About the Position

This identified role will further develop the essential cultural service element within the Aboriginal Children in Aboriginal Care (ACAC) model at BDAC. The role will involve engaging families, finding and activating family support networks as well as negotiating with families where there are significant concerns for the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. 

The Family Connector will address identified barriers to Aboriginal family connection for Aboriginal children on Child Protection orders.  The Family Connector will contribute to identifying and establishing ways of better connecting families that have been subject to the effects of colonisation for Aboriginal peoples and support healing for those families.

The role will play a vital role in ensuring Aboriginal children in out-of-home care remain connected to their roots, family, and community. This connection will strengthen children and families cultural identity, emotional wellbeing, and sense of belonging.
The Family Connector will support ACAC practitioners within BDAC to follow a model of family connecting that is culturally safe and effective. The practitioner would collaborate with other specialise organisation (such as VACCA and Anglicare Victoria) and interstate ACCOs to support family finding and connection between family members.

This position will require some travel and after hour’s work.

Key Responsibilites

Supporting and strengthening Family relationships

• Actively engage with families identifying strengths and capacities.
• research extended family and work to activate them as support to the children and families.
• Skilfully manage conflict to negotiate common goals. 
• Strengthening families to prevent children and unborn children being subject to Child protection reports and orders.
• Contributing for children to remain with family rather that enter the Out of Home Care system.

Increased culturally safety and sensitivity to a family's journey

• Help ensure that the child’s cultural practices and needs are respected and integrated into their care plan.
   

Strengthen Identity

• Helping Aboriginal children develop a strong sense of identity.
• Maintaining connections to family, community, and culture,
• Helping child feel proud of their heritage and confident in their cultural identity, which is essential for their overall well-being and resilience.
   

Strengthened connections with their Aboriginal Community

• Increased involvement in community events, ceremonies, and other cultural activities
• Help children and families feel grounded in their identity and build strong relationships with Community members.

Cultural Preservation and Connection

• Support connections to Aboriginal heritage, language, culture, and traditions.
• Work closely with the child and their family to maintain cultural ties, even if the child is placed in a foster care setting away from their community.
   

Advocacy and Support

• Act as a liaison between the practitioner, child, their family, the carers, and social services to advocate for the child's cultural needs and rights.
• Help ensure that the child’s cultural practices and needs are respected and integrated into their care plan.
• Consult with Traditional Owners and Elders within the Bendigo community, striving to develop new initiatives and practices lead by community.
   

Develop procedures and guidelines

• The role would lead the development of practice, procedure and guidelines and support future service models and structures.
• Actively seek feedback from children, young people, their families and community on ways to improve the processes and program.
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation to consider long-term impacts, which would provide us with the evidence required to shape future iterations of our service model.