Senior Practitioners are responsible for providing specialist advice, guidance, and oversight to ensure that child protection services including assessment, intervention, casework and case management are delivered by the service centre to a high standard and in accordance with legislation and practice guidelines.

The Senior Practitioner provides practice supervision individually and in groups to Child Safety Officers and Senior Child Safety Officers.

Job details

The Senior Practitioner key responsibilities are:

• Ensuring that specialist accountable, collaborative and integrated child protection services that respect the culture and context of each child, young person, family and community is delivered in accordance with departmental policies, procedures, statutory responsibilities and the Framework for Practice by the Service Centre.
• Developing and implementing systems, processes and strategies linked to legislative, policy and practice standards, optimizing the quality of child protection service delivery, including contributing to continuous quality improvement strategies.
• Providing practice supervision as required for Child Safety Officers and Senior Child Safety Officers to support a ‘quality practice' and a continuous improvement service delivery ethos.
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with Senior Team Leaders, Child Safety Officers and Senior Child Safety Officers to build capability, skills and knowledge in child protection service delivery particularly investigation and assessment, risk assessment in decision-making and complex case management.
• Facilitating group practice development and supervision sessions to build child protection capability within the Child Safety Service Centre.
• Supporting staff across the region in relation to complex matters within your area of specialist knowledge.
• Actively participating as a member of the Child Safety Service Centre Management Team and in quality assurance reviews of the service centre.
• Providing authoritative advice, guidance, and oversight of decisions on complex casework matters, child protection policy, legislation and practice to relevant service centre staff.
• Providing accurate advice to senior managers on professional child protection practice issues, client needs and service delivery responses within the Service Centre.
• Enhancing the local regional community by actively practicing and promoting excellence in service delivery and public administration and identifying opportunities for improving regional client service.

Role specific/technical skills:

• You can effectively apply superior child protection knowledge, understanding and skills in engagement, assessment, and intervention with children and families from diverse backgrounds and with complex needs applying a strengths-based, safety-oriented approach. 
• You have oversight of the therapeutic relationship with the children and families you work with to enable them to meaningfully participate in developing their own plans for change.
• You recognise and articulate the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and have the capacity to consult and negotiate according to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander protocols.  You know about and understand the issues that impact on both cultures in contemporary society.

Delegations

Senior Practitioners exercise specific delegations under relevant legislation (Child Protection Act 1999, Adoption of Children Act 1964, Children's Court Act 1992, Family Services Act 1987).

Applications to remain current for 12 months.

Further information

We are committed to building inclusive cultures in the Queensland public sector that respect and promote human rights and diversity.

Please ensure you download all attachments and follow the instructions on how to apply.

Documents

Before applying for this vacancy please ensure you read the documents below.

• 634877-25-Role Profile (Word, 671KB)