Samantha Stewart
Kingaroy ,Qld
Summary
Dedicated Child Safety Officer at the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety, with four and a half years experience in crisis intervention and case management. Leveraged strong advocacy and problem-solving skills to enhance child welfare and achieving efficient resolutions.
Excels in collaborative environments, ensuring stakeholders work with cultural humility, respect and an understanding of the impacts that historical and contemporary policies have had on First Nations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
Dedicated Social Worker with a strong commitment to integrity, human rights, and social justice, specialising in supporting vulnerable children and families. Proven track record of advocating for individuals.
Efficient Retail Manager with a strong track record of leading a team of six staff in the successful operation of a retail business for a major multinational corporation for eight years. Achieved significant sales targets while elevating customer satisfaction through effective strategic planning and team leadership. Core competencies include inventory management, staff training and mentorship, and operational efficiency, driving continuous improvement in store performance.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Child Safety Officer
Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety
KINGAROY , QLD
07.2020 - Current
- Facilitated communication between parents, guardians, school personnel, medical professionals, social workers, law enforcement officers, and other stakeholders involved in resolving problems affecting the welfare of children and young people. I facilitated meetings with QPS and other stakeholders to address the consistent breaches in bail by two young people under my case management, to prevent them from continuing to perpetrate criminal behavior and ending up incarcerated in the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre. Both young people were able to participate in a probation program and avoid incarceration and avoid participating in more criminal behaviour.
- Demonstrated strong problem-solving skills, resolving issues efficiently and effectively.
- Maintained up-to-date case records with case activity status.
- Provided case management services including intake, assessment, crisis intervention, advocacy, referral and monitoring of families.
- Analyzed obstacles to client progress and formulated solutions for resolution.
- Prepared and presented case reports and summaries to stakeholders and management. Ensuring that reports for First Nations children in care emphasized the five core elements of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Placement Principles to demonstrate that their current placements are meeting their daily care needs and keeping them connected to their culture, families, community, and country, where possible.
- Participated in professional development opportunities to stay current with best practices in case management. Completing a number of training courses to support ongoing professional development, such as Safe and Together training, iCare training, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health training, and recently attended Supporting a Suicidal Young Person training. I used information from this training to support a young person who self-harms. I was able to have conversations with the young person about their use of self-harming behavior, and reflect on some of the reasons she feels the need to harm herself. At the end of the discussion, she gave me her cutting implements and has since used other ways to reduce her self-harming behaviours.
- Managed caseloads effectively, ensuring timely documentation and reporting.
- Applied the Safe and Together approach to address the behaviors of individuals using violence, prioritising children's safety. The skills I developed in this training as well as the knowledge I gained from the non-lethal strangulation training, allowed me to support a young First Nations mother to understand the dangers to her health and well-being from experiencing significant domestic violence and strangulation from her partner. She reported to her Goolburri worker that I was the first CSO who had spoken to her, who made her feel heard, and safe to speak about her experiences without shame.
- In 2019, I attended stakeholder meetings for the domestic violence high-risk team during my social work placement.
Education
Bachelor of Social Work - Social Work
Queensland University of Technology
Brisbane, QLD07-2020
Diploma of Counselling - Counselling
Australian College of Applied Psychology
Brisbane, QLD11-2015
Skills
- Strong advocacy skills
- Strong cultural awareness and capability
- Proficient in Task Management
- Interpersonal skills with respect to cultural diversity
- Strong communication skills
- Strong ability to build respectful relationships with clients and colleagues
- Very good writing, negotiating, listening, and speaking skills
- Thorough and individualised case reports
- Analytical Problem Solving
- Effective Team Collaboration
- Mentorship skills to provide support for new child safety officers
Certification
· 2024 Supporting a Suicidal Young Person Training
. 2024 iCare trained: Forensic Interviewing Children
· 2022 Safe and Together training
· Strengthening Families/Protecting Children Framework for Practice online training modules.
· 2019 Cultural Awareness in Social Work Practice Workshop - Toowoomba Hospital
· 2019 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health First Aid. – Mental Health First Aid Australia.
· 2019 Interprofessional Communication Training - Griffith University
· 2019 Non-lethal strangulation training – Queensland Health
Affiliations
- Strong passion for being creative with an active interest in patchwork and quilting, painting, gardening and politics.
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Child Safety Officer
Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety
07.2020 - Current
Bachelor of Social Work - Social Work
Queensland University of Technology
Diploma of Counselling - Counselling
Australian College of Applied Psychology
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