Care Services Practitioner - Care Services

Upper Murray Family Care · Wodonga / Wangaratta, Regional VIC, Australia

Make a lasting difference in the lives of children and young people.

At UMFC, we believe every child and young person deserves to feel safe, heard, connected and supported to thrive.

We are looking for a compassionate and skilled Practitioner to join our Care Services team and work alongside children, young people, carers and families across the Ovens Murray region.

This is more than case management. It is an opportunity to build trusted relationships, advocate for children and young people, support carers through the challenges and rewards of their role and help create the conditions for children to experience safety, belonging and positive development.

Why join UMFC?

Support children and young people who have experienced adversity to feel safe, connected and supported in their foster or kinship care placement.

Work alongside passionate practitioners, carers, families and professionals who share a commitment to achieving the best outcomes for children and young people.

At UMFC, Sanctuary is more than a framework, it shapes how we work with each other and the people we support. You will be part of a culture grounded in emotional intelligence, open communication, social learning and cultural humility, with a strong focus on safety, connection and reflective practice.

About the role

As a Care Services Practitioner, you will provide therapeutic, child-centred case management and placement support to children and young people living in foster and kinship care.

You will build meaningful relationships with children and young people, ensuring their voices and views are heard and reflected in planning and decision-making. You will work closely with carers, birth families, DFFH, schools, health services and other professionals to promote placement stability, safety, wellbeing and positive outcomes.

Your day may include:

Undertaking purposeful home visits and working alongside children, young people and carers to support safe and stable placements.

Developing, implementing and reviewing care and placement plans.

Advocating for the needs, rights and views of children and young people.

Coordinating and participating in Care Team meetings and working collaboratively with DFFH and other services.

Supporting carers with practical advice, information and strategies to strengthen placement stability.

Building respectful and constructive relationships with birth families, kin and significant others.

Completing assessments and contributing to placement planning, carer reviews and permanency planning.

Connecting children, young people and families with appropriate health, education and community services.

Maintaining high-quality case records and documentation and contributing to quality assurance and continuous improvement.

Participating in the Care Services after-hours on-call roster and broader program activities as required.