About Children's Ground

Children’s Ground is a First Nations organisation. The Children’s Ground Approach is designed and delivered through the leadership of First Nations people. We are committed to systems change to ensure dignity, justice and equity for all children and families. Our work focuses on national reform as well as evidencing a new way of working.

The Children’s Ground Approach is a whole of community, whole of life approach. We privilege First Nations knowledge systems and practice. Over the course of a generation, led by local expertise, we create and deliver an integrated system that is centred on learning, development and wellbeing that responds to the child and their family through the key transition points from pre-birth to young adulthood.

Our approach recognises the cultural, social, and economic strength of our communities. We build on this over a generation to ensure a future for our children and grandchildren that gives them freedom, opportunity and rights to their culture and identity.

Children’s Ground operates in Central Australia and across the Top End, with support provided by a Melbourne-based Shared Services team.

About the role

This position will be responsible for the coordination of community development in identified Children’s Ground communities in Central Australia.

Working alongside a community based (First Nations) community development lead position (CD lead), you will support local community ownership, governance, consultation and planning. Together you will oversight projects identified by community and will collaborate with other stakeholders as they arise. These projects will provide essential planning, design and implementation of actions that work towards achieving the goals outlined by the community. The engagement, empowerment and fostering of leadership skills through governance capacity will be key outcomes of this position. 

This position will require excellent communication skills across a broad and diverse group of stakeholders and will support the key principle of place-based delivery according to the Children’s Ground Approach.

Key Responsibilities

• To work closely with the Community Development Lead to work with everyone in community to discuss local aspirations, ensuring operations actively promote local cultural knowledge, safety and practice
• Encourage and support all First Nations families, valuing their ideas and strategies
• Advocate for policies and practices that reflect the community's cultural values and priorities
• Build and maintain strong relationships with community members, elders, youth and leaders to understand development needs and priorities
• Facilitate planning and logistics for community events, workshops, meetings and cultural celebrations
• Facilitate and support the development, delivery and review of Community Plans, meeting reporting requirements
• Integrated delivery - work with other Children's Ground service platforms to strengthen program delivery
• Assist in the delivery of learning and wellbeing sessions when required to nurture relationships with families and children
• Plan and deliver at least 2 family camps annually
• Ensure data and information is being recorded to meet the monitoring and evaluation needs
• Develop and maintain relationships with key partners including external local organisations

Selection Criteria

• Prior experience working in First Nations community development
• Excellent community development skills
• High level of ability to plan and deliver community development projects
• Strong people skills - teamwork, engagement and supervision
• Current full driver's license

Applications will continue to be accepted until the role is closed.

Children's Ground is committed to a workforce that reflects the communities we work with. In line with our workforce strategy, we warmly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to apply.