AddressEARLY INTERVENTION KEYWORKER
GOLD COAST
Base salary + super +4 weeks annual leave + business fuel card
Full or part time position.
Salary determined by qualification and experience.
Current research from ECIA indicates that best practice in early childhood intervention centres on a family centred, inclusive approach delivered through the ‘key worker’ model. A Key Worker is an early childhood intervention professional who is the key point of contact for a child and their family. They have expertise in child development, learning and well being as well as professional qualifications in allied health or education and can provide general intervention that is common across a range of early childhood disciplines.
Our Key Workers are passionate early childhood specialists with experience working within trans-disciplinary teams, extensive knowledge in Early Childhood development, positive behaviour support and the NDIS Early Childhood approach.
The role of the Key Worker can reduce some family stresses by focusing on five key areas that are important for families. These include:
- Information and advice to enable them to navigate services, understand NDIS terminology and access resources
- Opportunities to identify and address needs in parenting through coaching, guidance and linking to services in the local community
- Support and skill development in advocating for the needs of their child, communicating with other professionals and making informed choices about their child’s development
- Support to co-ordinate all of services who currently support their child and family
- Emotional support
As part of you role you will:
- Help families to understand their NDIS plan, budget, and what services they need to meet their child's NDIS goals
- Plan, coordinate and connect the family to therapy supports and community services
- Organise and coordinate stakeholder meetings involving school staff, medical and therapy team
- Visit early childhood settings to complete observations of the children you work with and provide staff with strategies to support their participation and inclusion
- Provide parent coaching, guidance, resources and strategies to support; positive behaviour, early language and pre-literacy skill development, engaging their child in play, and encouraging independence with self-care skills.
- Work with families to incorporate strategies from their child’s current therapy programs into everyday routines and activities to make ‘therapy homework’ more manageable
- Work closely with a child's therapy and education team to implement consistent strategies across all environments: home, community and education facility
- Collaborate with families, early childhood settings and schools to support a successful transition to school for the children you work with. This may include information about the range of school options available relevant to the child, planning for the transition, creating resources to support them, and support to advocate for their child.
- Continue to build our networks and collaborative working relationships with local early childhood settings, community services and Early Intervention providers
Successful applicants will need …
- A relevant tertiary qualification in Social Work, Psychology, Early Childhood, Special Education and/or related behavioural sciences at bachelor degree level or higher with experience
- Membership of their relevant professional body (e.g. QCT, AHPRA or Australian Association of Social Workers)
- Knowledge and experience in a keyworker model and/or other relevant frameworks used in work with parents and children who are vulnerable or who have a disability.
- Demonstrated experience in working effectively with a broad range of families.
- Knowledge of family and community services in their local area
- Be up to date with Covid 19 Vaccinations
- Be able to obtain an NDIS Worker Screening Check
- Hold a current Working with Children’s Check
- Hold a valid drivers licence and reliable car
- Knowledge of the NDIS preferred
