Nara Macmillan
Katherine
Summary
Dynamic professional with extensive experience at the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, excelling in case management and client engagement. Known for building strong relationships and delivering culturally competent support, I effectively advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, ensuring their voices are heard and needs met. Motivated to drive social justice initiatives.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Client Support Officer
North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency
Katherine
10.2024 - Current
- Organise remote criminal clinics including arranging travel and accommodation, sending out promotional materials and advertising clinic as well as attending remote clinics with solicitors and stay overnight for up to 4 nights; assisting with remote criminal clinics, recording client statistics, locating clients and meeting with other service providers
- Develop culturally appropriate promotion materials to increase awareness of the services provided by the Criminal Law Section to urban and remote clients
- Using the Client Management System (CMS) conduct accurate conflict checks and notify solicitors and/or support staff accordingly
- Organise prison advice clinics by making bookings, undertaking conflict checks prior to clinic, referring clients to other agencies where appropriate, writing up advice sheets and attending prison advice clinics when requested
- Conduct field enquiries on behalf of the Law Section as directed by solicitors and support staff and liaise with service providers in communities to increase awareness of the work of NAAJA’s Criminal Section
- Answer Criminal Law Section enquiries, obtain clear and comprehensive initial instructions from clients by interview over the phone, in person or in custody
- Make clinic bookings or refer to more appropriate agencies as required
- Ensure advice sheets are accurate, follow-up work is completed, and the advice sheets are signed and entered the CMS in a timely manner
- Assist with Community Legal Education as required and undertake Court rounds and daily file resubmits as required
- Maintain the integrity of the information partition between the Criminal and Criminal Law Sections
- Assisting with administrative and secretarial duties as required
- Assist the Regional Deputy Managing Lawyer and Criminal Managing Lawyer to supervise Client Services Officers, Legal Secretaries and other support staff in the regional office where the Senior CSO works
- This supervision assistance includes: a
- Answering questions and providing guidance about office systems (including office booking systems and office IT and computer systems); b
- Answering questions and providing guidance about support staff processes; and c
- Assisting management to provide regular training to support staff on support staff processes
- Liaising between the criminal team and the Regional Office Manager to ensure the smooth running of the regional office
- Building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders and providing regular updates to the team about key stakeholders
- Providing regular updates to the legal staff about the capacity of the support staff and providing regular feedback to the legal staff and management from support staff about improving processes and ensuring that processes are followed correctly
- NAAJA provides legal assistance and justice services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Northern Territory
- We have offices in Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs
- We are recognised as a leading legal service and have received national and local human rights and crime prevention awards for our work
- NAAJA’s legal practice is the largest in the Northern Territory, providing high quality, culturally proficient and accessible advice, casework and court advocacy in both criminal and criminal law
- NAAJA particularly seeks to achieve social justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through strategic litigation, law reform and education
Field Worker
Department of Communities
02.2024 - 10.2024
- Engaging, building and maintaining relationships with families and their children and communities whilst acknowledging the existing and inherent strengths that are already present
- Engaging and working alongside families to strengthen their capacity to provide care and safety to their members in ways that are: Sustainable, Will build resilience in children, families and the community and Ultimately increase social wellbeing
- Assisting identified families and their children with relevant agencies and community resources to ensure appropriate responses are initiated
- Taking legal action to promote the safety and well-being of children, when necessary
- Administers the provisions of the Children and Community Services Act 2004 and other relevant legislation
- This includes taking legal action to promote the safety and well-being of children, when required
- Provides ongoing support, commitment and assistance to children and young people in care
- Engages with children and young people to promote and ensure their safety, wellbeing and development
- Assists children and young people in the care of the Department to identify their strengths and build their capacity
- Assists children and young people to relevant agencies, community resources and responses
- Engages with identified families in a respectful and honest manner
- Assists families and their children to identify their own strengths and opportunities to build their capacity to ensure the safety and care of family members
- Assists families to relevant agencies and community resources
- Engages communities of interest to support their families and children
- Identifies with communities their strengths and opportunities to build capacity to promote a just and equitable community
- Maintains client records, statistical and data requirements to Departmental standards
