Children, Young People, and Family Services Team Leader
Job Details
| **Job Title:** | Children, Young People, and Family Services Team Leader |
| **Job Category:** | Youth & Family/Social/Community Services Worker or similar experience |
| **Department/Group:** | Management Children, Young People, and Family Services |
| **Job Code/ Req#:** | AAFRO-TL-2026-002 |
| **State:** | Victoria, with a primary focus on the Western suburbs of Melbourne |
| **Travel Required:** | Occasional Outreach work |
| **Level/Salary Range:** | SCHADS Award up to Level 6 |
| **Position Type:** | Full-time – 2-year contract with occasional late-afternoon/weekend shifts. |
| **Contact:** | Jiress Musafiri jobs@aafro.com.au Mobile: 0428 338 634 |
| **Date Posted:** | 16/09/2026 |
| **Reports to:** | General Manager |
| **Posting Expires:** | 30/10/2026 |
About the Australian African Foundation for Retention and Opportunity (AAFRO)
The Australian African Foundation for Retention and Opportunity (AAFRO) exists primarily to build a bridge between children, young people, and families of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, especially those of African descent and the wider Australian community.
Our Vision
All children, young people, and families have access to the opportunities they need to thrive independently and achieve their full potential.
Our Mission
To promote social justice by becoming a trusted hub of children, young people, and family services, providing specialist support and leadership to ensure African and multicultural communities feel trusted, welcomed, and understood.
AAFRO Values
Safety: We create safety
Culture: We are cultural champions
Empathy: We act with empathy and understanding
Leadership: We demonstrate truthful, courageous leadership
Transparency: We tell you what we can and can’t do
Advocacy: We advocate for those we work with and the community
Child Safety
AAFRO is a child-safe organisation, and we have zero tolerance for all forms of abuse and neglect towards all children and young people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, culturally and linguistically diverse children, and children with disabilities. Our organisation is committed to ensuring Aboriginal children and their families can express their culture and enjoy their cultural rights.
AAFRO's philosophy
AAFRO’s model of care is based on community restorative and healing practices that draw on a variety of traditional justice practices that promote collectivism rather than an individualist approach to everyday life, including Indigenous justice circles, the African philosophy of Ubuntu, and modern developments.
AAFRO’s Community Circle philosophy, based on Ubuntu and restorative practice, is built on human universality and traditional moral values of respect, integrity, togetherness, compassion, fairness, and dignity. AAFRO programs are designed to address community-wide issues by:
(i) Working with individuals and groups to reach their potential while they are in the community, including taking full responsibility for their actions,
(ii) Working towards restoring family relationships,
(iii) Helping incarcerated people to reintegrate into their communities, and
(iv) Furthering and advancing women’s empowerment and community harmony.
Project Background
Our Children, Young People, and Family Services involve a range of programs using culturally responsive practices to enhance the wellbeing of children, young people, and families.
The Ubuntu framework ensures that this initiative is tailored to meet the needs of our service users and fosters appropriate interventions with long-lasting effects.
Position Overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a passionate, committed, and skilled Children, Young People, and Family Services Team Leader to join our dedicated leadership team delivering AAFRO’s services.
As a Team Leader, you will work closely with staff, partners, volunteers, and the community, as well as with children, young people, families, and adults. You will supervise staff assigned to report to you and maintain accurate records.
This role involves working with staff and young people, including their families, who are at risk or in contact with police, child protection, and youth justice services, including prisons and the wider justice system. You will work with AAFRO’s leadership team and other areas of the organisation, including staff supervision and program implementation, writing project reports and grant applications, designing programs, undertaking data collection, coordinating operations, representing AAFRO to the wider community, and participating in training and evaluations. This role requires active engagement with staff who are in direct contact with the community and monitoring their activities during AAFRO program implementation on the ground. Together with the team, you will ensure that programs are delivered according to the organisation's model of care framework and follow the organisation's policies.
You will be responsible for:
Managing and supporting staff to deliver programs for individuals and their families.
Representing AAFRO to the wider community.
Promoting and working with AAFRO’s organisational partners as required.
Preparing and presenting paperwork to the leadership team when required.
Writing reports that are clear, specific, and presentable.
Participating in and facilitating one-on-one workshops and group sessions.
·Designing programs and linking individuals and groups with key organisations and community support services.
Working with staff, volunteers, and student placements to create a safe space for children, young people, and families to connect and support each other.
Assisting with the immediate and ongoing support needs of individual AAFRO staff members, volunteers, and student placements to deliver their tasks.
Providing culturally sensitive support.
Ensuring participants’ needs are translated into a personal program that encourages them to gain independence, empowerment, and dignity.
