Senior Practioner

Youth Justice Cleveland Youth Detention Centre; Youth Detention Operations and Reform; Belgian Gardens The Senior Practice Leader, Client Services provides leadership, expert advice, guidance and oversight to a broad and diverse range of client service functions, including casework, cultural support services and programs. The Senior Practice Leader ensures services are delivered to a high standard and in accordance with legislative requirements and practice guidelines. The role promotes and works to strengthen service continuity between youth detention centres and community-based services to support young people’s rehabilitation and transition. The role will also work in collaboration with the Clinical Practice Leader and will lead and implement significant projects and initiatives to support the continuous improvement of client services. The Senior Practice Leaders' key responsibilities are:

• Provide leadership, professional guidance and oversight to strengthen youth detention client service practices, including assessment, case planning, intervention, case management and service continuity between detention and community settings.
• Provide high level guidance and support in response to complex case management matters, working with a range of internal and external stakeholders to promote the young person's safety, wellbeing and best interests, including Youth Justice Service Centres, and external stakeholders including Child Safety, Department of Education, Queensland Health, and other service providers.
• Provide high-level supervision and mentoring support to client services staff, including facilitation of evidence-based individual and group practice development sessions. Maintain oversight of the training and professional development needs of client services teams, with a focus on capability building, quality practice and continuous improvement.
• Lead and coordinate the implementation of major projects, initiatives and other activities in response to oversight and review recommendations in collaboration with relevant internal and external stakeholders to support best practice client services.
• Provide expert advice and support to respond to information requests from oversight functions and coordinate performance reporting to identify trends, service delivery issues, and evaluate service and young person outcomes.
• Develop and implement systems, processes and strategies linked to legislative, policy and review recommendations, to ensure all work groups are contributing to streamlined case management plans for young people.
• Work closely with the Manager, Cultural Unit to enhance practices, standards and initiatives relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.
• Provide strategic advice and mentoring to staff to contribute to improvement in the overall quality of case management to address overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in the youth justice system.
• Demonstrate cultural capability and communicate effectively and sensitively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, understanding the historical impacts of First Nations people in institutional settings, to ensure holistic service provision that takes cultural protocols, influences and events into consideration.
• Participate as a member of the Client Services leadership team, and contribute to strategic and operational planning, policy development, quality improvement reviews and key decision-making.
• Undertake other activities as directed by the Manager, Client Services.