Organisation: Community Services – Children, Youth & Family Support
Job Title: Care and Protection Worker
Criteria 1 – Understanding of the provision of case management services to children and families at risk, and the process of investigations of children in need of care and protection and a demonstrated understanding of the statutory legislation and its application to policies and procedures
As a qualified Social Worker with approximately five years experience as a Youth Worker, Case Aid and Case Worker, I have significant knowledge and understanding in providing case management services to children and families. In my current role, with the Marymead Foster Care Program, I am a dedicated Case Manager presently managing nine foster care cases. When I commenced in this role, I was initially responsible for managing the respite program, plus a case load of four cases, giving me additional diversity of experience.
The children I provide services to have been removed from their biological families under the Children and Young People Act 2008 (ACT), and have been placed with foster families in liaison with Care and Protection Services. I provide case management services through undertaking regular home visits with the children and their families, with the frequency of visits depending on the individual case, how long the child has been placed with that family, how settled they are, and whether there are any issues or concerns. With a settled placement, I visit each family every four to six weeks, and with a new placement I will visit more often. For example, I currently have a new case and I am visiting weekly, offering assistance and advice to the foster carers on accessing services, talking with the child and generally assisting in transitioning that child into their foster home and ensuring a safe and stable environment.
I liaise extensively with Care and Protection Services on care plans, annual reviews and education plans, and on issues such as accessing additional funding and resources for children in care, such as support for tutoring or counselling. As I interact a lot with Care and Protection Services, I have a good understanding of the legislation, and follow all related policies and procedures. I have also, from my recently completed Bachelor of Social Work, gained significant knowledge of the theory and process of investigations. I am aware of key policies and practices, such as the requirement for four contact visits per year with the biological family where a child is placed in a long term placement, the early focus on restoration of that child to the biological family, and aspects such as the definitions of child and young person. I am particularly familiar with the levels of care and protection, the different court orders involved in care and protection, and how to respond to a report of a child at risk.
I have gained practical experience through my current role and from my previous experience working as a Case Aid, where I provided administration and support services to a team of Care and Protection Case Workers, assisting them with file management, background searches, sourcing information and resources for clients, and other tasks. Overall, I have a demonstrated understanding of the provision of case management services to children and families at risk, the process of investigations of children in need of care and protection, the statutory legislation and its application to policies and procedures.
Criteria 2 – Demonstrated problem-solving skills and the ability to manage conflicting priorities meet deadlines and implement strategies to ensure equity of service and quality outcomes for clients
I make extensive use of my problem solving skills to support families in resolving often complex issues. I ensure that I do not try to ‘fix things’ for the families, but rather work with them through options and strategies and help them to figure the problem out.
I currently have a difficult case where a young man who is about to turn 13 wants to leave his foster family, who he has been with since a young age. As this is a long term placement, I’m working with the family as if they were the birth family, providing training, supporting the parents to see the child’s point of view, and supporting and listening to the child. I have provided practical solutions, such as a period of respite when the boy was becoming violent and needed an opportunity to reflect and gain a different perspective. This gave him a chance to think about what he does and doesn’t like about his family situation, and both the carers and the child are discussing these issues through counselling. I visit the family weekly and continue to work with them, using my problem solving skills to support them to reach the best outcome for the child.
As some cases are time consuming, I need to manage conflicting priorities and deadlines, ensuring that I provide equity of service and quality outcomes for all my clients. I prioritise my workload daily, allocating time for each case and keeping up to date with key dates and events. In my previous role as a Case Aid I particularly needed the ability to manage competing jobs as I provided support to a number of Case Workers. I prioritised urgent jobs, such as arranging a make-up drug test where results were needed for a set court date in a restoration case, and then undertook less urgent tasks such as taxi bookings. I communicated with the Case Workers to confirm the priority and urgency of jobs, let them know that I had received their request, and updated them on timeframes.
Similarly, I use good communications with my current clients to ensure they know where I’m up to with any requests I have received from them, to keep them informed on when I will visit, and to let them know who to contact if they need urgent support and I’m not available. For example, the young man who has been asking to leave his foster family is based interstate, and I am currently visiting weekly, so I am away from the office quite a lot. I email my other clients to let them know that I will not be contactable and advise that they can contact other team members if necessary. I also have good communication with my team and line manager, who always know where I am and when I will be back in the office. As a team, we keep each other updated on key details of our cases, so that we can support each other’s clients, ensuring continuity of service and quality outcomes.
Criteria 3 – Sound communication (oral and written) skills and effective interpersonal, negotiation, mediation and liaison skills, including the ability to deal with a diverse group of stakeholders
In my career to date I have worked in a range of settings with a diverse group of stakeholders, which has used and developed my excellent communication skills. For example, as a Youth Worker at Bimberi Youth Justice Centre, my clients were young people in crisis cases, who often had difficulty regulating their emotions and consequently required excellent skills in communication, negotiation and mediation. In this role I gained experience across all units, including intake, young girls, young boys, and young adults, working with young people who often had drug issues and could be violent and abusive. In one situation, two girls decided they wouldn’t go to bed, and jumped in the pond instead, shouting, swearing, and throwing rocks at staff. I responded by talking patiently and quietly, not escalating the situation, and remaining calm until the girls got cold and tired of being in dirty water and came out voluntarily.
