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Youth AOD Practitioner – The Zone
 

• Full-time, Permanent.  
• Based at Melton.
• $95,746.39 per annum, plus super.
• 17.5% annual leave loading and generous salary packaging options.
• Progressive Workplace Flexibility options that enable genuine work life balance.
• Will be provided with an OHV Laptop, OHV Mobile Phone and OHV Motor Vehicle.

About Odyssey House Victoria:

Odyssey House Victoria (OHV) is a place of hope and positive change for individuals working towards breaking their pattern of addiction. At Odyssey House we believe that every person should have the opportunity to change and grow. Our diverse teams work with individuals, families, and communities to reduce alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, improve mental health, and reconnect people to their family and the community. OHV is a dynamic and fast-growing organisation committed to excellence in service provision and innovation in responding to alcohol and other drugs use problems.

About The Zone:
Odyssey House Victoria is working in partnership with Drummond Street and YSAS to deliver the Care Coordination Platform across the northwest region of Melbourne, funded by the North-western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN). The Platform is based on evidence informed therapeutic process and intersectional practice aimed at increasing the engagement and improving AOD treatment outcomes for specific young people and families from diverse backgrounds and identities. The Intersectional Care Coordination Platform recognises the need to privilege cultural and intersectional knowledge and competence within therapeutic service and practice decision making. It also puts at the centre the primacy of family as a setting for both risk and protective factors for problematic patterns of AOD use, but also its importance as fundamental to support recovery.

Role Purpose:
The role of the Youth AOD Practitioner The Zone, is to provide evidence informed AOD treatment and collaborative care to young people, using brief interventions, care planning, AOD counselling, harm reduction and trauma informed frameworks. The Youth AOD Practitioner will provide treatment and collaborative care that is both safe and effective for young people and families with intersectional needs. The role will also collaborate and integrate treatment with co-located and out-posted services at the Youth AOD Intersectional Care Coordination Platform.

Key areas of focus:

• Provide AOD support and collaborative care to young people and their families (if appropriate/safe) using brief intervention, care planning, harm reduction, trauma-informed frameworks.
• Facilitate the development of basic life skills for young people.
• Facilitate intensive and structured non-residential AOD rehabilitation programs.
• Work collaboratively with all members of the Youth AOD Intersectional Care Coordination Platform
• Support and encourage young people to develop links with other services.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of an innovative service delivery model for young people.
• Develop linkages with referral services, and where possible, include young people in the evaluation of the service.
• Collaborate with other support services and community-based activities to integrate support and provide optimal service provision.
• Ensure all administration and data recording processes are understood and adhered to, maintaining case notes, developing intervention plans using the Flexible Funding Pool, and upholding financial accountability.
• Provide referral and links to a range of services including drug and alcohol, primary health, family, housing, legal, justice, employment /educational and recreational services.
• Develop and establish collaborative relationships with key stakeholders to enhance service co- ordination.
• Provide secondary consultation to internal and external services.

A week in the role:

If you were here last week, you would have:

• Provided holistic and inclusive case management to young people aged 12-25.
• Provided responsive outreach support across catchment region and NW Melbourne as required.
• Offered considered clinical perspective at allocations, case review and reflective practice.
• Participated in skill development.
• Attended and participated in various community engagement activities.

Key Selection Criteria:

We are looking for an experienced and passionate Youth AOD Practitioner to provide resilience based AOD case management, drawing on their lived and/or work experience, delivering structured non-residential AOD rehabilitation programming (both individual and group).

To be successful in this role, you must have…

• A relevant tertiary qualification in Social Work, Youth Work, AOD or equivalent with one year’s experience or  Associate Diploma with relevant experience.
• Completed the required competencies (or able to within the first 12 months of employment). Refer to Appendix A*.
• Understanding of and experience working with young people and their families with intersecting needs.
• Demonstrated ability in assertively engage and support young people from a range of backgrounds, genders, and age groups.
• Knowledge of theories and frameworks including trauma informed care and adolescent development and demonstrated ability to relate these to case management practice.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team and strong crisis and risk assessment skills.
• Demonstrated experience of participation in collaborative work practices with internal and external services
• Demonstrated experience or understanding of planning and facilitating intensive and structured non-residential AOD rehabilitation programing (both individual and group).

For a copy of the position description which outlines the full list of responsibilities and key selection criteria, please click HERE.

*Appendix A (AOD Competencies)

OHV requires staff in clinical positions to have the following competencies (or their equivalent). Where people do not already have these competencies, OHV will invest in the staff’s professional development by providing them through our registered training organisation (RTO).

The competencies required in the first 12 months of employment are:

• CHCAOD001 – Work in an alcohol and other drugs context
• CHCAOD004 – Assess needs of clients with alcohol and other drugs issues
• CHCAOD006 – Provide interventions for people with alcohol and other drugs issues
• CHCAOD009 – Develop and review individual alcohol and other drugs treatment plans
   

What we can give YOU!

In return we are committed to offering you an inclusive and transparent workplace culture where our people can develop to be their very best by:  

• Ongoing learning and development opportunities
• Providing work that is meaningful and challenging, with career development opportunities through project and secondment opportunities and succession planning
• Providing career pathways across diverse OHV programs.
• Access to 24/7 counselling through our Employee Assistance Provider (EAP)
• Generous leave options such as 48/52 Purchase Leave, Study Leave and Sabbaticals
• Flexible working arrangements such as, school-orientated part-year hours and monthly RDO’s for full-timers (arrangements will vary based on role requirements).

In addition to the above, staff will also be provided monthly Clinical Supervision sessions for professional development and personal wellbeing.

Application information

Please apply directly via our careers website (applications via external recruitment websites or via email will not be considered)

Applications should be addressed to Jo Cronin and include your CV and a cover letter addressing the key selection criteria. 

If you have any questions relating to the position, please contact Jo Cronin – Senior Youth AOD Practitioner – The Zone on, 0466 506 281 or at [email protected].    
 
We will be assessing applications on a rolling basis and suitable candidates will be shortlisted immediately. This role will close once a suitable candidate has been selected, so please don’t wait to apply! 

Our commitment to diversity

At OHV we value diversity and believe that a range of backgrounds brings a variety of ideas, perspectives and experiences that will enhance our effectiveness. We promote a workplace that actively seeks to include, welcome and value unique contributions by encouraging people with disability, Aboriginal Australians, LGBTQIA, young people and people from culturally diverse backgrounds to apply for this position.

Safety screening

OHV is committed to child safety and is a child safe organisation. All OHV employees must undergo Police Records and Working with Children Checks. Any person issued with a negative notice on their Working with Children Check will not be eligible for employment with us.

Mandatory COVID vaccinations

In line with recent Victorian Government mandatory vaccination requirements for the health industry, and OHV’s Mandatory Vaccination Policy, all Odyssey House Victoria staff are required to hold full vaccination status, and effective as of 1 March 2022 also have received the Booster Vaccination. Evidence of such vaccination status will be requested during the onboarding process and offers will be rescinded where such evidence cannot be provided.

All Odyssey House Victoria sites are smoke free for all employees.