• Casual
• Hourly rate $46.70 + Casual Loading + Superannuation + Generous salary packaging options to reduce your cohealth taxable income
• Work for a multi-award-winning iconic community health organisation

So why cohealth?

cohealth leads the way in reducing health and social inequity in partnership with people and the communities in which they live. Named Premier's Health Service of the Year (Primary) and the Supporting LGBTIQ+ Health Service at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards, cohealth's 1000 staff demonstrate courage, leadership, innovation, and agility in their commitment to providing inclusive and culturally safe health services that protect the human rights of all people of all gender identities, sexualities, ages, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, faiths, and abilities.

Our inclusive workplace culture enables staff to bring their whole selves to work, where uniqueness is valued, and people experience a feeling of belonging. Our aim is for everyone to thrive in their role. Please click here to find out more.

About the role

The Needle and Syringe Program (NSP)/ Community Development Worker provides onsite and outreach harm reduction services to individuals and groups in the west and the north.

The purpose of this role is to improve the health and wellbeing of People who use drugs, engaging the community within an interdisciplinary team.

This position is based in Collingwood and Footscray.

Please refer to the Position Description (also attached below) to know more about the role.

Your duties include:

• Operate NSP outreach at nights, providing responsive access to equipment and education, and provide day-time assertive outreach to engage with service users
• Provide harm reduction education, advocacy, referral, needles/syringes and other injecting and disposal equipment to service users to support safer using and disposal
• Work collaboratively with service users, carers, clinicians and other community services to deliver high quality care outcomes
• Participate in program activities to ensure the provision of a high quality, flexible, integrated, and responsive service

What cohealth offers:

• Exciting Parental leave benefits
  • cohealth offers primary carers 14 weeks paid parental leave upon completion of only 6 months of continuous service
  • Eligible co-workers will continue to receive superannuation on unpaid parental leave as well
• Salary packaging to suit you - tax free amount of up to $15,900 p.a (mortgage, rent, or credit cards) and a further $2,650 p.a (meal, entertainment expenses and holiday accommodation) alongside generous reward programs from our salary packaging providers. Find out more on salary packaging here: https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Jobs-and-employment-types/Working-as-an-employee/Salary-sacrificing-for-employees/
• Novated Leasing available
• A significantly discounted fitness membership with unlimited access to over 290 facilities for you and your family. To find out more click here
• Counselling services for you and your immediate family through our EAP-Access provider, and mindfulness, resilience, and wellbeing programs
• We offer inclusion, equality, and opportunity in a workplace where making a difference counts (based on our guiding principles and values)

Our ideal candidate:

• Tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline, Certificate IV or higher with minimum two years relevant work experience.  Lived experience will be highly regarded
• Capacity to engage and assess client need to provide appropriate information and referrals about/to health and other community services 
• Sound knowledge of the health and social issues for people who use drugs
• Demonstrated understanding of harm reduction as it applies to people who use drugs (PWUD), including the transmission and prevention of blood borne viruses

Application Process

We will be conducting interviews for this role as applications are received.

If you have any questions regarding this role, please contact Scott Withy [email protected] using the subject line: Alcohol & Other Drugs - NSP Community Development Worker - Collingwood / Footscray enquiry via EthicalJobs.

All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC), a Working with Children Check (WWCC), complete a Pre-Employment Declaration Form, evidence of legal rights to work in Australia, and evidence of vaccination.

Successful applicants will be required to provide evidence of immunisation assessment including Influenza within 12 weeks of commencement (B). This is in accordance with the Victorian Minister of Health Mandatory Vaccination Orders and legislated requirement for influenza vaccination.