- Flexible working hours, including work from home possibilities
- Monthly Rostered Day Off
- Up to $15,900 annual salary sacrifice
- $2600 annual meal & entertainment card
- Work for one of Australia's largest social purpose organisations
About the Organisation
Every day, Life Without Barriers provides support and care to children and young people, as we work collaboratively with families, carers, and communities, to ensure they have the environment they deserve to grow. With a focus on ensuring safety and respect, this is an opportunity to make a positive and meaningful difference in these young lives and help pave a brighter future.
Life Without Barriers is a leading social purpose organisation of 8,000 employees working in more than 500 communities across Australia. We support children, young people and families, people with disability, older people and people with mental illness. We work with people who are homeless and refugees and asylum seekers. Join a community of people dedicated to breaking down barriers.
We want to employ people who reflect the diversity of our clients to ensure we can support each client's individual needs and wants. We encourage people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background and people with disability to apply.
About the role
The purpose of the Senior Practice and Program Specialist is to ensure the provision of practice support and professional leadership in Out of Home Care with a focus on delivering quality evidence-based services which achieve positive outcomes for children, families, and young people.
Reporting to the Director of Practice, you will work closely with our national Child, Youth and Family teams, the broader Practice Excellence and Assurance Hub and other stakeholders to provide quality assurance that our practice and ways of working with children, young people, their families, and carers meets external regulatory and LWB compliance requirements.
The Senior Practice and Program Specialist will collaborate across CYF programs to identify areas for practice improvement and ensure compliance with relevant legislation, service standards, and LWB policies and procedures. You will be responsible for ensuring the team deliver care and support within best practice standards and legislation in Child Youth and Family Services.
This exciting and challenging role works within Life Without Barriers Quality Framework which incorporates four lines of assurance: Regulatory Assurance, Risk Assurance, Practice Assurance and Operational Assurance.
This a is permanent full-time role that can be based anywhere in Australia. Flexible working arrangements, such as, working from home can be discussed as part of the recruitment process. This role will require travel to assist with internal and external audits.
Key Responsibilities
- Work with the National Child Youth and Family Team to enable them to perform to the best of their ability, within residential care.
- Model a culture that practices stronger client voice and participation in all Family, Children and Young People service delivery and programs
- Co-design and develop goal orientated practice improvement plans with practical strategies
- Provide advice on the application and implementation of legislation and standards
- Provide leadership, mentoring and advice to regional teams and individuals on practice and program issues
- Assist and contribute to the development of new business opportunities including funding submissions
- Work in partnership with service delivery teams to implement and promote best practice
- Implement organisational program related initiatives within the area
- Provide input into the development of new programs and practice initiatives and translate these into practice
- Assist in establishing, monitoring and revising quality assurance processes
- Observe, analyse and reporting on program adherence processes and measures and troubleshoot any problems
- Achieve business plan outcomes and other organisational programs and initiatives
- Keep abreast of industry developments and changes that may impact LWB’s business and quality assurance strategies
- Report risks, poor practice and non-compliance with LWB policy and procedure and legislation
- Support the Practice Assurance team to prepare for and participate in accreditation and licensing processes
Skills & Experience
- Tertiary qualification in Human Services or Social Sciences
- Experience managing teams of staff local and / or remote
- Demonstrated experience in practice leadership and / or developing and implementing practice improvement strategies to improve service delivery
- Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing processes and systems to improve services.
- Demonstrated experiencing in providing advice, support, coaching, mentoring and training to managers and staff.
- Working knowledge of relevant legislative and regulatory environment for areas of business responsibility
- The ability to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders
- Demonstrated problem solving skills and ability to consider strategic implications of decisions / actions.
- Excellent written communication skills for the creation of reports, correspondence and other material.
- Demonstrated commitment to the care and protection of service users.
- Demonstrated skills in the development and implementation of monitoring and compliance systems.
Successful candidates will be required to clear probity checks including National Criminal History Record Check and Working with Children Check.
Benefits
- Monthly RDO
- Competitive remuneration package + excellent tax benefits
- Mobile and laptop provided
- Lead a team of staff passionate about positive outcomes and experiences for our young people in care.
Additional Support
Life Without Barriers offers a dedicated After-Hours Service (AHS) for all Child Youth and Family programs. AHS ensures efficient responses to after-hours events that cannot wait until the next business day, relieving our front-line staff from on-call duties and significantly improving their work-life balance.
How to Apply
Include your resume and covering letter in one document, click ‘Apply’ and follow the prompts. For any enquiries including persons with disability that require adjustments, contact Recruitment at zina.campbell@lwb.org.au. Please note that we do not accept applications to this email.
Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as applications are continuously reviewed prior to the closing date; and as such the closing date is subject to change without notice. Current application closing date is midnight 24th November 2025.
Please note: To be considered for and appointed to a position at Life Without Barriers, you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or hold a valid medical exemption certificate. You will be required to provide evidence of your vaccination status during the recruitment process.