HEATHER RITCHIE

Provided NDIS Support Coordination and Family Worker case work support to individuals with complex psychosocial and disability needs, including assessment of participant goals, strengths, and risks. Coordinated and implemented NDIS plans by sourcing and linking participants with appropriate supports and services, monitoring service delivery, and resolving barriers to access. Worked closely with families, carers, and multidisciplinary providers to support stability, capacity building, and safeguarding. Conducted regular reviews, crisis response, and advocacy with the NDIA and service systems, using a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach to support sustainable outcomes for participants and families.

Hopeland is a non-profit organisation established to address the issue of abandoned or at risk children, with the goal of mobilizing protective and permanent family options.

• Advisory role in establishment of Hopeland in New York City.
• Coordinated with other advisory board members and Hopeland's founders to advise on organisations direction and program implementation.
• Utilised inter-agency network connections to assist in Hopeland's organisational growth and development.

• Childcare role with two families whose children ranged from newborn to eight years.
• Worked in partnership with the parents to formulate strategies to enhance and support learning and development.
• Created positive and nurturing environments to support child social and emotional growth.

The NY Foundling Crisis Nursery is an emergency residential respite program for families residing in New York City. Providing residential care for children whose caregivers are in crisis, the service aims prevent child abuse and neglect and/or foster care placement. Roles included:

• Crisis response and intervention, home visits, bio-psychosocial intake assessments, discharge planning, family and individual counselling, referrals to external services, advocacy and case collaboration with interagency service providers.
• Coordinator of NY Foundling Safety Committee to supervise development of safety policies and practices and implement these within the organisation.
• Program outreach, including community collaboration meetings, formulating inter-agency partnerships and external agency presentations.
• Funding tasks including grant writing, developing proposals and collaborating with external hedge fund managers.

• Clinical Internship as part of a Master of Clinical Social Work degree.
• Conducted individual and group mental health therapy with a range of children and adults who had experienced extensive trauma including abuse, neglect, domestic violence, sexual assault and/or victims of violent crime.

• Social Work role in emergency room trauma team and vascular surgical wards.
• Multidisciplinary trauma response coordination, crisis counselling and intervention, inpatient casework, discharge planning, referrals to and collaboration with external services, bereavement support as well as facilitating interdisciplinary case coordination to enhance patient services.
• Formulated treatment plan strategies with multidisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive continuous care.
• Developed partnerships with community organisations to expand services and referrals.
• Participated in clinical supervision to maintain professional development.

Volunteer program for children detained in Australian immigration detention. Responsibilities included:

Youth and Child development mentor

• Mental health counseling and mentoring for children in immigration detention who experienced emotional and behavioral issues related to psycho-social concerns such as their circumstances of detention, histories of torture and trauma; sexual, physical and emotional abuse; and family separation or bereavement.

Program coordinator

• Coordinated programs to be implemented for youth and children incarcerated in immigration detention.
• Coordination of over 200 volunteers and direct supervision of a team of volunteers.
• Volunteer recruitment and training.
• Liaison with detention management and the Department of Immigration, Australia.