Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Hobbies
Timeline
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Darcy Hayward

Ballarat,VIC

Summary

I am a graduate of a Bachelor of Community and Human Services with extensive experience in the Youth and Families, specifically in the Out of Home Care Sector and Family Law Court. I have a specialized interest in youth mental health, attachment styles and holistic development in children. I consider myself a people focused, energetic practitioner with an emphasis on active communication between stakeholders. This is demonstrated in my attention to detail. My ability to learn quickly and comprehensively is demonstrated in my curriculum vitae.

Overview

5
5
years of professional experience

Work History

Advanced Practitioner, Intake & Placement Support

Child And Family Services (Cafs)
05.2023 - Current
  • Devise timely, sound decisions about interventions required, and consult for the purposes of assessment of adolescents, with reference to Children, Youth, and Families Act (2005).
  • Extensive knowledge of Children, Youth, and Families Act (2005) as demonstrated by via Case Planning, working towards Looking After Children (LAC) outcomes and goals - when supporting practitioners within the Foster Care Case Management space.
  • Extensive Knowldge regarding Agency Targets and varying carer reimbursement levels.
  • Development of rationales to advocate for the change in carer reimbursements.
  • Able to establish and maintain positive working relationships via interagency cooperation with Child Protection, other Key Service Providers, and other Community Service Organisations.
  • Facilitating events, client contacts, 48 hour meetings, Professionals meetings, and care team meetings (CTM).
  • Ability to manage competing priorities and stressful situations.
  • Effective de-escalation of clients, families, and staff.
  • Development of trauma-informed plans to ensure placement stability in collaboration with practitioners and carers, including implementation of TBRI approach.
  • Strong communication and written skills and the capacity to negotiate, communicate, and give directives to a range of professionals and individuals.
  • Ability to navigate OoHC administrative software.
  • Developed understanding of departmental complexities in the OoHC sector.
  • Develop and promote relevant tools and resources with an aim to ensure that best practice within the service is achieved.
  • Supervision and Reflective Practice spaces provided to practitioners and carers.

Family Relationships Practitioner, Family Support

Child And Family Service (Cafs)
04.2022 - 05.2023
  • Comprehensive knowledge of Children’s Contact Services: Guiding Principles Framework for Good Practice (2014)
  • Comprehensive knowledge of Family Law Court Proceedings and associated orders, parenting agreements and mediation processes.
  • Establishing a relationship with other key service providers, and subsequently networking support systems, and gaining an understanding of different services available to families in the Ballarat, Ararat, Melbourne and Geelong regions.
  • Assessing eligibility for service engagement, including undertaking of psychometric testings and fundamental family violence assessment and safety planning.
  • Development of thorough court reports, summaries and letters for evidence submission, derived from factual Cafs Children’s Contact Service (CCCS) visits.
  • Development of material for Parenting Programs and consistent facilitation of the Post Separation Cooperative Parenting Program (PSCPP) through Cafs.
  • Extensive knowledge of Child Safe Practice and involvement in consultation, development and implementation of child safe practices within CCCS environment.
  • Limited Case Management, referral and counselling offered to parents during service engagement period.
  • Timely and appropriate assessments devised during intake phase which result in targeted referrals for parents and children to ensure holistic and sustainable support.
  • Supervision of family contact within the CCCS environment, with subsequent development of factual, observational case notes during scheduled visit timeframe.

Senior Practitioner, Intensive Case Management

Berry Street Victoria
12.2019 - 03.2022
  • Devise timely, sound decisions about interventions required, and consult for the purposes of assessment of adolescents, specialised in high-risk adolescents (Measured up to Complex 2 by DFFH) with reference to Children, Youth, and Families Act (2005) and After Hours Child Protection Emergency Service - Regional Child Protection Service Interim Protocol.
  • Extensive knowledge of Children, Youth and Families Act (2005), demonstrated via Case Planning, working towards Looking After Children (LAC) outcomes and goal.
  • Preparing and providing evidence within Children’s Criminal Division and Family Courts.
  • Providing documentation for subpoenas and audits.
  • Development and implementation of Sexual Exploitation Information Templates (SEIT) for Tier’s 1-2 and associated necessary interventions within an Out of Home Care setting to ensure an adequate protection of clientele and disruption of predatory behaviours.
  • Facilitating events, client contacts and care team meetings (CTM)
  • Able to establish and maintain positive working relationships via interagency cooperation with Child Protection, other Key Service Providers, and other Community Service Organisations.
  • Ability to manage competing priorities and stressful situations.
  • Effective de-escalation of clients, families, and staff.
  • Deliver crisis intervention services that informed by contemporary suicide prevention strategies, are evidence based and support clients to improve their emotional well-being
  • Assessing requirement for admission into various mental health services.
  • Sound understanding of both long- and short-term effects of AOD, as well as the needs of complex adolescents who engage in substance misuse and the interaction required with AOD services.
  • Strong communication and written skills and the capacity to negotiate, communicate, and give directives to a range of professionals and individuals.
  • Ability to navigate OoHC administrative software.
  • Developed understanding of departmental complexities in the OoHC sector.
  • Develop and promote relevant tools and resources with an aim to ensure that best practice within the service is achieved.
  • Supervision of a range of Residential Care Workers, from casual new employees through to established unit supervisors.

