Policy Officer

• Base salary: Up to $65,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience
• Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
• Location: Collingwood

Background

Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service Victoria (FVPLS Victoria) is an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation established in 2002 to provide assistance to victims/survivors of family violence and sexual assault, and to work with families and communities affected by violence.

FVPLS Victoria provides free legal advice, referral, ongoing casework, court representation, and assists in the following areas:

• Intervention Orders
• Family Law
• Child Protection
• Victims’ compensation
• Other legal problems arising from family violence.

FVPLS Victoria has recently received funding to establish a Policy and Development Unit.

This Unit oversees a number of projects and activities:

• Policy and advocacy
• Early intervention and prevention programs, such as the wellbeing workshops for Koori women across Victoria through the Sisters Day Out^® program
• Planning for the 2012 National Conference: Standing Firm for Change: a journey to justice

Key Responsibilities

In collaboration with other team members and the CEO:

1. Develop policies within FVPLS Victoria which advance the achievement of key organisational objectives and incorporate relevant internal knowledge and expertise gained through on the ground experience.
2. Provide input into the FVPLS strategy to facilitate co-ordination and consistency across FVPLS Victoria’s regional structure in relation to policy, strategic approaches and external engagement.
3. Build upon and extend relevant research and learning as a base to inform both internal FVPLS Victoria program and policy development and strategies for improved law and justice outcomes for Aboriginal victims/survivors of family violence and sexual assault more broadly.
4. Assist with the dissemination of FVPLS Victoria knowledge and learning gained through research, service provision and other sources to the broader community with a view to enhanced sector understanding and response to key issues identified
5. Contribute to FVPLS Victoria’s capacity to build upon Aboriginal and mainstream networks and organisational relationships to advance integrated service delivery and collaborative law and policy development.
6. Establish an evaluation framework to monitor the activity of the Policy and Development Unit programs and projects such as Sisters Day Out® wellbeing workshop program, ensuring the CLE component is relevant and updated as required
7. Assist to identify ways access to culturally appropriate legal and associated services can be improved for Aboriginal victims of family violence and sexual assault in Victoria (women and children in particular).
8. Develop targeted research evidence for FVPLS to draw upon to inform service development, future funding submission and knowledge dissemination in the law and justice domain.
9. Establish and maintain the internal organisational capacity to monitor Indigenous accessibility and outcomes within key areas of the legal system for Aboriginal victims/survivors including in family law, child protection, family violence law, victims assistance and police response.
10. Achieve a greater capacity for FVPLS Victoria to participate in and contribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and mainstream forums and reference groups to improve integrated service response and policy development.

A full position description including selection criteria is attached below.