Invitation for Expressions of Interest

Independent Chair – Wimmera and South West Area Integrated Family Violence Partnership

Background:

The Wimmera South West area Integrated Family Violence Partnership is a voluntary Partnership of Agencies who have come together to look at opportunities to work strategically and collaboratively in their response to family violence and sexual assault across the Wimmera and South West area.

The Partnership is currently seeking expressions of Interest from individuals interested in taking on the role of Independent Chair.

About the Position:

Please refer to the Position Description attached to this Expression of Interest.

Tenure and Conditions:

The position is funded at 30 hours per month for two years and will be reviewed at the end of the two year period. The hours are flexible and allows for opportunities to contribute at a state-wide level.

Remuneration will be $22,500 per year, with additional provision for travel and accommodation costs as required.

It is expected that the successful applicant will enter into a Contract with Grampians Community Health for the provision of these services.

Appointment to this position is subject to a satisfactory Police Record Check and Working with Children check.

Background to this position

The Wimmera and South West Area Integrated Family Violence Partnership (the Partnership) has been established to provide leadership on family violence service integration and planning across 10 local government areas that make up the Wimmera and South West area. 

In the Wimmera they are:

• The Shires of Northern Grampians, West Wimmera, Hindmarsh and Yarriambiack
• The Rural City of Horsham

In the South West they are:

• The Shires of Glenelg, Southern Grampians, Moyne and Corangamite
• The City of Warrnambool

The purpose of the Partnership is to provide specialist expertise and leadership of the family violence service system by:

• Identifying priority issues and opportunities and responding strategically
• Driving practice change and innovation
• Influencing positive change in attitudes

The work of the Partnership is supported by two Principal Strategic Advisors (PSA’s) located in the Wimmera (0.5EFT) and the South West (0.6EFT).

Policy Context:

Family Violence service system reform is informed and guided by the following Policy and Strategic frameworks:

National

The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010 – 2022 released in 2011, focusses on stopping violence before it occurs, supporting women who have experienced violence, preventing men from committing violence and building the evidence base about ‘what works’ in reducing family violence and sexual assault. Key outcomes of this Plan have included:

• The development of Our Watch - A foundation established to drive nationwide change in the culture, behaviours and power imbalances that lead to violence against women and their children and;
• The introduction of Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety Ltd ANROWS, which is designed to deliver relevant and translatable research evidence to inform policy and practice resulting in reduced levels of violence against women and their children.
  State

The Findings from the Royal Commission into Family Violence (March 2016) provides the guidelines for state-wide family violence reform priorities. The reform is guided by a number of key strategies and plans which are listed below:

1. Ending Family Violence – Victoria’s Plan for Change (and associated Rolling Action Plans)
2. Victorian Gender Equality Strategy
3. Free from Violence – Victoria’s Prevention Strategy
4. Building from Strength – 10 year Industry Plan for Family Violence Prevention and response
5. Support and Safety Hubs: State wide Concept (July 2017)

Other strategies, plans are related reform elements that will affect the Partnership include:

1. Respectful Relationships (Department of Education and Training)
2. Strengthening Hospitals Response: Emergency Management Strategy and Family Violence
3. The Indigenous Family Violence 10 year Plan ‘Strong Culture, Strong Peoples, Strong Families’

The above list of strategies and initiatives is by no means complete, and new strategies and initiatives are being developed and introduced in response to the Royal Commission regularly.

Local

The Partnership’s work is underpinned by strategies and actions that link directly to the strategic direction of the state-wide reform. Its purpose is to identify and prioritise local and regional issues within this context.

PARTNERSHIP STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS (refer to Partnership Structure diagram):

The Partnership is governed by the following arrangements:

• Auspice agencies for Partnership and Principal Strategic Advisors
• Grampians Community Health (GCH) and;
• Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West (WHW BSW)
• Grampians Community Health and Women’s Health Wellbeing (Barwon South West) are key participants in the work of the Partnership and have oversight of the coordination of the Operations Committee, management of integration funds and line management of the PSA’s.

Operations Committee

The Operations Committee has the responsibility for Partnership funding and financial performance, internal business processes, and supervision and support of the PSA’s. The Operations Committee consists of:

• Independent Chair: Vacant
• Auspice Agencies: Grampians Community Health and Women’s Health and Well Being Barwon South West
• Deputy Co- Chairs: Jo-Anne Bates – Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre (Wimmera), Donna Porritt – Emma House (Interim, South West)
• Note: the Deputy Co-Chairs also chair the Local Area Planning Groups in their respective sub catchment
• PSA’s: Mandy Noble (Wimmera 0.5 EFT) and Kelly Dufty (0.6 EFT South West)

Partnership Committee

The Partnership Committee is the main decision making body of the Wimmera and South West Area Integrated Family Violence Partnership and is responsible for ensuring its members work toward and integrated and coordinated service system to support individuals who have been impacted by Family Violence and sexual assault.

Members include community service organisations that provide specialist family violence services and programs, specialist sexual assault services and other key service and sector representatives who are able to provide the expertise, knowledge and skills to action and review the strategic objectives of the Partnership.

Committee Membership is currently 22.