Child Protection Practitioner
Territory Families, Housing and Communities
02.2022 - 02.2024
- Working with children and families to establish goals, creating plans to achieve the goals, providing services to meet needs identified in assessments, monitoring progress toward achievement of the goals and conducting carer assessments for children in out of home care
- Ensuring children are safe in accordance with the Norther Territory Child Protection Act 2007
- Maintain and monitor child well-being, family and cultural connection as well as family access for children in out of home care
- Carry out child protection investigations, work with families under a strengthening families plan and ensure children are safe with family
- Conduct foster and kinship carer assessments to ensure children return to country where possible
- Ensure children are safe, meeting all needs, working with families, carers and external stakeholders and ensuring the best interest of the child is being met
Student Engagement Advisor
Department of Education
11.2022 - 03.2023
- Student Engagement Advisor was responsible for the coordination of services to parents and school aged students who have been identified as being disengaged from schooling, with the aim of re-engagement into education, training, or an eligible option
- Work collaboratively with schools, regional teams, service providers to improve school attendance strategies
- Monitor approved eligible program options across urban and remote communities
- Facilitate the progression of cases to compliance stage
- Maintain a high level of data and record keeping
- Prepare case plan records as required
- Engage with urban and remote community services
- Build meaningful partnerships with students, school staff and families to improve school attendance
- Transport students as required
- Facilitate Mobile Engagement Circuit as required
- Assist with school enrolment and re engagement meetings
- Monitor passive lists for remote communities
- Work with community school staff (HLO’s, ELO’s, AEW’s) to implement attendance strategies
Aboriginal Community Worker
Territory Families, Housing and Communities
01.2018 - 02.2022
- Providing cultural advice to non-Indigenous staff, acting as a cultural broker between the department and Indigenous clients, advocating for Aboriginal children and families, promoting the importance of kinship placements and connection where possible
- Assisted and responded to investigations with child protection practitioners- participating in safety planning meetings, interviewing children and families in a highly sensitive setting, creating immediate safety for children
- Assisting and responding to investigations with case managers- Participating in safety planning meetings, interviewing children and families in a highly sensitive setting, creating immediate safety for children
- Assisting case managers with day-to-day jobs on sub-care and strengthening family’s cases and liaising with internal and external stakeholders to create safety for children and families
Support Worker
Aboriginal Family Support Services
01.2018 - 06.2018
- Supporting children in out of home care, in their daily living activities, life skills and personal growth
- Work as part of a multidisciplinary team with a focus on client-centered practice, enabling them to heal from past trauma
- Delivering day-to-day care for young people, providing structure and routine for children
- Maintain home environment as well as help children fulfil their developmental needs ie
- Brushing teeth, brushing hair etc
- Deal and manage challenging behaviours, as well as providing support to young people and children
- Develop and facilitate educational, cultural and recreational activities
Youth Support Worker
Safe Pathways
07.2017 - 01.2018
- Supporting children in out of home care, in their daily living activities, life skills and personal growth
- Work as part of a multidisciplinary team with a focus on client-centered practice, enabling them to heal from past trauma
- Delivering day-to-day care for young people, providing structure and routine for children
- Maintain home environment as well as help children fulfil their developmental needs ie
- Brushing teeth, brushing hair etc
- Deal and manage challenging behaviours, as well as providing support to young people and children
- Develop and facilitate educational, cultural and recreational activities
Education
Graduate Certificate of Safe Communities - Child Protection
Charles Darwin University
01.2021
Diploma of Child, Youth and Family Intervention -
Bradford Institute of Advanced Education
01.2020
Skills
- Good people skills
- Case management
- Verbal skills
- Written skills
- Motivated
- Determined
- Approachable
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Ability to work individually under pressure
- Ability to work within a team
- Culturally competent
- Communication skills
References
- Nardine Ferguson, Manager, NAAJA, 0428 175 728, nardine.ferguson@naaja.org.au
- Kirsten Anderson, Former Team Leader, Territory Families, 0459 038 919, Kirsten.anderson@nt.gov.au
Languages
English
Native/ Bilingual
Ngarinyman/Kriol
Native/ Bilingual
Timeline
Senior Client Support Officer
North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency
10.2024 - Current
Field Worker
Department of Communities
02.2024 - 10.2024
Student Engagement Advisor
Department of Education
11.2022 - 03.2023
Child Protection Practitioner
Territory Families, Housing and Communities
02.2022 - 02.2024
Aboriginal Community Worker
Territory Families, Housing and Communities
01.2018 - 02.2022
Support Worker
Aboriginal Family Support Services
01.2018 - 06.2018
Youth Support Worker
Safe Pathways
07.2017 - 01.2018
Graduate Certificate of Safe Communities - Child Protection
Charles Darwin University
Diploma of Child, Youth and Family Intervention -
Bradford Institute of Advanced Education
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