Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
Hi, I’m

MARCELA APONTE

Oak Park,VIC

Summary

Motivated, empathetic, and compassionate person with comprehensive knowledge of the social sector. Passionate about developing and facilitating programs to empower people, including migrants, elders, people with disability, and refugees.

Collaborative and analytical with a proven ability to build strategic partnerships, advocate for the participants and advance change for people promoting a quality life with access to the right services according to their needs. Excellent communicator with a knack for building professional relationships with participants, colleagues, and the community.

Overview

17
years of professional experience

Work History

Yooralla

Support Coordinator
10.2022 - Current

Job overview

  • Manage a caseload that comprises people with disability, purchasers, and their families
    and networks that present a variety of needs or service requests, in accordance with
    relevant legislation and specified within professional practice guidelines.
  • Fully understand the environment in which the participant is living and be able to respond
    to resolve, crisis circumstances that impact participant's ability to achieve their goals.
  • High-level knowledge and skills in coordination of support to assist people with disability in their community or in their home.
  • Excellent Understanding of the Disability Act 2006 and National Disability Insurance and
    Act 2013 and understanding of policies and procedures generally associated with the provision of Disability Support Services.
  • Assist participants to connect to and engage with, informal and mainstream funded
    supports which will assist the participant to achieve their goals.
  • Understand the different levels of Support Coordination with each individual you support
    (Support Connection, Coordination of Supports, Specialist Support Coordination
  • Work within the funding levels associated with each client (continually track and monitor
    billable hours).
  • Develop and record the progress of goals for clients that are specific, measurable, achievable,
    relevant and time-limited (SMART
  • Build capacity in participants to maintain supportive relationships with the end goal being a
    reduction in the customer's need for support coordination.
  • Implement, monitor, and review the effectiveness of individual support and negotiate supports as agreed/funded and/or as appropriate.
  • Empower participants to exercise choice and control to access a range of formal and informal mainstream and community-based support, by identifying opportunities for innovative service delivery
  • Continually seek opportunities to build the capacity of clients and their families enabling greater levels of independence
  • Scheduled appointments and meetings for director and [Number]-member team

United Spanish Latin American Welfare Centre

Volunteer Coordinator
08.2021 - 09.2022

Job overview

  • Evaluated strengths of team members and assessed vacancies to match volunteers with positions.
  • Performed skills assessments to link volunteers to roles matching individual skills and competencies.
  • Developed volunteer policies and procedures, codes of conduct, and volunteer standards.
  • Recruited and trained new volunteers on volunteer program goals and objectives.
  • Resolved issues through active listening and open-ended questioning, escalating major problems to the manager.
  • Implemented project management techniques to overcome obstacles and increase team productivity.
  • Delegated tasks to administrative support staff to organize and improve office efficiency.
  • Organized spaces, materials and catering support for internal and client-focused meetings.
  • Developed internal requirements and standards to minimize regulatory risks and liability across programs.

Jewish Care Victoria

Rostering Officer
03.2020 - 06.2022

Job overview

  • Allocate Support workers appropriately to shifts (client matching and adhering to relevant awards/agreements) and ensure accurate data recording for home care and personal care services bookings.
  • Maintaining daily client and worker rosters and records in accordance with service requests and carer availability in compliance with all funding agreements, and legal and statutory requirements.
  • Communicate all service arrangements to appropriate parties including, but not limited to, clients, families, support coordinators, and team leaders.
  • Receive and provide internal and external support staff information relevant to support the client and completing the shift.
  • Action tasks and pending visits in appropriate Planners in the system.
  • Maintain knowledge and skills relevant to the position through participation in, and contribution to, development opportunities for example attendance at meetings and education sessions.

Jewish Care Victoria

Activities Facilitator
01.2018 - 03.2020

Job overview

  • Develop contemporary activities with other Healthy Ageing staff to meet the social, recreational, intellectual, spiritual, and cultural needs of all clients.
  • Documentation and data entry in line with program requirements.
  • Maintain confidentiality and privacy requirements of the program.
  • Work cooperatively and supportively with volunteers.
  • Assessment and documentation of all clients’ activity preferences ensuring the Active service model approach is applied.
  • Directly assist and facilitate the running of groups as required, ensuring programs are delivered safely, effectively and efficiently
  • Participate in meetings set goals and targets in line with program requirements.
  • Monitor physical, social and emotional well-being of clients and report issues.
  • Be responsible for taking immediate action in an emergency to ensure safety of clients, themselves and community.
  • Resolve problems/enquiries/requests and refer issues to Team leader where required.
  • Design programs and activities based on clients’ needs and interests.
  • Develop effective, positive and respectful working relationship with clients respecting cultural values and beliefs.
  • Design programs and activities based on clients’ needs and interests.
  • ALATA- Australia- Latin America Training Academy - Melbourne.

