• Location - Alice Springs
• Hours of Work -Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5.00pm

Employment Status

Full time, ongoing (subject to funding)

Position Reports To

Principal Legal Officer (PLO)

What We Offer

Highly competitive salary based on experience and qualifications.

• Up to $30,000 tax-free Salary packaging
• Remote Area Allowance:
• 6 weeks annual leave + 1 week paid Christmas shutdown
• 17.5% leave loading
• $1,200 annual airfare reimbursement (after 12 months), subject to funding
• 15 days personal leave, 10 days carer's leave, and 3 days mental health and wellbeing leave
• Cultural leave, ceremonial leave and mental health days
• 18 weeks paid parental leave (after 12 months of employment)
• Access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Genuine work/life balance — regular hours, flexible arrangements, and no burnout culture!
• 15% total Super (12% + 3% CAAFLU top-up)
• Supportive, collaborative team environment with strong leadership

About CAAFLU

The Central Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Unit (CAAFLU) is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) providing culturally appropriate, holistic, trauma-informed legal and non-legal support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victim-survivors of family, domestic and/or sexual violence (DFSV) – predominantly women. We have offices in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and Jurnkkurakurr (Tennant Creek), and we also provide outreach services in several remote communities including Ntaria (Hermannsburg), Yuendumu, Warrumpi (Papunya), Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa), Atitjere (Harts Range), Ali Curung, Kulumindini (Elliott) and other communities nearby.

Our primary function is to provide Aboriginal victim-survivors of DFSV, particularly women, with culturally appropriate, high quality, confidential legal advice and casework, court representation, information, assistance, advocacy, support and referrals. Each lawyer works side-by-side with a Client Service Officer (CSO), which are Aboriginal identified positions, ensuring cultural safety is embedded in our unique wraparound model of service delivery.

CAAFLU’s key areas of law are Domestic Violence Orders (DVOs), Victims of Crime Compensation, Child Protection and Family Law. Our CSOs provide a wide range of non-legal client support including assistance with housing applications, attending appointments, support/follow up throughout the legal process, arranging interpreters, safety planning and emergency relief (limited). We also deliver community-led early intervention and prevention programs (EIP), community legal education (CLE) and undertake policy and law reform work. As both a DFV-specific legal service and ACCO, our solutions are specialist and community-led. CAAFLU’s governance, leadership team and majority of staff are Aboriginal, mainly women, with connections to both Central Australia and the Barkly region.

To avoid legal conflicts, CAAFLU does not assist perpetrators of DFSV. However, we do assist victim-survivors who have used force or violence and been misidentified as the primary perpetrator including DVO defendants.

Role Purpose

The Specialist Court Support Worker role has been developed in response to the Northern Territory Government’s ‘Specialist Approach’ to Domestic and Family Violence.

This position plays a crucial role in providing comprehensive non-legal support to CAAFLU clients/Victim Survivors at the Alice Springs Local Court, who are navigating the legal system in matters related to family, domestic and/or sexual violence (DFSV). This position operates within a culturally sensitive, holistic, and trauma-informed framework and requires a deep understanding of the legal, emotional, and practical challenges faced by our Aboriginal victim-survivors of DFSV – predominantly women.

The role involves creating a secure environment for victim survivors, including children. Responsibilities include providing personalised support tailored to the individual needs of each victim survivor, offering referrals to appropriate services, and advocating on their behalf.

This position will be based predominantly at the Alice Springs Local Court; however, the successful applicant will also be required to attend CAAFLU’s team-based office located at 84 Hartley Street as needed. The successful applicant must be willing and comfortable working from CAAFLU’s court-based office.

To summarise, it is not the intent of this position description to limit the scope or responsibilities of the role, but to highlight the most important aspects.

Key Responsibilities

Court Support & Advocacy

• The Specialist Court Support Worker will provide a safe environment for Aboriginal victim-survivors of DFSV and their children in a CAAFLU office based at the Alice Springs Local Court.
• If the Aboriginal victim-survivor of FDSV consents to becoming a CAAFLU client, the Specialist Court Support Worker will assess the client’s immediate non-legal needs and safety risks.
• Accompany clients to court hearings with the Specialist DFV Legal Practitioner providing culturally safe emotional support and ensuring they feel supported and less traumatised when interacting with the Court.
• Attend Specialist Approach to Domestic and Family Violence meetings and case coordination meetings with the Specialist DFV Legal Practitioner to support our clients and their families experiencing domestic and family violence.
• Conduct culturally sensitive intake interviews and risk assessments with clients to assess their non-legal needs and develop tailored support and safety plans based on informed decisions, ensuring children’s needs are also considered.
• Meet statutory obligations as Mandatory Reports in cases of women, children and young people at risk of harm.
• Maintain accurate and confidential case notes and records, ensuring they align with cultural protocols and confidentiality standards.
• Maintain regular phone contact with clients, including after court appearances and client interviews, to assist with any non-legal needs and to ensure clients feel connected to the service.
• Provide support to CAAFLU’s Specialist DFV Legal Practitioner including providing information to the Legal Practitioner of any issues, including cultural, that may affect client services, applications and outcomes.
• Identify and support/make appropriate client referrals where required, providing information and referrals to external service providers and community agencies where appropriate.
• Refer clients to ongoing culturally relevant supports, case management and programs to address safety counselling and other needs as appropriate.
• Gather feedback from clients about their experience with court support processes.
• Collect and analyse statistics and other information to create reports and documents as needed.
• Prepare reports for the team and CAAFLU management on services provided (including number of people supported, types of support given, referrals made), external communications, and attended meetings.

Administration Support

• Assist in responding and directing inquiries in a timely manner, as appropriate
• Undertake data entry into CAAFLU’s client Database, open and close files, maintain spreadsheets and other administrative tasks as required
• Ensure all client files are maintained to the highest standard including appropriate levels of client contact, communication, professional documentation, record keeping and storage.

Key Selection Criteria

Essential:

• Knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and communities and the issues affecting communities – including disproportionate rates of family violence and child protection involvement and the contributing underlying factors.
• Demonstrated ability to provide accessible and culturally sensitive support services to meet the needs of disadvantaged groups, particularly in relation to Aboriginal victim-survivors of family violence and those living in remote Aboriginal communities.
• Demonstrated capacity to assess, refer and manage casework, particularly in the areas of law related to family violence, including excellent written communications skills.
• Excellent oral communication and listening skills particularly the ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with Aboriginal people and with clients who have experienced trauma.
• Ability to work as a member of a small multi-disciplinary team as well as the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Good understanding of the organisation as a legal service.
• Demonstrated well developed time management skills and the ability to manage client matters and meet deadlines.
• Hold, or the ability to obtain, a current NT Driver’s License, NT Ochre Card as well as undertaking a National Police Check and passing Aboriginal Land Permit requirements.
• Qualifications in a relevant discipline eg. Social Work and/or demonstrated experience in a community legal centre or community service sector, particularly in family violence setting for one (1) or more years.

Desirable:

• Qualifications in a relevant discipline eg. Social Work and/or demonstrated experience in a community legal centre or community service sector, particularly in family violence setting for one (1) or more years.
• Experience working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
• Knowledge and understanding of the legal system in relation to Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.

How to Apply

Click 'Apply Now' to submit your current resume and cover letter. 

Contact

If you have any questions regarding job, feel free to reach out to us on [email protected] using the subject line: Specialist DFV Court Worker - Alice Springs enquiry via EthicalJobs.

A position description is attached.