WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Are you passionate about creating equitable, inclusive, and sustainable solutions for vulnerable children and young people? The HCEA Strategy Unit is seeking dynamic professionals to join a high-performing team committed to transforming outcomes for children and young people in OOHC.

• Demonstrated experience providing high level advice and guidance to improve policy and programs with a focus on outcomes for children and young people
• Ability to work autonomously and effectively manage competing priorities
• Highly developed knowledge of ChildStory and proficiency using Microsoft packages (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint)
• Excellent written communication skills including preparing written correspondence, briefs, reports and resources
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills supporting communication with a broad range of stakeholders including potential foster carers and funded service providers.

THE WELCOME EXPERIENCE

Thinking about moving to regional NSW? Get free, personalised support with housing, schools, jobs, and settling in. Learn more: www.nsw.gov.au/welcomeexperience
The careers site currently promotes this service on the ‘Discover roles with DCJ in regional NSW’ page.

YOUR ROLE

The HCEA Strategy Unit is an operational unit.
As a HCEA Support Squad Senior Project Officer in the HCEA Strategy Unit you will collaborate with DCJ and NGO casework teams to prevent unnecessary entries into HCEA, support safe and timely exits when a HCEA has been established, and ensure holistic care that focuses on permanency, cultural connection, and wellbeing. Our team drives system-wide solutions, challenges barriers, and partners with the broader sector to support safe and timely transitions back home to parents, kin and Country, or into stable, home-based or therapeutic placements, if suitable.
As a Fostering with DCJ Senior Project Officer you will lead a team in the administrative components of the foster care recruitment process. In doing so, the team will improve the customer experience of applicants, retain their motivation to provide care, support colleagues to focus on the training and assessment components of the process, and expedite the end-to-end authorisation process.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

In the HCEA Support Squads, you will lean on your operational expertise and your systems knowledge to reduce the number of children in HCEAs and how long they stay in HCEAs. You will provide practical support (e.g. home visits, group supervisions, assessments or other required operational or field work activities) and expert advice to prevent entries into HCEAs, working closely with casework teams, NGOs, and the Central Access Unit (CAU) to identify alternative placements and expedite referrals. You’ll monitor and review children in HCEA, support exit planning, and coordinate transitions and access to therapeutic supports. The role involves system advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and navigating complex service systems to remove barriers and improve outcomes. You’ll help to mobilise outcomes on-the-ground with casework teams – supporting staff to find family, make referrals, or bring together multiple stakeholders to expedite better outcomes. You’ll also oversee financial approval processes, contribute to quality assurance, and use data to inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement across the broader service system.
In the Fostering with DCJ team you will lead and support key stages of foster care recruitment, including initial screening, probity checks, and applicant support. You’ll develop engaging resources for potential carers and create practice guidelines to strengthen recruitment and support processes. Your work will involve data collection and analysis to inform outcomes reporting and service improvements. You’ll collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, promote foster care opportunities, and manage projects from planning through to evaluation, ensuring evidence-based and culturally responsive service delivery.
The HCEA Strategy Unit fosters a collaborative and respectful working environment built on trust, equity, and inclusiveness. Our approach is based around shared responsibility, mutual respect, and collective action to improve outcomes for children and young people.

Our multidisciplinary teams work together to:

• Reduce the number of children and young people in HCEAs.
• Scrutinise and reduce costs associated with these arrangements.
• Address vacancies across the funded service system.

Increase placement supply and implement strategies to stabilise Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) placements.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS ROLE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO RECEIVING YOUR APPLICATION.

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