An opportunity for a male Engagement Advisor has become available in our Client and Support Services team to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients receive legal advice in a culturally safe and respectful way. 

About knowmore 

knowmore is a nation-wide, free and independent community legal centre providing legal information, advice, representation and referrals, education and systemic advocacy for victims and survivors of child abuse. Our vision is a community that is accountable to survivors and free of child abuse. Our mission is to facilitate access to justice for victims and survivors of child abuse, and to work with survivors and their supporters to stop child abuse.

Our service was initially established in 2013 to assist people who were engaging with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (‘the Royal Commission’). knowmore was established by and operates as a program of the National Association of Community Legal Centre’s (NACLC), with funding from the Australian Government, represented by the Attorney-General’s Department. knowmore also receives funding under a grant from the Financial Counselling Foundation.

From 1 July 2018 NACLC has been funded to operate knowmore to deliver legal support services to assist survivors of institutional child sexual abuse to access redress under the National Redress Scheme. knowmore assists survivors by providing information and advice about the options available to them, including claims under the NRS, access to compensation through other schemes or common law rights and claims.

knowmore uses a multidisciplinary model bringing together intake officers, lawyers, social workers and counsellors, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement advisors and financial counsellors to provide trauma-informed, client-centred and culturally safe legal assistance to clients. Services are provided through a national phone line and face-to-face services in key locations, supported by a comprehensive program of outreach and community engagement across Australia. knowmore currently has offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The Role 

The main purpose of this role is to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients of knowmore to receive legal assistance, working closely with other multi-disciplinary team members to deliver services in a culturally safe and respectful manner.

This role reports directly to the Manager, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Team, who has inclusive responsibility for the day to day management, activities and practices of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander Engagement Team across knowmore.

This role delivers front line services and case management as part of knowmore’s multi-disciplinary model. The role will also participate in projects and activities involving internal and external stakeholders from time to time, including community education activities and initiatives to achieve systemic reforms for the benefit of knowmore’s client group.

Guided by the organisation’s service plan, the role will involve regular intrastate, and some interstate travel (for up to a week at a time), including regular visits to urban, regional and remote areas of Australia to deliver services to clients on an outreach basis and to undertake community engagement activities. Accordingly, a current driver’s licence is highly desired, along with the ability and willingness to travel, including to remote communities for up to a week at a time.

This is an identified position to be appointed the individual must be a male

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person who identifies and is recognised as such within their community. To be appointed to the role, an applicant will also need to comply with the requirements of any applicable legislation relating to legal practice (i.e. not be a person disqualified from employment by a legal practice) and will also need to meet the entry requirements for professional visitors to correctional centres across Australia.

Selection Criteria

• Sound knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures inclusive of values, protocols and any other issues relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, in both urban, rural and remote areas of Australia.

• Strong commitment to social justice and to meeting the legal, Cultural and related needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the diverse Cultures that exist across Australia.
• Demonstrated experience working in a court support or legal services access, or similar role
• Demonstrated skills in communicating, consulting and negotiating with individuals and groups within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and government agencies across Australia on complex and sensitive issues in a trauma informed manner.
• Sound communication skills, coupled with a strong understanding of Cultural context, and the ability to adapt to a variety of audiences.
• A demonstrated capacity to self-manage, including being able to work effectively with other disciplines in a multi-disciplinary team and deliver quality work to meet deadlines.
• Ability and willingness to travel and work interstate, as/if required for periods.
• Actively manage own workload and proactively manage self-care.

Location

These roles can be based in Perth. With a national focus, regular interstate travel will be required. 

knowmore considers that being an Aboriginal person or a Torres Strait Islander is a genuine occupational requirement for this position under s42 of the Discrimination Act 1991 (ACT), s14 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW), sub-s 35(1)(b)(ii) of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1996 (NT), s25 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld), sub-s 56(2) of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (SA), s41 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 (Tas), sub-s 26(3) or s28 of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic), or s50 of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (WA).