Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Thamarrurr Catholic College is looking for an enthusiastic and engaging Families as First Teachers educator for an immediate start. An interest in working in remote Aboriginal education and a willingness to support the Catholic ethos of the school are important.
Position Objective
The Families as First Teachers Family Educator designs, develops and implements services to support early learning and parenting to meet the needs of a specific community, as part of the school, working with birth to 3 year old children in the community.
The FaFT program is an early learning and family support program for vulnerable and disadvantaged Indigenous families with children prior to school entry (birth-3 years). The FaFT Family Educators work as part of the school with local Indigenous staff and community, to develop and deliver a range of place based programs for remote Indigenous families to support their successful transition to preschool. FaFT programs work across agencies to promote optimal child development, family engagement in early learning and family support that is respectful of Indigenous parenting and cultural issues.
Context Statement
Wadeye is a large remote Aboriginal community situated approximately 400km south-west of Darwin with a population of around 3000 people on Kardu Diminin land. The vast majority of local Aboriginal people speak Murrinhptha as a first language. There are over 20 clans from the surrounding Thamarrurr region residing in Wadeye and attending the school. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Thamarrurr Catholic College operates a Family as First Teachers (FaFT) program, preschool, primary and secondary school.
College Requirements
• Support the Catholic ethos of the College.
• Support the Vision and Mission statement of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Thamarrurr Catholic College.
• Support the Northern Territory Catholic Education Vision and Mission Statement.
Personal Accountabilities
• To respect and model the Gospel values in all interactions with people in day-to-day life.
• To genuinely support each student within our care wherever possible, celebrating their diversity and catering for individual differences as required.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
• Deliver responsive and appropriate birth to 3 early learning and family support programs in consultation with community agencies that build on the strengths of families and value add to a range of Indigenous child and family services within the community.
• Provide opportunities to build on the knowledge and skills of families to support optimal development of young children to prepare them for school and lifelong learning.
• Deliver the Abecedarian Approach Australia (3a) which is an evidence-based program to enhance adult-child interaction and improve the educational outcomes for children in low socio-economic communities to enhance early learning and parenting to ensure children experience successful transition to preschool.
• Establish and maintain a leadership role within the community in aspects of information and advice on foundations of early literacy, numeracy, childhood development and parenting prior to school entry.
• Establish and maintain close working relationships and networks with heads of agencies within the community. Liaise with community groups on a range of service matters.
• Work with local Indigenous staff to foster a positive working environment and build capacity for enhanced performance.
• Provide administrative, performance, and resource reporting for the local FaFT program according to departmental and government business systems, policies and processes.
• Work collaboratively with the preschool, school, school Principal and regional Program Advisor regarding place based programs and requirements to effectively support families and communities and facilitate seamless transition.
Selection Criteria
Essential:
• Registration with the Teacher Registration Board of the Northern Territory (TRB). Current NT Working with Children Notice (Ochre Card) and Drivers licence.
• Early Childhood qualification and/or demonstrated relevant experience in early childhood education and ability to deliver high quality early childhood programs.
• Proven ability to develop critical relationships with families and community partners and schools for successful implementation of responsive place based programs and demonstrated sound judgement.
• Demonstrated capacity to bring an analytical and strategic approach to the delivery of programs to address community needs.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Indigenous societies and cultures and the impact of issues affecting the early learning and development of young Indigenous children.
• An ability to interact effectively with people from diverse cultures.
Desirable :
• Relevant experience in the development and delivery of adult capacity within the local community.
• Possess Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.
Benefits
• Relocation assistance
• Fully furnished accommodation
• Power and Water
• Generous travel allowance