The Role
The Youth Development Officer plays a crucial role in driving and facilitating positive outcomes for young people from diverse Arabic speaking countries by planning, developing and evaluating comprehensive programs that support the client group’s overall development. The role has a primary focus of case management, group work and partnerships to support holistic wellbeing for client groups. They work closely with young individuals, community organisations, education and other specialist service providers to address their needs, empower them, and foster a sense of belonging and connection within the community.
About Arabic Welfare
Established in 1984, Arabic Welfare provides services to individuals and families from diverse Arabic speaking countries. We support our clients to realise their aspirations toward full participation in Australian life, and work closely with service providers to achieve this goal. Arabic Welfare staff are bilingual and bicultural, and our team includes qualified and experienced social workers, counsellors, youth and community development workers and Registered Migration Agents.
Our Values
Voice – Listen to our community and be their voice.
Respect – Treat all individuals with dignity and respect.
Quality – Strive for excellence in everything we do and always look for how we can improve.
Connect – Connect our community to services they need.
Inspire – Inspire our community to achieve their goals and dreams.
Accountability – Be accountable to our community, collaborators, and partners.
Why work with us
- Enjoy a competitive base salary plus superannuation of 11.5%
- Salary packaging options available; allowing you to increase your take home pay by accessing salary packaging benefits of up to $15,900
- Annual leave loading of 17.5%
- Free onsite parking available
- Supportive, friendly and family oriented work environment
- Flexible working arrangements where it meets operational requirements.
Qualifications
Relevant tertiary qualification in health or community services, such as social work, psychology, community development or related disciplines including youth work.
Role competencies
- In-depth knowledge of the welfare sector, service navigation, including program development, implementation, and evaluation
- Ability to build and nurture strong relationships and partnerships with community, health, employment and education service providers such as schools and AMEP providers as well as community and faith leaders
- Ability to identify and address emerging community needs
- Experience in designing and delivering information sessions, group work, and case management
- Collaboration with interdisciplinary teams to support positive client outcomes
- Well-developed communication skills in both written and verbal presentations
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently
- Bilingual fluency in Arabic and English
Key Selection Criteria
- Case management:
- Conduct an initial assessment to identify the client’s needs, aspirations, and barriers in accessing services
- Provide ongoing support and assistance to address identified issues and work towards achieving goals, using case management, strength based and trauma-informed practices
- Facilitate referrals and establish connections to appropriate services that meet the client’s needs
- Build collaborative relationships with community, health, and education service providers, government agencies, specialist organisations and other key stakeholders with a focus on fostering education and employment outcomes for young people
- Attend relevant meetings to ensure effective support for clients.
- Group work and community capacity building:
- Consult and engage with young people from Arabic-speaking communities to understand local issues and develop strategies to address them
- Develop, facilitate and evaluate tailored projects to address the specific needs of the target group
- Collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders to build relevant and strong relationships to improve outcomes for target group
- Identify emerging community needs and service gaps to inform program delivery and potential service expansion
- Foster and maintain relationships with community and faith leaders to facilitate potential partnerships and referrals.
- Reporting and evaluation:
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date client management, data entry, and project reports
- Contribute to funding reports and ensure accurate program delivery records to meet work plan requirements
- Actively participate in supervision and team meetings, contributing to program developments and improvements while adhering to AW policies and relevant legislation for working with children, young people, and families
- Conduct evaluation and analyse qualitative and quantitative data to measure program outcomes and identify areas for improvement
- Use evaluation findings to inform decision-making, resource allocation, and future planning.
Employment Requirements
- A willingness and ability to work flexible hours is required, including evening, weekend and other work-related commitments
- A current driver’s license
- Employee will be required to use own vehicle for work.
Safety Screening
All competitive applicants will be required to undergo employment safety screening, including the following:
- Establishing identity
- National Criminal History Records check
- Working with Children check
- Reference checks
Applying for the position
- Send through a copy of your CV and Cover Letter addressing key selection criteria and role competencies above
Applications close on the 21st of July 2024
For more information: email info@arabicwelfare.org.au or (03) 9380 9536. Please note that the preferred communication method is via email.