Supported Independent Living (SIL) Casework Support Officer (Fixed Term)

Role overview

This fixed-term Casework Support Officer position is centred on high-quality documentation and administrative coordination. The role supports compliance with state and sector regulatory requirements, including Office of Children’s Guardian standards, permanency and support planning, human service standards, and national disability service standards. It also helps ensure that records and plans are aligned with Allambi’s Needs Based Restorative Framework and each child or young person’s permanency objectives.

What the role involves

The position plays a key part in accurately recording information from care team meetings, case conferences, and individual service planning sessions, then turning that information into clear Case Plan goals for children, young people, and participants. It also keeps communication flowing between stakeholders through timely and accurate documentation and involves direct liaison with both internal and external stakeholders.

Personal capabilities

• You need to work in line with organisational values, policies, and procedures.
• The role requires resilience, stamina, and the ability to handle multiple competing priorities in a demanding setting.
• Strong planning skills are needed to meet deadlines and stay organised.
• High attention to detail and a commitment to quality assurance are essential, including escalation of ongoing frontline quality concerns to the House Manager.
• You should be able to engage respectfully and inclusively with children, young people, participants, families, and colleagues from all backgrounds.
• Willingness to take part in cultural awareness learning and support culturally safe practice is important.
• The role calls for cooperative team behaviour, openness to others’ ideas, and professional interaction within team dynamics.
• You must be flexible and resourceful when responding to operational issues, and be able to receive and provide constructive feedback.
• A learning mindset, willingness to use supervision well, and reflective practice are important for ongoing development.
• You must be able to function in a high-pressure environment while also managing your own wellbeing and stress responsibly.

Professional competencies

This role suits someone with experience supporting children, young people, or participants with complex emotional and behavioural needs in residential care. It also requires understanding of trauma and its effects on children and families, plus working knowledge of attachment theory and trauma-informed care. Familiarity with physical, intellectual, and sensory disability is also relevant.

Additional knowledge areas include child protection legislation, official guardian standards, permanency and support planning, human services standards, national disability service standards, and the legal and ethical requirements around mandatory reporting. The role also involves collaborative practice, screening, intake, transition, and exit assessments, along with family engagement to help maintain appropriate family relationships.

You will need to manage safety carefully through detail-oriented risk awareness, incident reporting, confidentiality, record handling, and compliance with workplace health and safety obligations. Strong written and verbal communication, computer literacy, accurate data entry, Microsoft Office skills, and the ability to manage digital and paper records are all important. The role also requires the ability to organise tasks under tight timelines, identify issues, problem-solve constructively, and work both independently and as part of a team. A Diploma in Community Services or a related field is required.

Key work areas

• Gather and organise information about children, young people, or participants and work with the Therapeutic Specialist to prepare assessment plans, including reviewing case files and input from other service providers.
• Collect and coordinate information needed before assessments for the child, young person, participant, and their family.
• Prepare permanency Case Plans using recommendations from the Therapeutic Specialist and information from intake, transition, or exit assessments.
• Organise, attend, and document Care Team meetings, including preparation of the supporting information needed for them.
• Keep client and casework records current, including updates in client information systems.
• Participate in reflective practice and contribute to service quality improvement and team development.
• Maintain administrative compliance with relevant state regulatory frameworks, including NSW therapeutic out-of-home care principles and the Ten Essential Elements, or Victorian Human Service Standards where relevant.
• Work with DCJ or DHHS for each child or young person and arrange Care Team meetings to support assessments, Case Plan development, and implementation of interventions.
• Prepare panel reports, Complex Needs applications, and Away from Placements forms.
• Support collaborative practice by maintaining strong communication with Care Team members, clients, families, and other professionals.
• Collect, store, and manage accreditation evidence for regulatory bodies.
• Update client files after file audits in consultation with the House Manager.
• Set up internal client files and placement files for new cases.
• Maintain and monitor records in both internal files and placement files.
• Request updated client information from the Department of Communities and Justice or the Department of Health and Human Services.
• Review and amend client incident reports, advising authors of required changes and providing feedback where needed.
• Help establish new residential housing systems, including paperwork, filing, and client information collection.
• Attend case conferences, reviews, care team meetings, Individual Service Planning meetings, and leaving care meetings.

Additional information

This is a full-time fixed-term role for up to 12 months, based onsite in Charlestown, New South Wales. The standard work pattern is Monday to Friday. The package includes salary packaging, four weeks of annual leave, and 12 rostered days off each year, equivalent to one per month.

Applicants are expected to submit a cover letter that addresses the essential criteria, along with a complete resume that includes two professional references. The closing date for applications is 11:59 pm on Sunday 12 July.

The organisation states that it is an equal employment opportunity employer and welcomes applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and people with disability.