Key Assets is one of the most supportive places I have worked
Everyone works together to achieve the best outcomes for children, families, and their communities
My path to Key Assets Australia
Prior to joining Key Assets, I was heading a consultancy that focused on attachment-based assessments, and related clinical and therapeutic practice and systemic support. I developed long term relationships and partnerships with organisations in Australia and internationally over eighteen years. Long story short, a combination of covid, it’s impact on travel and a strong desire to work with people in person led me to look outside of consulting.
I wanted to work for an organisation that had a good reputation and a place that supported clients and staff well. I had met a few people from Key Assets over the last eight years and had connected with Jamie, the COO when he was the NSW Director numerous times. My partner showed me the ad for the NSW Practice Development Manager, I applied, was interviewed and the rest is history.
My Key Assets Journey
My journey with Key Assets so far, has been short, just over 5 months, yet incredibly interesting. I have met so many people and have enjoyed every day. I am based at the Botany office in NSW with fabulous group of people and have a team of practice focused staff.
I work closely with Nicola Jennings who is the Practice Lead, Jane Rabie, the Therapist and Seraphina Brown, the Cultural Practitioner. I am also in very regular contact with other practice focused managers and staff in other KAA states and have more contact Toni Day, the Quality & Practice Improvement Partner, Ainslie Kavanagh, the Organisational Capability Specialist and Caroline Dunne, the Quality & Practice Coordinator in National Office.
The journey itself is fascinating! Having a focus on practice provides ongoing opportunities to understand why we do ‘what we do’, what we do in action, how we do it and are we getting the intended outcomes for children and their families. ‘Practice’ incorporates all elements of work we do and how it is supported, so to be able to listen, analyse, reflect, and develop with people, processes and systems is exciting. The practice development process is creative, innovative and aspirational, yet it is practical, grounded in evidence and outcomes based.
As a new employee, Key Assets is one of the most supportive places I have worked.
A Practice Development Manager at Key Assets Australia?
All that being said - What is a day in the life of a Practice Development Manager at Key Assets Australia? It varies from day to day, however most days you will working with others collaboratively. You could be developing training or a process that supports practitioners to do their best work. More recently, a day started off participating in a national-state partnership reviewing and revising the Key Assets Practice Framework. Facilitating a forum for team managers and social workers to reflect on a family dealing with complex issues. Finally, developing a professional development session for Children and Young People Support Workers.
What makes Key Assets Australia Different
In my experience, Key Assets is an organisation that actively promotes practice development. There is a genuine drive to achieve the best outcomes for children, families and their communities. Key Assets invests in innovative ways to work with children and caregivers.
In NSW, the Director models what he wants to see from all of us and the Assistant Director is one of the best line managers and social work practitioners I have met in a long time. They provide the scaffolding that makes working in an organisation joyful. As a new employee, Key Assets is one of the most supportive places I have worked.