Senior Practitioner

Employment Term: Maximum Term to end November 2026, Full-Time (76 hours per fortnight)

Location: Underwood / Southport

Remuneration: $55.72 p/hr + Super + NFP Salary Packaging (save tax and increase your take home pay)

Make a meaningful difference with UnitingCare Queensland. At UnitingCare we are leaders in crisis response, the protection of vulnerable people and children, financial resilience and family wellbeing. Our FaDS (Family and Disability Services) team work passionately across Queensland to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Your part in our UnitingCare team: The Senior Practitioner role is the first level of team leadership providing guidance, professional development and mentoring for staff in the Family Intervention Service (FIS), Pathways to Grow (PTG) & Healing, Opportunity, Prevention, Education & Sexual Abuse (HOPES) Programs.

• Our FIS Program works with families to help protect children and keep them living in the family home.
• Our PTG Program provides counselling to children, young people and their families needing support to navigate challenging issues.
• Our HOPES Program provides free counselling to children, young people and their non-offending family members or carers who are grappling with trauma and pain because of abuse. We also provide therapy to children who are displaying sexual behaviour problems.

Key Responsibilities:

• Partner with families accessing the service, to identify needs and strengths and develop goals, which will address emotional and practical concerns.
• Provide negotiated combinations of therapeutic interventions, educative and practical services to families and link families with services and resources in their communities.
• Manage intake, referral pathways into programs, allocation of clients to counsellors, reporting and compliance.
• Provide practice supervision to the Counselling Services team through debriefing, mentoring, client case practice review and supervision sessions.
• In consultation with team members, plan and monitor workloads to maintain a high standard of service and delivery.
• Provide professional practice oversight, performance planning and professional development for all staff within the programs.
• Produce performance reports.
• Preparation, organisation and meetings with auditors for the HOPES & PTC programs.

Qualifications:

• A minimum of a degree in Social Work, Counselling, Psychology, Behavioural Science or a related field.
• A minimum of two years demonstrated experience working therapeutically with children and their families.
• Experience in the area of child protection is essential.
• Be willing to undergo a personal history check under the provision of the Child Protection Act 1999 in relation to Licensing of Care Services.
• Current Queensland Driver’s Licence.
• “Working with Children” Blue Card (or willing to obtain).
• Registration with a nationally recognised professional body is desirable.

Flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance.

NFP Salary Packaging: Save tax and increase your take home pay by salary packaging your everyday living expenses and bills (up to $15,900) and meal entertainment (up to $2,650) per annum.

A recognition and rewards platform, providing employee discounts at hundreds of retailers, including everyday expenses, holidays, health insurance, annual awards celebration, wellbeing and employee assistance programs.

12 weeks paid parental leave and 2 weeks paid partner leave, available after 6 months service, in addition to the government scheme.

Diversity and inclusive leave, offering paid gender affirmation leave and cultural leave options (paid and unpaid) for those who may celebrate Lunar New Year, Diwali, Ramadan, NAIDOC weeks and other significant cultural events.

Career development opportunities to challenge yourself, grow and make a meaningful difference.

A positive and inclusive team based on respect, shared standards, strong values and a commitment to serving others.

UnitingCare is committed to being a Child Safe, Child Friendly organisation and will provide welcoming, safe and nurturing services for children, implement measures to prevent child abuse and neglect within our services, and appropriately and immediately address child abuse and neglect if it does occur.

Our approach is simple – everybody is welcome here. At UnitingCare, diversity is at the core of who we are, our mission and our values. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to all employees no matter their sex, race, culture, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. Demonstrating our commitment to reconciliation and building long-term employment opportunities for First Nations peoples, UnitingCare strongly encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants for this position.

We work hard to make our services welcoming and safe for every person. We are united in keeping children, young people and the elderly safe from harm, within our services, workplaces and the communities we support.

We’re on a mission to make a meaningful difference every day, working with thousands of Australians to ensure they live life in all its fullness. We want people who are great as individuals, and even better in a team. People who stand up for what is right, who are open to new ideas, who champion innovation, who lead through learning, and lead by example.

So, if you’re looking for an opportunity to make a meaningful difference, to grow, thrive and to be rewarded, it’s time you joined our UnitingCare family.