Job description

• Hours: 35 hours per week
• Date start: ASAP
• Award/Rate of Pay: SCHADS AWARD Level: 5. The specific level of remuneration is dependent on the worker’s experience. 
• Accountabilities: Manager Nepean Blue Mountains WDVCAS
• Area: This position is based in the Nepean, Blue Mountains & Hawkesbury areas. Some travel required across these LGA’s. 
• Closing Date: COB 19th September, 2022 
• Interview Date: Must be available to interview on 21st September 2022

About the employer

Blacktown Women’s and Girls Health Centre (BWGHC), is a feminist, non for profit charity meeting the needs of excellent health and wellbeing initiatives for women and girls and envisages a community in which women exercise equal rights, choose their own destiny and have a safe environment for themselves and their children. BWGHC work towards this by providing counselling, information and referral, advocacy, capacity building and support services to clients.

The organisation has been established in the area for over 30 years as one of 21 Women’s Health Centre’s across NSW. Over this time, the BWGHC has grown and evolved to run a range of programs including women only Doctor and Nurse Clinics, Early Childhood Clinics, Legal Services, Drug and Alcohol support and advice, Counselling (Generalist and Domestic Violence), Case Work, Group Work and Information Services and auspice the North West Sydney Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Services. 

This position is for the Nepean-Blue Mountains WDVCAS (NBMWDVCAS) and provided is information, referrals and advocacy to women and their children who are or have been experiencing domestic and family violence, addressing their legal, social and welfare needs. NBMWDVCAS assists women to obtain effective legal protection through application of Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders (ADVOs) at Penrith, Windsor and Katoomba local courts, assisting women before court, at court and after court. NBMWDVCAS assist women with safety planning and case-coordination. 

A key component of NBMWDVCAS work involves fortnightly Safety Action Meetings (SAM) which are attended by police, WDVCAS and local services to assist women and children who are at higher risk, as assessed by police and/or NBMWDVCAS. 

Domestic and Family Violence Specialist Worker (Multicultural Focus) 

The Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) Specialist Worker (Multicultural Focus) assists the Manager in service delivery. The DFV Specialist Worker (Multicultural Focus) exercises a high degree of autonomy and provides high-level expert advice regarding how to ensure the NBMWDVCAS is relevant, accessible and responsive to women and their children from multicultural backgrounds.

This position is open to applicants with a multicultural background. People with language skills in languages other than English are encouraged to apply.

DFV Specialist Workers (Multicultural Focus) may use their language skills with clients in the context of low-risk communications, where interpreting is not necessary but may assist with service provision. Examples include giving directions or explaining how a form should be filled out. Interactions that appear simple but have significant decision-making implications, such as explaining court procedure for an AVO list day, are considered high-risk and are situations where a certified interpreter should be employed. Unless they are appropriately certified, DFV Specialist Workers (Multicultural Focus) should never replace qualified interpreters when the need for an interpreter has been identified.

This position is funded as a full-time position, which includes the capacity for the DFV Specialist Worker to engage in community engagement and/or outreach activities, on average two days per week. This is because community engagement and/or outreach activities are critical in assisting the DFV Specialist Worker (Multicultural Focus) to build trusting relationships between the NBMWDVCAS and communities of multicultural women. This facilitates best-practice service delivery informed by the needs of the multicultural women and their children experiencing domestic and family violence within these communities.

Responsibilities of this role 

The work of the DFV Specialist Worker (Multicultural Focus) includes, but is not limited to, the following duties:

• Accepting electronic referrals from the CRP and non-electronic referrals direct from government agencies and non-government services; 

• Contacting clients referred to the WDVCAS in a timely manner, conducting a threat assessment to ascertain their current risk status and undertaking safety planning to address a client’s immediate safety needs; 

• Liaising with the SAM Coordinator to ensure all clients assessed as ‘at serious threat’ are placed on the agenda for the next SAM when necessary; 

• Providing relevant information and making warm referrals to a range of service providers to assist clients with their ongoing needs; 

• Liaising with clients in relation to Safety Action Plans developed at SAMs and/or support provided, or arranged, by the WDVCASs; 

• Attending court on AVO list days and other days as required, in particular, mentions, hearings, criminal charge matters to provide information, assistance and referral and court advocacy for WDVCAS clients and in particular multicultural women and children, as directed by the WDVCAS Manager; 

• Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with key WDVCAS partners including the NSW Police Force, Local Courts, legal representatives and referral agencies, in order to facilitate client access to those agencies and services; 

• Complying with the SAM Manual and the Domestic Violence Information Sharing Protocol; 

• Fulfilling reporting requirements for the WDVCAP database and the CRP in line with the WDVCAP Service Agreement, the WDVCAP Policy and Procedure Manual and SAM Manual; 

• Assisting the SAM Coordinator to develop and administer policies, systems and processes for the effective operation of the WDVCAS and SAMs; 

• Developing solid working relationships and referral networks with local services that respond to the particular needs of multicultural women and children; 

• Developing links with local multicultural communities to promote the services of the WDVCAS and encourage women to use the services of the WDVCAS; 

• Participating in local multicultural and general community activities to promote the services of the WDVCAS; 

• Providing high level advice to the Manager to develop and implement strategies aimed at making WDVCAS services relevant, accessible and responsive to the needs of multicultural women and children; and

• Providing advice to the Manager about local issues affecting multicultural clients and access to WDVCAS services and legal processes. 

Essential skills and knowledge 

• Understanding of domestic and family violence, its complexities and consequences; 

• Understanding of impact of domestic and family violence on multicultural women and children, and sensitivity to their needs, in particular women who are isolated, newly arrived and/or refugee women, and women with limited language skills; 

• Knowledge and understanding of the criminal justice response to domestic and family violence including AVO applications and criminal prosecutions and related legal matters such as family law, care and protection, migration and victim’s compensation issues; 

• Ability to deliver services in accordance with the WDVCAP best practice model of service delivery outlined in the WDVCAP Service Agreement, this Policy and Procedure Manual, the SAM Manual and other operational documents; 

• Ability to work within local multicultural communities and the broader community to promote awareness of domestic and family violence and WDVCAS services; 

• Ability to implement service delivery strategies aimed at ensuring the relevance, accessibility and responsiveness of WDVCAS services to a diverse range of women and children; 

• Excellent communication skills, particularly in negotiation, advocacy and conflict resolution; 

• Knowledge of and an ability to work effectively with interpreter services; 

• Excellent networking skills; 

• Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with clients in crisis and provide appropriate, trauma-informed support; 

• Excellent organisational and administrative skills; 

• At least one other community language and/or a good understanding of issues affecting women and children of multicultural backgrounds; and 

• Current clearance in relation to Working with Children or other relevant NSW Police Force checks. 

The Blacktown Women’s and Girls Health Centre considers being a woman a genuine occupational qualification for this position under s.31 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW). 

If you have any questions or would like to talk a bit more about this job before applying, please feel free to call NWSWDVCAS Assistant Manager, Kessel Ryes-Corral on 0429 552 187 or email, [email protected], using the subject line: Domestic and Family Violence Specialist Worker (Multicultural Focus) SEEK