• Location: Fitzroy North 3068
• Salary: In accordance with SCHCADS Award 2010
• Tenure: June 2022 (Fixed Term 12-month contract)
• Hours of employment: 30.4 hrs per week
• Conditions of employment: In accordance with SCHCADS Award 2010

This position is open to Afghan and Dari / Pashto / Hazaragi speaking females only. The Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights falls within the Special Measures contained in section 12 of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010.

ORGANISATION INFORMATON

The Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights (AMWCHR) is an organisation of Muslim women working to advance the rights and status of Muslim women in Australia. We are a non-religious organisation reflecting the sectarian, cultural and linguistic diversity within the Muslim community.

We work for the rights of women by:

• Supporting women’s self-determination
• Bringing a human rights approach to bear on issues of inequality and disadvantage
• Working with individuals, the community, and the government to advocate for equality within the Australian context.

We aim to inspire positive action by others and aspire to continuously enhance the quality, impact, and effectiveness of our work.

The AMWCHR community portfolio works with individuals, groups, and service providers in the following areas:

• Casework, referrals, secondary consultations, and outreach
• Advocacy
• Community-based programs and service delivery
• Capacity building
• Leadership development
• Policy development
• Partnership projects

POSITION SUMMARY

The Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights is looking for a Family Violence Outreach Worker who is conversant in Dari, Pashto and / or Hazaragi and is widely connected to various Afghan communities. The incumbent candidate for this role will be involved in engaging and providing casework support to Afghan women including intake, risk assessment and initial, brief interventions and referral to specialised services. The Family Violence Outreach worker will be located at a satellite office in the Dandenong area.

Within the Family Violence Outreach worker role, the focus will be on prevention through the provision of information, advice, support for social connection and specialist referrals. Throughout this, the worker will address issues pertinent to the diverse community such as the intersection of religion and culture and how these aspects can be mobilised to control and abuse women and their children.

The nature of the Specialist Family Violence support is to work alongside Afghan women as they navigate the settlement and Family violence mainstream service system. This includes risk assessments, safety planning, case planning, engaging with police and court processes, advocacy work to support client access to housing, financial and material aid, mental health, and health services, working for positive outcomes with child protection and addressing client wellbeing.

The work is delivered within program settings, over the phone, online and through active outreach.

This role requires high-level knowledge of human rights and issues relevant to Afghan Muslim women, particularly within the contexts of family violence, early and forced marriage, religious divorce, migration, and trauma. The ability to successfully manage a range of complexities and competing demands are essential to this role.

AMWCHR offers regular supervision, reflective practice, and a collaborative workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage people from diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.

REPORTING

• Reports to: Casework Manager
• Manages: N/A
• Key liaison: Casework Team, Chief Operations Officer, CEO.
• External Liaisons: Community members, community organisations, service providers, government agencies, stakeholders and funding bodies.

COVID19 working conditions

AMWCHR is considered an essential service providing welfare services to vulnerable and disadvantaged women and therefore we currently provide remote and face-to-face services in accordance with measures of vaccination, social distancing rules, cleaning and hygiene. Staff are expected to have the capacity to work from home and office in accordance with government regulation and AMWCHR policy.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Take a lead in developing relationships with Afghan women’s community networks and relevant service providers.
• Apply an FV prevention lens to casework delivery.
• Provide intake, risk assessments and safety planning, triage and brief intervention.
• Utilise a strengths-based and evidence-based approach to family violence identification and casework support.
• Advocate and coordinate with relevant services to access accommodation / housing, income security, financial counselling and support, access to education and childcare for children, migration matters, legal matters, health concerns, mental health concerns and social isolation.
• Confidently support clients in reporting issues of FV to police and with court engagement.
• Work effectively and collaboratively as an integral member of the AMWCHR organisation.
• Represent AMWCHR in relevant forums and networks.
• Provide secondary consultation to service providers as appropriate.
• Maintain case notes and client records and contribute to progress reports on deliverables.
• Contribute to organisational research and development.
• Model AMWCHR’s values and associated behaviours within the centre and across external liaisons.

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA

The recruiting panel will need to feel confident that the successful candidate will understand AMWCHR values, integrate these values into their work and demonstrate behaviours that reflect these values.

Mandatory Key Selection Criteria (applicants must respond to this KSC): 

• Experience and demonstrated ability to independently provide case management for new migrant Muslim women.
• Ability to confidently speak, read and write Dari, Pashto and/or Hazaragi and English including Understanding of Afghan culture and diversity.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, and assess risk and safety issues including those unique to Afghan women.
• Understanding of systemic disadvantage, racism and discrimination.
• Understanding of the human rights framework to approach intersectional issues Afghan women may experience.
• Demonstrated experience in working with Afghan women, their families and communities.
• Well-developed communication skills
• Ability to maintain data entry and case notes for service delivery
• Confidence to work independently in a variety of community settings
• Excellent time management skills.
• Current Drivers Licence, Working with Children Check, police check, Covid Vaccination Certificate

Highly Desirable

• Qualification in social work or similar qualification
• Experience working within a Human Rights framework.
• Understanding and experience in migration and settlement issues.
• Knowledge of women’s support agencies and systems across Victoria.
• Knowledge of client data and management information systems.
• Understanding of an intersectionality framework, community development theory, family violence theories & reflective practice.

A position description is attached.