As a Case Aid with Care and Protection, I took phone calls from many distressed or irate clients, and developed skills in communicating with clients who are often in crisis situations, particularly ensuring that I got the necessary information to be able to respond to their issue or concern appropriately. For example, the first call I took at Care and Protection was from a father whose daughter had committed suicide. He blamed the service for her death and wanted to speak to a particular worker who wasn’t available. I offered understanding and condolences for his loss, recognised his grief, and ensured that I found the right person for him to talk to straight away.
I work with multi-disciplinary teams, and have cases where representatives of six or seven different services can be involved, so I have skills in liaison and learning from diverse opinions and perspectives. I have used mediation and negotiation skills extensively with clients, including children and their foster families. For example in a review of arrangements meeting to discuss contact between two siblings and their birth mother, the discussion became very heated so I ended the meeting, then restarted negotiations in a less confrontational setting, successfully negotiating the request to reduce contact from 12 to 4 visits a year, to a compromise position of 6 visits a year.
In my current role I use my written skills to prepare reports and annual reviews, changes to care plans, case notes, review of arrangements reports and recommendations, placement reports and requests for additional funding; for example, in cases where extra counselling or other services are needed. I have also prepared incident reports, particularly at Bimberi, and I am always aware that any of my notes or reports may be used in court, so I ensure that I am clear, concise and accurate. I email clients and colleagues extensively, and aim for a balance between being friendly and approachable, while remaining professional, ensuring that I build and maintain good relationships with clients and colleagues through all forms of communication
Criteria 4 – An understanding of the key principles of the Children and Young People Act 2008 (ACT), an awareness of national trends and practices in statutory child protection and a demonstrated knowledge of a range of intervention theories and ability to articulate a practice framework
Having worked extensively with children and young people, I have an understanding of the key principles of the Children and Young People Act 2008 (ACT), as the document guiding my practice. The Act covers how we should practice, and contains key information such as timeframes for action, definitions of child and young person, and who has care and responsibility for the child or young person. The main principle is that all actions and practices are focused on the best interests of the child, rather than what is best for the parents or family. I reference the Act frequently. For example, I recently used the Act to ensure that I completely understood the court orders relating to a child, and that I was clear on the distinctions and differences between interim and long term orders, and Voluntary Care Agreements. I have also used the Act extensively for assignments, as part of my Bachelor of Social Work, and am confident in my understanding and interpretation of the key principles.
In national trends and practices, the focus on the best interests of the individual child is a key practice in general use, reflected through different practices. For example, the Marymead Foster Care Program uses a model called CARE, designed to bring our practice closer to well researched best practices, and provide an environment in which children can thrive. The CARE model is based on a number of guiding factors, including a developmental focus, family involvement, relationships and competence, and is intended to help focus on the child and take a multifaceted view of what is going on for the child or young person.
In taking a multifaceted view, I use a range of intervention theories and practices, as one set method will not suit all children and their individual needs and circumstances. For example, with the young man wishing to leave his foster family I have used aspects of strengths theory, being very open and honest and talking about what is going on for him. He has responded well to this, and I have built a good relationship with him, allowing me to get more information and knowledge to further help and support him. I am aware that we expect children, young people, families and carers to give us detailed and often personal information, so I follow a relationship based practice, while acknowledging that it can take time to build the relationships. A key theory I use is attachment theory; working in foster care most of the children have very damaged attachment. In one of my cases a little boy has been with his foster family for two years, and is only now feeling settled and no longer thinking he is about to leave.
Ultimately I am solution focused, in terms of working with clients to identify and provide support and resources, such as respite, counselling or tutors, and in terms of using whatever amalgamation of theories, practices and intervention help to meet the best interests of the child.
Criteria 5 – An ability to work independently and the ability to work as a member of a team
All of my roles have involved working as a member of a team, while also working independently on designated tasks or cases. As a Youth Worker in Bimberi Youth Justice Centre, I generally worked alone in a unit, such as intake or young girls, but was part of an overall team who I liaised with regularly, and who were available to respond to major incidents or issues. For example, in the case of the two girls who jumped in the pond, outlined previously, several staff members were initially present and assisting, however the girls then took their tops off, at which point the male staff had to leave.
As a Case Aid in Care and Protection Services I again had individual jobs and tasks to complete, but was a part of a team providing support to the team of Case Workers and working collegiately on larger tasks. In this role I needed a good understanding of all team roles and responsibilities, so that I could efficiently prioritise jobs and ensure that I was directing my efforts in the best interests of the whole team.
In all team situations, I recognise that good communication is vital to keep all team members up to date on progress and key events and information, and to ensure that there is support available when needed. In my current Case Worker role with Marymead, we have regular team meetings and regular supervision meetings, ensuring that we are up to date with each other’s cases, are aware of potential crises or difficult situations, and have the necessary information and capacity to support each other. For example, last week a colleague provided support by spending time with the 12 year old boy, who was in respite care at the time, while I attended another meeting. My colleague was aware of the case and the issues involved, and was therefore happy to help out so that I could briefly attend to another client.
