Aboriginal Family Partnership Worker

Nunkuwarrin Yunti

Nunkuwarrin Yunti, the foremost Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation in Adelaide aims to promote and deliver improvement in the health and wellbeing of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families in the greater metropolitan areas of Adelaide and regional areas to advance their social, cultural and economic status. The Organisation places a strong focus on a client centred approach to the delivery of services and a collaborative working culture to achieve the best possible outcomes for clients.

Nunkuwarrin Yunti is a Child Safe Organisation.

The Women’s Children’s and Family Health Service aims to support safe nurturing environments for pregnant women, infants and children, increase uptake and utilisation of services with an emphasis on early intervention and prevention, provide streamlined coordinated care and positive experiences for clients to encourage continued engagement with services.

The Australian Family Partnership Program (AFPP) involves nurses and/or midwives and Aboriginal Family Partnership Workers in partnership with women who are pregnant with an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander baby and their families. It is a program of sustained and scheduled home visiting that begins during the antenatal period and continues until the child is 2 years old

About the Role

The primary role of the Aboriginal Family Partnership Worker position is and not limited to:  

• Contribute to cultural acceptance of the program within the community, including engaging Community leaders, advocates and sponsors
• Support women to engage and remain engaged in the program and work in partnership with Nurse Home Visitors to deliver the program
• Provide advice and assistance on a broad range of cultural issues to ensure observance of appropriate cultural protocols and maintenance of culturally safe services for participating mothers and their families
• Help facilitate communication with internal and external stakeholders to establish and maintain appropriate referral pathways for women, children and their families
• Contribute to ongoing development and adaptation of the Program for the local Community and at a National level, including ongoing development of the Aboriginal Family Partnership Worker role

Selection Criteria

Essential:

• An appropriate vocational and/or tertiary qualification and/or minimum two (2) years vocational experience attained through previous appointments in a relevant field consistent with and sufficient to fulfil duties of this role (e.g., community health, maternal and child health or any early childhood setting)
• Strong connections with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities in metropolitan Adelaide
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander societies and culture and awareness of issues which may impact on maternal child and family wellbeing
• Well-developed interpersonal skills, ability to advocate on culturally matters and support negotiations and conflict resolution processes.
• Ability to use professional judgement to prioritise care and organise workload.
• Demonstrated ability to undertake various work activities requiring a high level of knowledge and skills, including analysis of data and information and quality improvement activities.
• Competence in the use of computer software, especially Patient Information Recall Systems (e.g., Communicare, Medical Director) and other databases

Desirable: 

• Registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Authority (AHPRA) or another suitable nationally recognised professional association (Australian Counselling Association or Australian Association of Social Workers).
• Previous training (formal/informal) in maternal health, child and family health, mental health, substance misuse.
• Experience in structured evidence-based service models for women, children and families including home visiting programs.
• Experience in case management.
• Experience in the development of policy, procedures and work processes