Alata

Team Leader and Course Designer
01.2015 - 01.2017

Job overview

  • Delivering customized training products and consultancy services for Australia and Latin American countries.
  • Mentored and guided employees to foster proper completion of assigned duties.
  • Conducted training and mentored team members to promote productivity, accuracy, and commitment to friendly service.
  • Course designer and educator.
  • Technical documentation / reporting tasks.
  • Daily team support.
  • Reviewing Academic information.
  • Academic Research Disability, family and Social Interventions.
  • Participate in meetings to set goals and targets in line with program requirements.

The National Foundation BATUTA

South East Manager
03.2009 - 12.2014

Job overview

  • Psychosocial planning and execution processes in order to improve the quality of life of children and youth with disabilities and victims of armed conflict and their families.
  • Coordinate teams.
  • Resource management.
  • Planning and coordination activities and programs.
  • Monitoring and evaluation.
  • Interviews.
  • Administrative document writing.
  • Reports and Data Collection.
  • Academic research.
  • Client/stakeholder management.

UNBOUND Cali – Colombia

Project Coordinator
01.2006 - 01.2009

Job overview

  • Articulate, design, and direct social processes toward children, vulnerable youth, and their families.
  • Kept projects on schedule by managing deadlines and adjusting workflows.
  • Liaised between departments to facilitate communication and keep appropriate parties updated on project developments.
  • Supervised multiple projects from project start through delivery by prioritizing needs and delegating assignments.
  • Gathered requirements for ongoing projects and organized details for management use.

CESOLES" Hope Solidarity Center

Social Worker
01.2007 - 02.2009

Job overview

  • By two religious Sisters of the Assumption and a group community’s women.
  • It is a non-profit association with a history of 13 years of community work with vulnerable people in the foothills southwest of the city of Santiago de Cali, Colombia.
  • The activity is aimed at building a human community and solidarity with children, young people, women, men and their families.
  • Responsibilities.
  • Community development program design, monitoring and evaluation.
  • Social Intervention and child protection, through providing children and young people with safety, access to social and educational opportunities and increased physical/ psychological wellbeing).
  • Providing counseling services to children and families in complex situations.
  • Supporting community groups in areas such as: psychosocial needs, behavior management and group facilitation.
  • Developing and maintaining strong and cooperative relationships with other organizations, government and community agencies.
  • Encouraged socialization and engagement through therapy, music therapy and social activities.
  • Maintained regular contact with clients by calling and visiting clients' homes.

GENDER STUDIES CENTRE

Facilitator
01.2007 - 01.2008

Job overview

  • Universidad del Valle – Cali Colombia Training School for women advocacy - Valle del Cauca, The Center for the Study of Gender, Women and Society was established on March 8, 1993 the mission is to contribute to the development of communities, working with and for the most vulnerable groups, and providing advocacy services to governmental and non-governmental entities in the context of construction processes of the social justice in Colombia.
  • Responsibilities.
  • To promote women’s participation in formulating Gender Public Policy.
  • Team Management.
  • Resources administration.
  • Planning and design social activities.
  • Writing Reports.

Education

Albright Institute
Melbourne, VIC

Diploma of Interpreting
2021

University Overview

Southern Cross Education Institute
Melbourne, VIC

Advance Diploma of Community Sector Management
2020

University Overview

Southern Cross Education Institute
Melbourne, VIC

Diploma of Community Services
2018

University Overview

Universidad De La Amazonia
Colombia

Postgraduate Diploma of Especial Education from Disability Studies
2011

University Overview

Universidad Del Valle
Colombia

Bachelor of Social Work
2007

University Overview

Skills

  • Advanced user Microsoft Officer (Excel, word and powerpoint)
  • Solution-based interventions
  • Cooperative
  • Compassionate
  • Fluent in English -Spanish Native Speaker
  • Analytical thinking
  • Life skills development
  • Efficient under pressure
  • Multidisciplinary team collaboration
  • Social services
  • Ability to work autonomously, prioritize and multitask
  • Disability support
  • Empathetic

Timeline

Support Coordinator
Yooralla
10.2022 - Current
Volunteer Coordinator
United Spanish Latin American Welfare Centre
08.2021 - 09.2022
Rostering Officer
Jewish Care Victoria
03.2020 - 06.2022
Activities Facilitator
Jewish Care Victoria
01.2018 - 03.2020
Team Leader and Course Designer
Alata
01.2015 - 01.2017
South East Manager
The National Foundation BATUTA
03.2009 - 12.2014
Social Worker
CESOLES" Hope Solidarity Center
01.2007 - 02.2009
Facilitator
GENDER STUDIES CENTRE
01.2007 - 01.2008
Project Coordinator
UNBOUND Cali – Colombia
01.2006 - 01.2009
Albright Institute
Diploma of Interpreting
Southern Cross Education Institute
Advance Diploma of Community Sector Management
Southern Cross Education Institute
Diploma of Community Services
Universidad De La Amazonia
Postgraduate Diploma of Especial Education from Disability Studies
Universidad Del Valle
Bachelor of Social Work

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MARCELA APONTE