Out of Home Care (OOHC)

Kentish Out of Home Care is our high-quality care program for young people aged 0 to 18 years. We cater for children who have been placed in the Department out-of-home care (foster care) system.  These children are placed in the Kentish Out of Home Care program on a  short term, long term or respite basis.

The Kentish Out of Home Care program focuses on identifying the learning strengths and challenges of all the children in our care via up-to-date documentation and observations. We also have Art, Play Therapy, School Holiday Program, Culture and Heritage Program for our Out-of-Home-Care children to give them positive activities to do after school hours and during school holidays.

Become an Out of Home Care Carer

If you are interested in changing a young person’s life for the better, enquire about joining our team of Out of Home Care Carers.

The program helps children develop the needed skills to thrive at home, in school, and in the community, and avoids children from entering the residential care setting. As a Kentish Out of Home Care carer, you will be a small business owner working from your own home along with your co-carer. A co-carer can be the carer’s partner, parents, adult children, relatives or friends who are above 18 years old and live in the same house as the carer or in the same town. You and your co-carer need to be a patient, caring, passionate and respectful person, a team player willing to work with the the Department and staff at Kentish.

All carers must maintain a safe, nurturing environment for the children under your supervision, and strive to achieve the best possible learning outcomes. The children will need to remain in the carer’s care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Carers also need to attend monthly meeting, professional development, play session and be up to date with all OOHC documentation.

OOHC Location: Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs

Duties

• 24 hours supervision and education of children (between 0 to 18 years old)
• Provide high quality service in accordance with the Department and Kentish policies and procedures
• Attend monthly meetings, professional development trainings, play sessions
• Always up to date with the required documentation.

Requirements (Both carer and co-carer)

• Ochre Card
• Police Check
• NT driver licence
• Hold a First Aid Qualification
• Functional literacy (read, write, speak English and do basic calculation)

Requirements (carer)

• ABN
• A safe and suitable house with spare bedroom(s) – must have approval from landlord if renting
• A reliable car to transport children
• A computer, a printer and basic IT knowledge
• Hold or be willing to work towards Certificate III in Early Childhood Education or Certificate IV in Child, Youth and Family Intervention – or other relevant qualification

To apply as a Out-of-Home-Care carer, please send your resume to admin@kentish.org.au Please indicate the position you are applying for (e.g.: OOHC Carer, Darwin). The OOHC team will contact suitable applicants to do pre home safety check and interview. OOHC Carer and co-carer candidates will need to do a one week induction training held in Kentish offices (Yarrawonga, Katherine, or Alice Springs; held 3-4 times a year).

To be registered as a Carer, you will need to attend the induction training and hand in all the paperwork within three (3) months of the training. For more information, please contact us.

Family Contact Services

Kentish has a dedicated team for Family Contact Services who facilitates children in the care of the the Department to meet with their parents and family. We support families to develop parenting skills and create a meaningful meet-up with their children on a regular basis.

Currently Family Contact Service is available in Darwin and Palmerston region through a referral from the Department practitioners.

If you are from the Department, you can fill out this Contact Referral Form: https://www.kentish.org.au/contactreferral . Our contact session availability is limited and there might be a waiting list. To check on the available time slot, please contact us.