Specialist Family Violence Practitioner

About the Role

• Job Ref: SR0130
• Full Time, 38hrs/Week, Maximum Term Contract until 30-06-2024
• SCHCADs Level 5, $93,860.00 per annum + Super + Salary Packaging
• Hastings Location

The Family Violence Case Manager is an integral member of the Family Violence Team and delivers high quality short as well as longer term intensive case management services to women and children who have experienced, or are currently experiencing, family violence, including women who choose to remain in the relationship. The role contributes extensive knowledge and understanding of family violence to outreach case management and supports clients accommodated in emergency accommodation and transitional housing, delivering valued services and outcomes.

The position provides client-centred casework, utilising the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM) and a comprehensive risk and needs assessment of women and children through trauma informed, systems and developmental frameworks. The Case Manager will develop agreed case plans with women and children with multiple and complex needs, bringing about outcomes which promote safety, stability and recovery from family violence through a coordinated care team approach. 

As part of the Family Violence Team, participation in a crisis response roster, duty work roster and community-based outreach are some of the requirements of this role. This role will also involve intensively working with women and children in emergency accommodation after they have escaped family violence to assist them into securing safe accommodation. The Family Violence Case Manager will also be requested to provide support as required to the Family Violence Program.

About the Responsibilities

• Deliver high quality outreach case management services to women and children who have experienced or are experiencing family violence through trauma informed, systems and developmental frameworks
• Facilitate a multi-disciplinary team approach, providing a collaborative and holistic response for women and young people impacted by family violence, working toward identified goals
• Undertake MARAM comprehensive risk assessment, needs assessment, safety planning and case planning with women and children
• Coordinate referrals for support and liaise with specialist services as required
• Support victim survivors accommodated in different type of accommodation settings including emergency accommodation
• Work within the MARAM framework and the FVISS/CISS information sharing scheme
• Demonstrate a commitment to the Child Safe Standards
• Understand the impact of family violence on families and provide a trauma-informed response
• Provision of high-quality case support work and case plan for victim survivors including managing high risk and complex needs
• Facilitate financial independence and access brokerage as required
• Work in partnership with families to develop and regularly review individual case and safety plans, ensuring clients are actively engaged in all decision making and planning
• Participate in meetings as required, including team meetings and care team meetings
• Provide secondary consultation and advocacy on the client’s behalf to link In with other relevant supports
• Participate in the duty and crisis response roster
• Prepare reports and other written documentation such as minutes, housing and funding applications, correspondence etc to meet professional standards

About You

• Appropriate tertiary qualification in Social Work, Psychology, or a related tertiary discipline is essential to meet Rec209 Mandatory Qualification requirements
• Demonstrated capacity to provide outreach case management including the ability to carry out comprehensive risk and needs assessments and respond appropriately
• Experience working in the family violence sector
• Experience working in a fast-paced family violence program is highly desirable
• Experience working with high-risk clients is highly desirable
• Demonstrated experience working with women and children presenting with complex needs and behaviours (e.g. trauma, substance abuse, mental health, parenting issues, disability) and/or from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) or indigenous backgrounds
• Demonstrated knowledge of the impacts of family violence and the capacity to apply appropriate theoretical frameworks to practice
• Demonstrated success in maintaining external networks and collaborative relationships with professionals both internal and external
• Demonstrated experience in preparing written reports, maintaining records, including case notes and data base reporting
• Demonstrated success working as part of an effective and productive team, along with the ability to be self-directed
• Experience working with in a high security refuge environment is desirable
• Ability to apply protective behaviours techniques which reduce children’s vulnerability
• Demonstrated commitment to personal professional development including knowledge of the Royal Commission into Family Violence Recommendations and the broader impact of the current reforms on the family violence sector
• A satisfactory Police Check
• A current Working with Children’s Check (WWCC) or state equivalent
• Proof of the right to work in Australia

Minimum Mandatory Qualifications Requirements (Rec209)

The minimum mandatory qualifications requirements are in place in Victoria and have been since the 1st of July 2021 are available on https://www.vic.gov.au/mandatory-minimum-qualifications-specialist-family-violence-practitioners. Please contact us on [email protected] using the subject line: Specialist Family Violence Practitioner enquiry via EthicalJobs if you have any questions about these requirements.

About Good Shepherd

Our 2023-2027 strategy outlines the world we want to see and our role in advancing it. We aspire for all women, girls, and families to be safe, well, strong, and connected. We strive for equity, dignity and social justice for women, girls and families by collaborating globally and acting locally, supporting our communities in Australia and New Zealand to thrive.

We want women, girls and families to live full and dignified lives, have dignified income and enjoy financial wellbeing.  We aim to provide place-based, people-centred, holistic services while working at the system level to achieve bold and audacious reform. We currently offer microfinance programs and products, financial counselling and coaching, family and domestic violence support services, family and youth programs, playgroups, education programs and community houses. These services are complemented by research and strong advocacy to address the underlying structural causes of injustice, exclusion, and inequality.