Temporary full-time contract until 2 April 2027
Head Office location, with travel to Cara services, including regional locations, as required.
Cara is seeking an experienced Registered Nurse to join our Quality & Safeguarding team in the temporary role of Health Practice Specialist (Registered Nurse), providing specialist clinical advice and support during a period of parental leave.
This is an opportunity for a skilled clinician who is passionate about improving health outcomes for people with disability and supporting teams to deliver safe, person-centred, and high-quality practice.
The successful applicant will commence with a transition and handover period alongside the current Health Practice Specialist before commencing the full-time placement.
About the role
Reporting to the Quality & Safeguarding Manager, the Health Practice Specialist (Registered Nurse) provides specialist clinical advisory and escalation support to assist Cara in managing complex and high-risk health-related matters for clients.
The role provides nursing expertise across health practice improvement, clinical risk management, high intensity supports, staff capability development, credentialling and competency processes, and collaboration with external health providers.
The position is based at Cara’s Head Office in Hindmarsh. Travel to Cara services, including regional locations, may be required depending on risk priorities and service needs. The role will work closely with Quality & Safeguarding, Client Services, operational teams, clinical stakeholders and external health providers.
Key responsibilities
The successful applicant will:
• Provide specialist clinical advice and escalation support for high-risk and complex health matters
• Support the review and improvement of health-related policies, procedures, tools and practice guidance
• Provide clinical input into client-specific health plans and guidance
• Identify health-related practice, documentation, capability and risk gaps and recommend improvement actions
• Support HIDPA requirements and application of the NDIS High Intensity Support Skills Descriptors
• Contribute to health risk analysis, reporting and continuous improvement activities
• Support clinical training, credentialling and competency assessment processes
• Assist with reducing the current backlog of clinical competency and training activities
• Work collaboratively with operational teams and external health providers to support safe and consistent practice
The role will generally include:
• Four days per week within Quality & Safeguarding
• One day per week supporting Training activities, with a focus on clinical training, credentialling and competency assessment.
About you
You are an experienced Registered Nurse who can provide practical clinical guidance, identify risk, and support teams to deliver safe and effective health-related supports.
You will bring:
• Bachelor of Nursing qualification
• Current AHPRA registration as a Registered Nurse
• Current driver’s licence and willingness to travel to Cara services as required
• Ability to meet Cara’s screening and compliance requirements
You will ideally have experience or knowledge in one or more of the following areas:
• Disability, community nursing, acute care, complex care or hospital liaison
• Disability Liaison Officer or similar clinical support roles
• High Intensity Daily Personal Activities (HIDPA) and NDIS High Intensity Support Skills Descriptors
• Health-related policy and procedure review
• Client health planning and practice guidance
• Clinical training, credentialling and competency assessment
• Clinical risk analysis, reporting and improvement activities
• Working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and external health providers
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE40116) is highly desirable but not essential.
Essential requirements
• Current AHPRA registration as a Registered Nurse
• Bachelor of Nursing qualification
• Current driver’s licence
• Relevant screening clearances and compliance requirements, including NDIS Worker Screening Check and Working with Children Check (or willingness to obtain)
Why join us?
Who we are
Cara is proud to be South Australia’s leading disability service provider. Our purpose driven team is committed to providing support that empowers people with a disability to grow as individuals and live a life rich in opportunities. We strive to make a difference everyday - the people we support, our team and our communities. By joining our team, you are not only stepping into a great career opportunity, but you are also part of something bigger.
If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and are ready to be part of a purpose-driven organisation, we’d love to hear from you!
Apply now to join a team that values compassion, diversity, and the power of community.
The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) has been providing outstanding care for Victoria's children and their families for over 147 years.
We are the major specialist paediatric hospital in Victoria and our care extends to children from Tasmania, southern New South Wales and other states around Australia and overseas.
With a passionate, highly skilled and committed staff campus wide of over 5,000, we provide a full range of clinical services, tertiary care and health promotion and prevention programs for children and young people.
We are the designated state-wide major trauma centre for paediatrics in Victoria and a Nationally Funded Centre for cardiac and liver transplantation.
When it comes to training and research we partner with the very best. Our campus partners, the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI) and The University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics, along with the RCH Foundation, are on site with the hospital in Parkville. Together, we are committed to improving the health outcomes for children today and in the future.
In 2016–17, more than 85,654 children attended our Emergency Department, 322,291 specialist clinic appointments were held which was almost 70,000 more than the previous year, more than 17,000 surgeries were performed and more than 48,552 children were admitted to our wards.