Keeping accurate, clear, and professional records and information.
Conducting regular supervision with staff, volunteers, and student placements.
Working effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
·Assisting the organisation in sourcing resources, including participating in funding applications.
Representing AAFRO’s values, vision, and mission at all times.
Key Responsibility Areas
Team Leader/Youth & Family Support Worker
Innovate and design programs that are tailored to the needs of children, young people, and families.
Advise and provide support to the executive team when needed.
Provide supervision and one-on-one mentoring for assigned staff, volunteers, and student placements, and actively assist with their needs when required.
Co-facilitate and coordinate group sessions and one-on-one activities with individuals and families.
Tailor specific program activities for children, young people, and families.
Identify areas of professional development in partnership with staff.
Provide a smooth, culturally responsive referral process.
Accompany participants to appointments and provide support if required.
Ensure accurate, professional, and timely record-keeping in accordance with relevant policies and procedures.
Provide culturally appropriate wellbeing support.
Participate actively in writing project reports and funding applications as requested by the executive team.
Follow the AAFRO Model of Care.
Participate in AAFRO research and evaluations.
Demonstrate strong leadership.
Information and Data Management
Assist with conducting needs analysis, end-of-program surveys, focus groups, and end-of-program meetings to feed into AAFRO’s continuous improvement cycle.
Contribute to program evaluation processes.
Develop and maintain electronic and paper-based program documentation and supervision notes, ensuring that the information complies with the Privacy Act, is archived, and is readily retrievable.
Stakeholder engagement
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
Work collaboratively with key stakeholders to deliver programs and achieve AAFRO objectives.
Ensure all internal and external communications are effective, appropriate, and timely.
Engagement in professional development activities
Participate in training, research, and evaluation activities with the project team, including work with an external evaluator.
Participate in AAFRO’s performance review process in an effective and timely manner.
Engage in ongoing professional development and training activities to meet performance needs.
Attend conferences and community events and represent AAFRO.
Work ethic
Model behaviours consistent with AAFRO’s values and mission, particularly those in line with the AAFRO Ubuntu philosophy.
Actively promote, encourage, and demonstrate a strong participant-focused ethic.
Actively contribute ideas and work collaboratively with the broader AAFRO team.
Support AAFRO’s vision and direction in all communications.
Embrace change positively and professionally.
Respect and value diversity in all interactions.
Ensure compliance with relevant statutory requirements.
Ensure all current and potential future conflicts of interest are disclosed in a clear written document.
Declare any past and current justice involvement.
Comply with AAFRO’s Statement of Commitment and Child Safe Policy.
Communicate professionally and respectfully with others while representing AAFRO.
Maintain a positive attitude toward staff, volunteers, student placements, partners, and the wider community when representing AAFRO.
Key Selection Criteria
The successful applicant will demonstrate the following key selection criteria of the role:
Qualifications
A tertiary qualification relevant to the delivery of community services (e.g., social work) or a strong background working within the community services sector or equivalent.
Essential experience and knowledge
Ability to lead and innovate to create a safe and welcoming workplace environment for all.
Ability to work with children, young people, and families of all backgrounds.
Understanding of issues affecting the health and wellbeing of vulnerable people and the ability to advocate for children, young people, and families.
Ability and experience in the provision of intake assessment.
Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to interact effectively with children, young people, families, and AAFRO business partners.
Ability to work independently and autonomously within a multidisciplinary team and in partnership with relevant services and individuals.
Experience facilitating group sessions for participants with diverse needs, including working closely with appropriate service providers.
Demonstrated ability to manage and organise multiple staff while contributing to management activities.
Ability to formulate options and implement holistic strategies with individuals and families who are in crisis.
Readiness to promote and represent the organisation and its programs to the wider community.
Ability to build networks within the community and with members of the organisation across Victoria.
Willingness to travel to regional Victoria to meet AAFRO representatives, staff, and partners, with travel expected up to twice per month.
Ability to provide staff supervision and implement reflective practice sessions.
Ability to chair and facilitate team meetings with AAFRO and partner organisations.
Ability to demonstrate strong leadership skills, act as a positive role model, and remain well organised.
Mandatory requirement
Current police check.
Working with Children Check.
Valid driver’s licence.
COVID-19 vaccination certificate.
Disclosure of conflicts of interest.
Desirable
Understanding or experience of working with CALD communities, especially those of African Australian background.
Project Duration
The project duration is dependent on funding, and the method of delivery may be adjusted from time to time based on agreement with the funding body. The Team Leader is required to adapt to these changes as they arise.
Download PDF of details HERE
Please email your application to jobs@aafro.com.au