We also communicate well as a team informally, through making time to have quick catch-ups and check-ins, and helping each other to unload and deal with some difficult cases and situations, for which we also have formal debrief and counselling options.
Within this team environment I work independently on my own case load, managing my time and prioritising my workload to ensure that I provide quality outcomes for my clients, while also taking care of all necessary paperwork and other tasks. My cases often involve liaison with other agencies and individuals, where we work as a multi-disciplinary team, and again I use my excellent communication skills to work well with my colleagues from other organisations. I share information and updates, and consult with other members of the team to develop care plans, interventions and solutions that are in the best interests of the children and young people involved, appreciating the different viewpoints and knowledge that comes from having a range of different backgrounds, disciplines and approaches.
Criteria 6 – Ability to consistently display high quality customer service principles practices and attributes
I am committed to providing high quality customer service to all my clients, and display this commitment in a number of ways. As previously outlined, I put a lot of effort into having open and frequent communication with my clients, ensuring that they know when I will visit, where I’m up to with any queries they have raised with me, and what to do if they can’t reach me in a crisis situation.
I also follow simple courtesies, such as returning calls and responding to emails as quickly as possible, and checking people’s deadlines for information or requests so that I can respond appropriately. For example, one of the foster children I worked with recently turned 18, and wanted to know the date when she had come to live with her long term foster carers. While this seemed a simple request, I still checked and followed up straight away as it was obviously important to the client. It actually took some time to find the information, which it turned out she wanted for a tattoo incorporating the date she had started her new life with her foster family. In this case, simply following up quickly on a request for some basic information made a big difference to the client.
Another practice that I follow is making the effort to build relationships with the children and young people who are my key clients, and their foster carers. One of my foster carers has a biological son as well as a foster son, and I am always happy to listen and give her support when she has concerns regarding her biological son, recognising that she finds it helpful to talk to someone, and also that these issues may impact on the placement. I find that people generally feel more comfortable in talking and discussing their family situation if they know something about you in return, and so I share appropriately with clients. With a family who live interstate, I have built a better relationship simply by explaining that I used to live in that area, and that my parents still live locally. This reassures the clients, who feel that I have more understanding of their situation as I’m from that area, and they also feel less concerned that I am travelling a distance to visit them, as I can stay overnight with my parents if necessary.
A key part of my customer service practice is keeping the focus firmly on the best interests of the child, and using all available networks, resources and approaches to provide an environment for that child to thrive. To help me to do this, I work to develop good relationships with all of the other key people involved in the child’s care and wellbeing, particularly my colleagues from Care and Protection Services, schools, counsellors, and other agencies and service providers. Through working well both individually and as part of a multi-disciplinary team, I provide consistently high quality customer service to my clients.
Criteria 7 – Work in accordance with, and uphold the ACT Government Respect, Equity and Diversity Framework and the Directorate’s Work Health and Safety system
Having previously worked in Care and Protection Services, I have good knowledge and understanding of the Respect, Equity and Diversity Framework, and at all times acted appropriately. At Marymead, I work within the core values, which include respecting and embracing diversity, and I follow the Australian Association of Social Work Code of Ethics.
I treat all my colleagues with respect, and appreciate the value of working with and learning from a range of different people, and benefitting from their diverse life experience, knowledge, skills and perspectives. I ensure that I afford similar respect and courtesy to the wider group of care workers, teachers, school support staff, counsellors and other stakeholders who I deal with through my work. Similarly, I have respect for my clients, their families, carers and other key stakeholders, recognising that they come from varied backgrounds, and often have life experiences that have been very different from my own.
Through my work in foster care and respite, I have worked with a very diverse client group, including birth parents, grandparents, other family members, foster families and carers, and I acknowledge their various viewpoints and opinions. I have worked with families and clients from indigenous backgrounds, and I endeavour to tailor my practice to take into account cultural issues. For example, one of the foster children I’m currently working with is from an Aboriginal background, and I believe that the birth mother was part of the Stolen Generation. I understand that the family have strong connections with their Aboriginal heritage and I do my best to communicate in a culturally appropriate manner when I meet with the mother, for example through avoiding eye contact. Where I am not sure how best to act, I apologise and ask questions to improve my understanding, and I have found that people generally appreciate efforts to learn about their culture and beliefs.
I have a strong understanding of health and safety and work in general, and follow a number of protocols and strategies particularly designed to ensure our safety as Case Workers going out to visit clients and families in their homes. For example, we use a team whiteboard to leave details of where we are going and when we will be back, and post the same information on our office doors. When I am visiting clients interstate, and so returning home later than normal, I message my team leader with updates, and message again once I reach home. We do a risk analysis before visits, particularly for new clients or where we know that there is a potentially volatile or difficult situation, and bring a colleague if we are unsure about safety issues.
Health and safety is also about mental and emotional health, and I have strategies to wind down and switch off from work, especially after particularly stressful or draining days. I make use of debriefs, understand the value of taking regular breaks and time off to recharge, and am aware that there are counselling options available if needed