Local Area Planning Groups – Wimmera and South West

Local area Planning Groups operate in the two sub catchments of the Wimmera and South West area. These groups provide an area based forum for local agencies and practitioners to come together and work on their respective area based Action Plans which are aligned with the four priority goals of the Partnership’s Strategic Plan. These being:

- Workforce Development
- Information and Systems Intelligence
- Influence and Advocacy
- Rural and Regional Service Planning and Innovation

Position Responsibilities:

The Independent Chair for the WSWAIFVP is responsible for:

Leadership

• To provide area based leadership on state-wide family violence priorities, identifying and prioritising area based strategic goals and focusing the work of the Wimmera and South West Area Partnership and the Committee to achieve these identified priorities.
• To harness the leadership strengths and knowledge of the Partnership and the Committee members, drawing on their knowledge of state-wide and regional systems, relationships and processes.
• To plan and chair the Partnership Committee meetings. This includes preparing an agenda, supported by the two area Principal Strategic Advisors (PSAs), that focuses on progressing the achievement of strategic priorities as identified in the WSWAIFVP Strategic Plan and Action Plan/s and the Recommendations of the Royal Commission into Family Violence.

Strategic planning

• To lead the Partnership in identifying the most significant area issues to be addressed and the ways an integrated partnership approach can have the greatest impact.
• To ensure the Partnership is developing and implementing its area based strategic plan in line with and informed by state-wide priorities (and where relevant - national) and reform objectives.
• To ensure regular review of progress made against the WSWAIFVP Strategic Plan and Action Plan/s (at a minimum every three months) and oversee any required adjustment (in collaboration with the Auspice agency and the PSA’s) to the PSA’s work plan if regional priorities change.

Accountabilities and oversight

• To ensure the Partnership and the Committee’s accountabilities are met through reporting on the progress of the Strategic Plan and Action Plan/s at regional and state-wide levels.
• To maintain strategic oversight of the alignment of the PSA’s work with the WSWAIFVP Strategic Plan and the key tasks set out in the Action Plan/s.
  Governance and partnership operations
• To ensure that there is a regular review of the Partnership’s Partnering Agreement. This should occur, at a minimum, on annual basis. The aim of the review process is to ensure Partnership structures and arrangements are adapted to meet changing conditions.
• To develop in collaboration with the Partnership an Independent Chair succession plan.
• To ensure that incoming Chairs are provided with a standard induction kit (inclusive of the Partnering Agreement, and other relevant governance material), as part of the transition process. This information should also be provided by the Chair to new Committee members, inclusive of government representatives and new PSAs.

Communication and representation

• To represent, in all internal and external Partnership communications, the collective view and position of the Wimmera and South West Area Integrated Family Violence Partnership rather than her or his individual perspective.
• To represent the Partnership’s view on strategic and policy matters to state-wide bodies and key groups and report back to the Committee. There may be circumstances where this responsibility is delegated to a suitable Committee member, making use of the specialist skills and knowledge of individual Committee members.

Attendance at meetings

• To attend quarterly meetings with the PSA’s and the Auspice agency line manager (as documented in the Partnering Agreement). The purpose of this meeting is to collectively review the PSA’s work (within the context of Strategic Plan and Action Plan/s) and to provide a forum to address and resolve any potential issues impacting upon the work of the PSA’s (e.g. government policy developments that may impact on PSA’s work).
• To attend quarterly meetings with the Auspice agency, the PSA’s and the DHHS Local Connections Manager (or their delegate), the purpose of which is to report and feedback on the work of the Partnership.
• Report to the Partnership and the Committee on activities as chair since last meeting.
• To attend the DV Vic State-wide Chairs and RIC/PSA meetings, to connect the work of the Partnership to state-wide mechanisms and participate in shared advocacy.
• To participate in Operations Committee meetings as required.

Constraints/Policies/Procedures

• The Partnership’s Partnering Agreement guides the work of the Committee. The Independent Chair:
• Has authority over the proceedings at Partnership Committee meetings;
• Does not have voting rights at the Partnership Committee meetings;
• Must not cause or allow any practice, activity, decision, or organisational circumstance that is unlawful, imprudent, or in violation of commonly accepted business and professional ethics and practice or GCH or WHW BSW policies or procedures;
• Cannot incur any expenditure without prior approval of the Partnership.

Performance measurement and accountability

• The Independent Chair is answerable to the Operations Committee through an annual performance review process with an initial three month review to take place on commencement of Position. Performance reporting measures and KPIs will be based on the position description.

Key Selection Criteria - the following must be demonstrated in your application:

• A comprehensive understanding of the structural context of the family violence, gender equality and sexual assault policy and service system;
• A commitment to intersectional understandings of family violence and social determinants of violence;
• An informed understanding of prevention, early intervention and response frameworks;
• A demonstrated capacity to deliver on the agreed strategy of a partnership, quality client services and collaborative partnerships;
• Exceptional strategic and analytical skills;
• Significant and demonstrable management experience in the community sector;
• A commitment to working constructively and positively toward integrated service systems;
• A commitment to feminist principles and values;
• An understanding and commitment to addressing family violence and the contributing dynamics for Aboriginal and other CALD Communities;
• Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal);
• Strong facilitation, conflict resolution and leadership skills;
• Victorian Drivers Licence;
• Police Records Check;
• Working with Children Check.