Case Support Worker, Intensive Case Management

Berry Street Victoria
08.2019 - 12.2019
  • Consistent and positive client engagement and problem solving.
  • Crisis Response for Out of Home Care Clientele experiencing emotional dysregulation, and management of short-term interventions to support adolescents, residential care workers, foster carers and case managers.
  • Networking support systems for client and carers.
  • Demonstrated capacity to work for extended hours depending on necessity, and to self-identify when overtime may be appropriate for mitigation of risk to other parties.
  • Present at court and other jurisdictions.
  • Interact with members of the public who may display a full range of emotional expressions.
  • Interact with clients and members of the public who could display verbal and / or physically challenging behaviour.
  • Drive vehicles possibly over long distances and in all traffic and weather conditions.
  • Manage demanding and changing workloads and competing priorities.
  • Offering support to all BSV’s OoHC clientele.
  • Face to Face assessments of YP and their eligibility for Secure Welfare Services.
  • Ensure that the voices of clients and volunteers are heard and acted on
  • Understanding of Trauma and its precursive capabilities for both long term mental health concerns and substance abuse disorders in line with the DSM-V.
  • Understanding how to engage with Youth with multiple-diagnosis disorders.
  • Implementation of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention.
  • Implementing short term interventions for young persons.

Case and Care Manager, Home Based Care

Berry Street Victoria
07.2019 - 08.2019
  • Fundamental understanding of Children, Youth and Families Act (2005) and Mental Health Act (2010)
  • Initial introduction to managing outcome goals within Looking After Children (LAC) Frameworks and Planned Action Themes (PAT’s).
  • Establishing a relationship with other key service providers, and subsequently networking support systems, and gaining an understanding of different services available to families, carers and clients in the Out of Home Care Sector
  • Development and implementation of Care and Transition Placements Plans
  • Facilitating client family contact meetings either alongside or substituted for DFFH representatives
  • Development and management / chairing of Care Team Meetings (CTM), as well as comprehensive case-noting and administration of minutes
  • Assessing appropriate carers to clients, including home visit and psychometric testings

Support Worker, Home Based Care (Foster Care)

Berry Street Victoria
08.2018 - 07.2019
  • Formative understanding of the Children Youth and Families Act (2005)
  • Engaging with Out of Home Care Youth and developing behavioural strategies where appropriate
  • Development of understanding both legislative and organisation Confidentiality Agreements, and policies around situational capacities for Information Sharing
  • Establishing professional relationship and boundaries with clients, carers and other professionals
  • Baseline understanding of internal policies and procedures
  • Understanding of different training offered by organisation (and subsequent enrolment in this training)

Education

Bachelor of Community And Human Services - Social Work

Federation University Australia
Ballarat, VIC
2020

Certifications

Training

Cultural Competency

Theoretical Frameworks

Mandatory Reporting & Legislation

Volunteering

Skills

  • Highly competent in Cafs and DFFH databases
  • Extensive knowledge of DFFH procedures and legislation pertaining to the care of Children in Out of Home Care
  • Ability to approach and learn new skills with a growth mindset
  • Thorough attention to detail and ability to synthesis information quickly and efficiently
  • A practice that strives towards kindness and respect, whilst remaining child focussed
  • Comprehensive knowledge regarding child safety procedures and planning

Hobbies

Music 


Hiking and weight lifting 


Poetry 


Martial Arts (Tae Kwon Do) 

Timeline

Advanced Practitioner, Intake & Placement Support

Child And Family Services (Cafs)
05.2023 - Current

Family Relationships Practitioner, Family Support

Child And Family Service (Cafs)
04.2022 - 05.2023

Senior Practitioner, Intensive Case Management

Berry Street Victoria
12.2019 - 03.2022

Case Support Worker, Intensive Case Management

Berry Street Victoria
08.2019 - 12.2019

Case and Care Manager, Home Based Care

Berry Street Victoria
07.2019 - 08.2019

Support Worker, Home Based Care (Foster Care)

Berry Street Victoria
08.2018 - 07.2019

Bachelor of Community And Human Services - Social Work

Federation University Australia

Certifications

Training

Cultural Competency

Theoretical Frameworks

Mandatory Reporting & Legislation

Volunteering

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Darcy Hayward