• Full time position
• Monday to Friday during rostered hours 8am to 8pm
• SWISS Based position
• Competitive salary (SCHADS Level 5) plus shift allowances
• Generous salary packaging benefit up to $15,900
• 5 weeks annual leave, plus 17.5% leave loading
• Opportunity for professional growth and development
• Friendly and inclusive Rainbow Tick Accredited Organisation 
• Vibrant Dandenong location, close to public transport

Wayss is the largest provider of homelessness, housing and family violence services in the South East Melbourne area.  We exist so people can live a life free from family violence and have access to safe,  sustainable and affordable housing.  Our vision is to be the major provider of social housing services and leading edge client support programs in the Southern Melbourne Metropolitan region.

We deliver funded services and programs across the local government areas of Greater Dandenong, Frankston, Casey and Cardinia.
Wayss Family Violence program delivers a range of services in response to women and children experiencing or escaping family violence.  They include:

• Family Violence Refuge (SWISS)
• Rapid Response, including after hours support
• Case Management
• RAMP Coordination
• Personal Safety Initiative
• Family Violence Housing Pathways
• Therapeutic children’s work
• Family Advocacy and Support Services (FASS), based at Family Court
• Secondary consultation to Child Protection
• The Orange Door, Southern Melbourne area

  
This position is based at SWISS, a purpose-built family violence crisis refuge that provides 24/7 support and accommodation for people who identify as female and their accompanying children.

About the role
Reporting to the Team Leader, the position works collaboratively as part of an integrated refuge team to respond to the needs of women and children through case management support. The Practitioner is a key point of contact and engagement for women and their children in residence and works within a specialist family violence discipline to provide information, advocacy, referral and support to clients with a focus on risk assessment and safety.  The position provides support Monday to Friday during rostered hours between 8am – 8pm.

The Practitioner is a key point of contact and engagement for women and their children in residence and works within a specialist family violence discipline to provide information, advocacy, referral and support to clients with a focus on risk assessment and safety.  The position provides support Monday to Friday during rostered hours between 8am – 8pm.

Duties include:

• Identifying, assessing and prioritising the client’s immediate situation, safety risk and support needs using the MARAM Risk Assessment tool.
• Engaging with their client to develop and maintain an updated safety plan.
• Providing best practice and culturally appropriate case management support
• Working collaboratively with the SWISS team and external agencies to support the immediate needs of the woman and accompanying children, including participating in case conferences and meetings
• Facilitating access to brokerage on behalf of clients
• Recording client information and case notes accurately on SHIP
• Participating in training and development, formal supervision and performance development as per Wayss policies and procedures.
• Ensuring the health and safety of self and others in the workplace by working in accordance with legislative requirements and Wayss policies and procedures.
• Providing case management and other support to Family Violence clients not residing at SWISS on an as required basis, as part of an overall team response.
• Other reasonable duties as required.

About you
We are looking for a motivated and flexible individual who will work as part of a team to achieve best practice outcomes for women and families.
  
Successful candidates will bring the following:

• Relevant tertiary qualification(s) in social work or a related discipline that is compliant with Family Violence Minimum Qualifications (Rec 209).
• Experience working with women and their children with complex needs and risk issues in the community services sector.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, assess and prioritise the risk and needs of clients including the use of the MARAM tool.
• Demonstrated experience and ability to provide case management support to people experiencing family violence including safety planning, advocacy, consultation, facilitating referrals and case noting.
• Resilience to work with and support clients who have been exposed to trauma
• The ability to work collaboratively and build strong, authentic and supportive working relationships.
• The ability to recognise and identify limits of own expertise and to seek advice or refer clients to other specialists.
• A commitment to best practice and work towards the best possible outcomes.
• Excellent computer skills, including a working knowledge of Microsoft Office.

This role requires a current Driver’s Licence and valid ‘Employment’ category – Working with Children Check. The candidate will need to have successfully completed Wayss pre-employment screening, a police check and provide evidence of full Covid-19 vaccination compliance.

Family Violence Minimum Mandatory Qualifications under Recommendation 209
As per the minimum mandatory qualification’s requirements set by the Victorian Government (refer to https://www.vic.gov.au/mandatory-minimum-qualifications-specialist-family-violence-practitioners) 
all candidates wishing to apply for this role must be able to demonstrate that they meet one of the following requirements:  

1. are considered EXEMPT under the policy; 
2. hold a Bachelor of Social Work or other equivalent qualification;  
3. have a minimum 5 years relevant professional experience;  
4. have a related qualification as per the mandatory minimum qualification requirements;  
5. hold significant cultural knowledge and experience or lived experience, and have faced barriers to educational pathways.  

Please note that candidates wishing to enter the specialist family violence workforce via a related qualification or 5 years related professional experience pathway, OR the significant cultural knowledge and experience or lived experience pathways will be required to work towards an equivalent qualification within specified timeframes (as per the mandatory minimum qualifications policy). If you believe these pathways may apply to you and would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact Wayss People Enablement to discuss this further.

Applications
Applications close at 9am 02 November 2022.
  
Please ensure you include a covering letter, outlining your experience in relation to the “About You” section in the Position Description.  Enquiries about the position can be directed to Brenna Johnstone, Manager, Family Violence Response program on 8797 1607.
    
The Position Description can be obtained by visiting https://www.wayss.org.au/careers-at-wayss/ 

Working for Wayss
Our people are our greatest asset. Without them, we would be unable to make a meaningful impact in the lives of people facing homelessness and family violence. This is our motivation in offering a range of benefits to ensure we hire and retain great people.
  
To hear what our people have to say about working at Wayss go to
https://vimeo.com/334095504/488eb4fc30

What is important to Wayss must be important to you.

Wayss is proud to be an inclusive and child safe organisation. 
  
Wayss is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to being an organisation that embraces a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion within our workforce and approach to service delivery. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, people from diverse cultural and linguistic communities, people of all ages and LGBTIQ people.  Wayss is a proud Rainbow Tick accredited organisation that welcomes everyone across the LGBTIQ community.