Specialist Family Violence Advocate

• Looking for a change? Family violence work could be for you.
• Join a leading specialist service to deepen your family violence understanding and practice.
• Work effectively within an integrated team made up of a number of professional disciplines.
• Full-Time, Permanent opportunity available.
• In line with the findings of Equal Opportunity exemption H327/2017 and by special measure, FVREE is seeking applicants who identify as female (including from the LGBTIQA+ community) or non-binary.

About FVREE

We are the specialist family violence service in Melbourne’s Inner and Outer East. We work alongside victim survivors in responding to family violence.

We provide access and initial response services in partnership with other agencies through The Orange Doors in Croydon and Box Hill, and case management services through our support and recovery team in Ringwood. Being part of the solution is important to us. We work to change attitudes to gender equality to prevent violence from happening in the first place and equip the community to respond to disclosures of abuse. We do through our prevention and education work nationally.

We apply an intersectional lens to all of our work. Our approach is trauma informed, strengths based, and person centred. Check out our website for more about us, in particular our most recent Annual Report and our Theory of Change which sets out our plan over the next 7-10 years to work towards a community free from family violence where everyone is safe.

About the Opportunity

As an Advocate in our Support and Recovery team you will work with victim survivors referred through the Orange Door and tailor a support plan to their needs. Alongside practical things like continued risk assessment, safety planning and support to navigate the court system, you’ll work with victim survivors to hold hope, validate experience, and build sense of agency and self-belief.

About you

You might be…

• A person with lived experience of family violence wanting to use your expertise to help others.
• Studying social work or another qualification that meets the minimum mandatory qualification requirements (more details under Requirements).
• An experienced family violence practitioner wanting to join a progressive specialist service.
• Working in social services like mental health, homelessness or AOD and looking for a fresh opportunity.

We celebrate diversity in all its forms, and welcome interest in our work from people with a range of experiences.

You will be deeply aligned with our values and understand that gender inequality is one of the main drivers of family violence. Advocating and upholding the rights of women and children to be safe and free motivates you to come to work each day. You will have the capability for reflection and self-insight to develop your practice and know the importance of self-care to maintain resilience when working with trauma. People describe you as flexible, adaptable and positive in your approach.

Requirements

Following recommendations by the Royal Commission it has become a requirement for Family Violence Practitioners to have, or work towards, minimum qualifications like a Bachelor Social Work, or Graduate Certificate in Family Violence. You can find more information on the mandatory minimum qualifications here.

Why work with us?

• We are a specialist service so we can help you build a deep understanding of family violence practice.
• We offer wrap around support for new people to develop skills on the job.
• We are a welcoming, supportive and inclusive team, driven by a shared vision of a community free from violence where everyone is safe.
• We walk the talk on inclusion: bring your whole self to work.
• We believe in lifelong learning and support our people to engage in professional development.
• We embrace flexibility and hybrid working – whilst we believe some time together in person is critical, we know balancing life and work is important.
• We have great benefits like parental leave, EAP and wellbeing programs.

Want to know more?

You can find more details in the Position Description attached below. If you have questions, reach out to Mehrak at [email protected] using the subject line: Specialist Family Violence Advocate enquiry via Ethical Jobs or on (03) 9259 4200.

How to Apply

• Click the Apply Now button.
• Upload your resume and a brief cover letter explaining your interest and suitability for the role.

Our commitment to safety, equity, diversity and inclusion

We believe that the unique contributions of all our people at FVREE create our success. To ensure that our culture and our services continue to incorporate everyone’s perspectives and experience, we encourage applications from the LGBTIQA+ community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people from diverse cultural backgrounds and people of all abilities.

Due to the gendered nature of family violence, much of our workforce is women, though this is not a requirement for all roles. We never discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status.

FVREE is a child-focused and child safe organisation and we are committed to promoting and protecting the safety and interests of children. All appointments with FVREE are subject to a police records check, working with children check and reference checks.

A position description is attached.