Penrith, NEW South Wales KARI
Aboriginal Cultural Liaison Officer- Penrith 
(Australian Aboriginal Identified Position).

JOB TITLE:	Cultural Liaison Officer
TEAM:	Out Of Home Care (hereafter referred to as OOHC).
LINE MANAGER:	Cultural Unit Coordinator
KEY RELATIONSHIPS:	The Cultural Liaison Officer will maintain primary relationships with the Regional OOHC Manager, Cultural Unit Coordinator, and all other members of the KARI OOHC team, the children, young people, and birth families as allocated and relevant NSW Community Services child protection teams.

1. JOB PURPOSE

The Cultural Liaison Officer is an integral member of the OOHC team. As an active member of the Aboriginal community this worker will provide the OOHC team with support in following Aboriginal Placement Principles, locating possible kinship placements for children and young people as well as assisting to identify other cultural opportunities that may provide the child, young person and family with a strong cultural heritage.

2. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide support and advice to OOHC workers, carers and where appropriate birth family in the preparation of the child or young person’s cultural care plan.
• Assist with the development of a child or young person’s genogram.
• Attend case conferences to ensure the cultural care plan is integrated into the child or young person’s overall case plan.
• Assist with the development of strategies to ensure promotion of a child or young person’s cultural identity.
• Attend relevant meetings as directed to ensure that the Aboriginal Placement Principle is adhered to and the child or young person has every opportunity to live in an environment that promotes their cultural wellbeing.
• Identify possible kinship connections for children or young people coming into care.
• Where appropriate complete assessments of kinship placement options during the term of an interim care order, providing the court with a report and recommendations on the best cultural placement for the child or young person.
• Provide support and advice to other team members in relation to cultural considerations.
• Attend monthly supervision meetings with your Line Manager and complete the tasks identified at these meetings.  Identify personal learning needs and give feedback on the service including the identification of gaps and areas for improvement.
• Attend any KARI meetings as requested by your Line Manager.
• Undertake and participate in regular evaluations of the service and take part in annual appraisals of staff performance and team planning days.

• Undertake specific tasks allocated by your Line Manager relating to the promotion of the service and the enhancement of the partnership between the team and key stakeholders.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of a positive, supportive and collaborative team environment including the ongoing learning of all team members through the sharing of ideas and feedback from training.

• Advocate for KARI and Aboriginal people, children and young people in the sector.
• Other duties as directed.

3. ELIGIBILITY  REQUIREMENTS

• Aboriginality.
• Possession of a current NSW Drivers License – minimum P2.
• Ability to work flexible hours as required.
• Willingness to undertake a Working with Children Check.

 

4. SELECTION CRITERIA

• A demonstrated connection to culture and community.
• Ability to establish and maintain appropriate networks.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience in working with or in Aboriginal communities.
• Ability to be self-motivated in a flexible team environment.
• Demonstrated report writing skills.
• An understanding of the needs of Aboriginal Children or Young People who may not be able to live with their parents.
• Demonstrated capacity to research using multimedia tools and community networks.
• Good computer skills with knowledge of the Microsoft Office package of tools, Outlook and capacity to navigate the internet for work purposes.
• Ability to respect and work within the values of KARI and commitment to reflecting and adhering to KARI’s policies and procedures.
• Ability to work co-operatively and respectfully with team members, foster carers, families and professionals from various agencies and cultural backgrounds.

Source: Uniting News