of Aboriginal societies and cultures, and commitment to continually build knowledge of such, along with a high level of awareness of the key issues which impact upon Aboriginal communities
• Demonstrated ability to use this knowledge to guide practice with Aboriginal children, families and carers
• Highly developed skills and ability to provide advice on risk assessment, safety planning, case management and decision making based on cultural principles and the Children Youth and Families Act (CYFA) 2005
• Sound knowledge of, and ability to, administer the CYFA 2005, and the Child Wellbeing Act 2005 in the best interest of Aboriginal children and families
• Ability to provide leadership to staff, and mentoring and professional development
• Demonstrated understanding of complex casework with children and families who have experienced trauma and may present with challenging behaviours, including using culturally safe therapeutic approaches to heal and build resilience
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and negotiate with Aboriginal children, families, carers and other service providers to achieve outcomes
• Requirements: Current COVID-19 vaccination (including booster dose, as applicable), a Working with Children’s Check for a paid employee (or willingness to obtain) and a Victorian Driver Licence.

What we can offer you

• 5 weeks annual leave
• Access to child protection and VACCA training programs
• Extensive support and training from VACCA’s in house legal service
• A supportive environment that includes comprehensive induction and regular internal supervision
• Professional development and training opportunities 
• Attractive salary packaging to increase your take home pay
• Fitness Passport - allowing you (and your family) access to any of the facilities available on this program 
• 17.5% loading on annual leave
• Access to agency vehicles for all work-related travel 
• Access to Employee support and wellbeing programs 
• Paid parental leave after 12 months of ongoing employment
• Opportunity to work and build connection with the Aboriginal Community and culture

 We strongly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people to apply

Applications should include a cover letter addressing the key selection criteria and current resume. We encourage applicants to view the Position Description prior to applying. 

Please click here  Nugel Practice Lead - Nugel 6 - Western.pdf to download the position description for this role. 

We are committed to Aboriginal self-determination and supporting strong, safe, thriving Aboriginal communities and aim to ensure every individual is treated with dignity, honouring all cultural backgrounds, abilities, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities and spiritual beliefs.

VACCA is a child-safe organisation and is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children and young people with zero tolerance for child abuse. All successful applicants will be required to undertake a National Police Record Check and Working with Children Check prior to commencement of employment and periodically following commencement.

VACCA is an equal opportunity employer and has a smoke-free workplace policy.