Position summary
Volunteer Family Connect (VFC) is a community-based early intervention program providing one-on-one support to parents and carers in their home or another safe place.
The broad objectives of the program are to:
- increase parents' confidence in their parenting
- increase families' connectedness to other parents and their local community networks
Volunteer Family Connect works by linking trained volunteers with a newly referred parent who has been identified as needing extra support to raise their children. The volunteer works in partnership with the family to offer friendly support and encouragement in a non-threatening, non-directive, non-judgmental manner.
Volunteers are usually local people in the community who want to extend support and friendship to others. All will be supervised and supported by a professional Family Support Worker/Program Coordinator.
Position description
Location
Inner west Sydney (NSW), covering Burwood, Ashfield & Cantebury LGAs
Timing
Two hours per week as agreed between coordinator, volunteer and family
Reporting to:
Program Coordinator, Volunteer Family Connect
Why volunteer?
Volunteer Family Connect provides an opportunity for volunteers to:
- contribute to your community and society
- use existing skills, experience, and personal qualities
- learn new skills
- make new friends
- become a valued member of a supportive team
Essential skills and/or experience
A successful community volunteer:
- is or has been in a parenting role, ie grandparents, foster parents, adoptive parents, step parents or has substantial experience working with young children/infants as an Early Childhood Nurse or Early Childhood Educator
- prepared to participate in the training program and ongoing supervision
- prepared to commit to the service for at least six months
- consents to a police security check by state or local authorities
Training provided
Volunteers will receive 30 hours of training prior to being matched with a family. Next training dates to be confirmed.
- Induction (essential)
- Orientation (essential)
- Training (as required)
Volunteer applicants will be required to:
-
give permission for Save the Children to undertake a National Police Record Check and provide 100 points of identification
-
read and accept the Save the Children Code of Conduct and Child Protection Policy
- hold a valid Working with Children Check (required in NSW and VIC)