Emma Forehan

In this role I worked with children from a range of ages, including newborns to 18 year olds. I was able to build upon the case management skills from previous roles and become a strong advocate for the children and young people I worked with.

During my time I was able to support young people to develop their Leaving Care plans and support them to establish goals beyond 18.

I was given the opportunity to act in a Team Leader role. This allowed me to develop leadership and management skills, as well as supervising my peers.

Key skills

- Working collaboratively with others including allied health, DFFH, schools and foster carers.

- Providing evidence in court

- Supervision of foster carers

- Demonstrated knowledge and practice experience in the child welfare field.

- Ability to provide statutory case management services to clients placed in foster care.

- Demonstrated understanding of Children, Youth & Families Act 2005.

- Supporting and encouraging family contact

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This role focused on working with young people aged 12-17 years old. The work focused on collaborating with young people to establish goals and work together to achieve positive outcomes.

Key Skills

- Building rapport young people and their families.

- Advocating for the best interests of children in case

- Working collaboratively within Care Teams.

- Building professional relationships with professionals, included DFFH and allied health services.

- Supporting family contact between young people and their families

In this role, I worked with families by coordinating services in order to achieve optimal outcomes for the safety and wellbeing of children within the system. The role required patience, empathy and compromise in order to implement effective change to vulnerable families. The role allowed me to build skills in managing and working with individuals through; drug and alcohol problems, mental health issues, domestic violence, children with behavioural disorders and difficult family dynamics.

Key responsibilities

- working with vulnerable children and families

- experience in working with individuals exposed to trauma, victims of family violence and substance misuse.

- Conducting risk assessments and investigations

- Working collaboratively with families, community services organisations and other professionals to develop and implement effective plans for children

- Experience to writing detailed case notes and court reports

- Extensive understanding of the Child, Youth and Families Act (2005)

- Managing complex cases, problem solving and presenting matters to the Children's Court of Victoria as required

- Works well within a team setting

- coordinating and leading care team meetings

- Provide effective service delivery and support other practitioners