Organisation: Department for Child Protection and Family Support
Position: Coordinator Strong Families
Word Limit: 2 pages maximum
Location: Various
Highly developed communication and relationship building skills including the ability to negotiate, manage conflict, establish trust, network and gain cooperation
All of my previous roles have required me to develop effective relationships with students, colleagues, clients and stakeholders at all levels of an organisation, within and external to the institution, and across numerous cultures and backgrounds. I have a strong ability to develop positive and productive relationships with a variety of people as a member of a team, and as an educator as I am supportive and positive; I approach the work in a professional, well informed manner and provide support to colleagues when required.
I take a proactive role within the organisation and am confident in all areas of coordination, negotiation and stakeholder engagement. I maintain an active presence across the education, non-government and government sectors. This ongoing contact has resulted in the delivery of several successful outcomes for my students and the organisation, including placement options (I am better positioned to negotiate placements for more complex students’ requirements), continuous improvement in program provision and in securing resources for the organisation with regard to new products offered across the sector.
Prior to commencing in my current role, I had over 10 years of experience in leadership positions in various early childhood settings, in roles including Centre Director, Coordinator and Area Manager. In each of these positions my high level communication and interpersonal skills were a fundamental component of my success, as I built highly effective relationships across the early childhood care and education sector to build highly respected programs, established sustainable operational plans, secured funding and provided an inclusive service to the community.
Significant experience in working effectively in culturally appropriate ways with Aboriginal people and people from culturally diverse backgrounds and a demonstrated understanding of past and current issues affecting these communities
I maintain a core value of deep respect and appreciation for diversity within society. I adhere to this commitment when establishing, building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders and colleagues. My current and previous positions have demonstrated my commitment to supporting students from diverse backgrounds, and I actively incorporate various strategies into my teaching and assessment practice to ensure I provide an educational experience which not only supports people from diverse backgrounds, but also celebrates diversity within the educational sector.
At Goldfields TAFE, I was intrinsic in the development of a course specifically designed for a group of Aboriginal women, to enable them to qualify to operate a crèche. I undertook this activity, developing tools and resources which considered language barriers and limited funding, and provided a program which incorporated teaching modes in support of various learning styles, including additional PowerPoint packages and explanation in support of better learning outcomes. When undertaking this activity I became familiar with local protocols and requirements, as well as cultural nuances ranging from eye contact, gender and political issues, to the cultural reflections of colours.
I have also been a member of the Kalgoorlie Esperance Aboriginal Consultative Committee where I learnt a great deal from the Aboriginal people on the committee. I enjoyed this work very much and felt that some of the initiatives put in place really assisted Aboriginal people in a variety of ways, from employment to education and youth programs.
Service delivery experience in a human services setting and an understanding of the issues around working collaboratively with agencies to build and develop interagency networks
I have over 15 years of experience as an Early Childhood Educator, and served as the Centre Director at Kalgoorlie Early Learning Centre for 5 years. I am a member of several professional organisations, committees, groups and networks which support the continual development of technical competencies, trend awareness, legislative and directive changes within the early childhood education and care sector.
As the Director of Kalgoorlie Early Childhood Centre I was able to foster a productive and participative work environment and ensured service delivery was of a high quality and that we were able to attain our centre’s goals. As a team, we identified a range of strategies to assist some of the children in our care with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This included our team attending extra training, and forming awareness of the disorder and how best to incorporate changes into our caring methodologies. Staff were encouraged to share their learning with others and work together to achieve best outcomes for all children. As Director, my role was to set the strategic direction of the centre and encourage, motivate and ensure staff were in the best position and had the resources to work constructively towards those objectives.
My role at Goldfields TAFE was a strong demonstration of my ability to work collaboratively across entities, including the Red Cross, the Trainee and Apprenticeship Centre and the Industry Skills Council. Also within my role at the Police and Citizens Youth Club, I facilitated liaison with external organisations such as Government agencies and child protection agencies to facilitate our role and to assist in my development of all policies and procedures for the Club. These policies and procedures also had to adhere to the quality standards, safety requirements, and had to support and enhance childhood development which required a large amount of consultation and collaboration to put together.
Demonstrated ability to facilitate meetings, to lead groups and to train and coach others
Being a member of several professional organisations, committees, groups and networks which support the continual development of technical competencies, trend awareness, legislative and directive changes within the early childhood education and care sector, I have demonstrated my skills as a leader and contributor to meetings and forums. As a member of Early Childhood Australia, and various other programs such as Sustain and Little Green Steps, as well as highly effective ties with Community Services, Health and Education INC, I not only maintain current knowledge but provide input into and informed decision making regarding the future of the sector.
As the first Director of the Kalgoorlie Early Learning Centre, I showed group and autonomous leadership in the set-up and commencement of all aspects of the centre and the program. This role included identification of resources required with a procurement plan, working with multiple stakeholders and negotiating the purchase of resources, employment of Educators and Assistants, management of staff and supplier contracts, development of policies, procedures, a quality management system and an effective marketing strategy. In addition to a normal child care arrangement, my team and I established an effective ‘out of school hours care program’ which better suited the community’s needs within the Kalgoorlie area. This involved undertaking a large amount of research and analysis to come up with a working model for the area.
Another area where I demonstrated leadership in this role was to incorporate a proactive stance on diversity and cultural awareness within the centre, including within the employment of staff and the intake of children, as well as cultivating this appreciation within the centre’s programming. We ran programs based on the cultural and geographic background of our children to ensure that all were acknowledged and that difference was accepted in an area where this had been an issue.
I have excellent training and coaching skills, knowledge and experience, which has been most recently demonstrated in my roles as Children’s Services Lecturer and Business and Communities Team Coordinator at Goldfields Institute of Technology. This role included formal teaching and lecturing as well as mentoring and coaching of new and inexperienced staff members.
