• Part Time - 0.8 FTE
• Parental Leave Cover

Organisational Purpose

Boorndawan Willam Aboriginal Healing Service (BWAHS) is the lead specialist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family violence agency, servicing the Eastern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne.

BWAHS was established in 2006 following the recommendations of the Victorian Eastern Family Violence Strategy Taskforce Report (2003) and transitioned to being an independent Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation in 2019.

BWAHS provides a range of services and programs to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and families who have either current or historical experiences of family violence.

Role Purpose

As a Child, Youth and Families Counsellor-Advocate, you will be required to provide assessment and counselling interventions to members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, using a range of developmentally appropriate, culturally and trauma informed evidence-based modalities.

These may include individual and family-based approaches to meet the complex therapeutic needs of children, young people and families in the community.

You will also be required to provide client-centred advocacy through liaison with relevant education, health, legal and other services, and requires the facilitation of referrals to support access to those services.

This role works in collaboration with the Therapeutic Group program, and at times you will be called upon to provide therapeutic input into the development of group programs, as well as to provide support with group facilitation.

Your therapeutic interventions and advocacy will be carried out at a combination of locations including onsite at BWAHS Bayswater/Lilydale offices, as well as in educational environments and other community settings.

Key Responsibilities

Assessment & Intake

• Undertake comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments with children, young people and their families.
• Where appropriate, conduct risk assessments, including MARAMs, mental health and suicide risk assessments.
• Develop risk management and safety plans where required and participate in risk management meetings as needed.
• Support intake processes where required.

Therapeutic Interventions

• Using formulations developed through your assessment process, develop clear therapeutic goals.
• Provide culturally and developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed therapeutic interventions for children, young people and their families to promote healing and recovery from family violence and other experiences of trauma.
• Work to enhance parent/carer self-determination and confidence in parenting after violence and support their children’s healing and recovery journey.
• Provide a range of options for community members to engage in services including onsite, outreach and virtual/telephone options.
• Support the development and facilitation of structured family sessions for children/young people and their families/carers.

Therapeutic Group Work

• Provide trauma-informed input into the development of therapeutic group responses.
• Co-facilitate therapeutic group responses in conjunction with the Therapeutic Group Program.

Advocacy

• Where community member’s safety, mental and physical health or wellbeing are compromised, develop and implement advocacy strategies designed to improve overall wellbeing.
• Support community members’ access to external support agencies through referrals.
• Participate in internal and external care teams.
• Be available to provide secondary consultation to external service providers, with the aim of improving their ability to respond to members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
• Establish and maintain positive working relationships with key stakeholders, both internally and externally.
• Represent BWAHS in relevant networks, working groups and communities of practice.

Culturally informed practice

• Commit to cultural curiosity and engage in ever improving culturally informed practice.
• Seek and engage in cultural consultation where appropriate.
• Contribute to a positive and culturally safe workplace.
• Centre First Nations’ voices and support agency and community self-determination.

Inclusive and intersectional practice

• Provide informed and safe support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families who identify as LGBTQIA+.
• Contribute to a positive and safe workspace for people who identify as LGBTQIA+.
• Provide informed and safe support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families who are living with a disability.
• Contribute to a positive and safe workplace for people who are living with a disability.

Training and Professional Development / Capability Development

• Participate in regular clinical and operational supervision, and cultural supervision when available.
• Participate in all agency activities that contribute to professional development requirements, including team meetings and other program-based sessions.
• Participate in regular culturally informed training.
• Seek and access relevant professional development opportunities to build and maintain therapeutic skills.

Record Keeping and Report Writing

• Maintain accurate and timely records including notes, reports, plans and data reporting in accordance with BWAHS quality requirements.
• Ensure written client reports and letters are prepared within BWAHS guidelines and are approved by your line manager before provision to legal, government and health bodies.
• Participate in BWAHS ongoing quality improvement and strategic direction implementation.

Policies, Procedures and Systems

• Comply with all organisational policies and procedures.
• Proactively identify and report Workplace Health and Safety concerns.
• Ensure that child safe practices are implemented.

Key Selection Criteria

1. An understanding of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and the history of intergenerational trauma.
2. A tertiary qualification in social work, psychology, family therapy or a related discipline along with demonstrated experience.
3. Theoretical understanding of the issues underpinning family violence and therapeutic interventions within an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural context.
4. Experience in the provision of trauma-informed, culturally safe therapeutic approaches to support safety and healing from family violence to children, young people and their families.
5. Ability to engage families of varying ages, stages and compositions who have multiple and complex needs.
6. Knowledge of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and mainstream services in the Eastern Metropolitan Region or a willingness to learn.
7. Understanding of State and Regional Aboriginal Family Violence strategies and frameworks.
8. Demonstrated commitment to liaise and work collaboratively with stakeholders, carers, DFFH, the Education Department, other agencies and the community.
9. The ability to work independently and as part of a small team.
10. A willingness to embrace opportunities for professional development where appropriate.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT

It is a condition of employment that BWAHS be provided with the following:

• Current Victorian Driver’s License
• Current Working with Children’s Check
• Undertake National Police Check

next steps

To submit your application, please click 'Apply Now' by the closing date.

Please contact Jacqui Robson at [email protected], using the subject line: Counsellor Advocate - Children, Youth and Families enquiry via EthicalJobs, for further information or a copy of the position description.