• Temporary 12 month contract

About Us:

The Women’s Centre is a not-for-profit service offering a range of supports to women and their children in Townsville and outreach to the local region. Outreach areas include Ingham, Ayr, Charters Towers and The Townsville Women’s Correctional Facility. The Women’s Centre is a women’s only space incorporating the following services; Specialist Homelessness Service, Women's Health and Wellbeing Service, Sexual Assault Support Service, and a 24hour interagency Sexual Assault Response Service.

About You:

• Tertiary qualification in Social Sciences/Social Work degree and relevant employment history and experience.

Essential Registrations:

• Current Working with Children Blue Card.
• Current valid Queensland, Open, C class driving licence.
• Right to Work (Australian/New Zealand passport; Australian/New Zealand Birth Certificate or Citizenship Certificate or International Passport & Visa)

Position Summary:

To provide women centred, trauma informed counselling, holistic wrap around support and casework support on social health issues. Organise appropriate group activities, advocacy and support covering the priority health areas.

To provide a range of interventions to survivors of sexual assault and to women who wish to receive counselling, therapeutic group-work, advocacy and support.

Provide on call 24-hour Sexual Assault Support Service (SASS) as part of a first responder to Sexual Assault as part of the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART).

Provide timely crisis and hollistic wrap around support and trauma informed counselling to women who present on Daily Support Service or who are referred to The Women's Centre.

Key Requirements:

• Previous experience in the Sexual Assault Support field, Women’s Health field, counselling or related areas.
• Knowledge and experience incorporating a feminist analysis of violence and sexual violence against women.
• Abilities to provide information and referral, crisis and ongoing counselling, with clear frameworks and theoretical knowledge.
• Knowledge and experience in relation to sexual assault support work.
• Demonstrated high levels of verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to work with women from diverse cultural backgrounds, and/or access services which would assist women particularly those who are disadvantaged.
• Ability to work with women from Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Island descent.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in community education and training.

Job Responsibility:

Organisation

The North Queensland Combined Women's Services Inc (NQCWS) known as The Women’s Centre operates from a broad feminist perspective and is welcoming of all women. The Women’s Centre recognises that the sociopolitical environment has a direct influence on the experience of women in society; and further considers the intersections of power and privilege and how this shapes the diverse experiences of women and their access to opportunities and resources. The Women’s Centre embraces a strong commitment to social and political change to support the safety and wellbeing of all women.

The Women's Centre offers a Specialist Homelessness Service, a Women’s Health Service and the Townsville Sexual Assault Support Service which is a key partner within the Sexual Assault Response Team – Townsville Region. The Women's Centre provides trauma and violence informed therapeutic counselling, crisis support, holistic and practical case management support, advocacy, information and referrals to other appropriate services and therapeutic and social inclusion groups. Services offered may be centre based, mobile, outreach and/or co-located in other locations as appropriate.

The Women’s Centre aims to promote meaningful personal, social and political change by validating women's experiences, advocating for women's rights and working towards the prevention of gendered violence through awareness raising, community education and social action.

• Following training employees will be required to participate in the after-hours Sexual Assault Response Team.
• Employees also may be required on occasion to work outside ordinary hours.

Accountability

• The worker is accountable to the NQCWS Chief Executive Officer, Team Leader Counselling and through her to Management Committee, to the Staff team, and to service users.

Responsibilities

• To work towards achieving the objectives of NQCWS.
• To demonstrate an understanding and commitment to social justice, The Women's Centre values of integrity, respect, feminism, compassion, inclusivity and accountability to embody and foster an environment dedicated to the celebration and promotion of feminist principles.
• To meet the requirements of the service agreement with the Department of Justice and Attorney-General.
• To provide leadership to the team that will facilitate and contribute to the health and well-being of women within the target group and the safety and support of victims of Sexual Assault.
• On a day-to-day basis provide direction and guidance related to counselling sexual assault survivors.
• Be aware of personal safety and stress levels within self and others.

Target Group

• For wellbeing counselling to women and young women 15 years and above. Sexual Assault Support is to women and young women 12 years and above whom have experienced sexual assault or abuse. Acute response is provided to all people in response to Sexual Assault including young people.

Service Provision

• Service Delivery will be mostly centre-based and outreach. Community education will be at the most appropriate venue. Services will be provided in a safe and timely manner.

Duties

• Provide support and counselling (ongoing and crisis) women for social health issues covering the priority health areas and to survivors of sexual assault and their supporters.
• Provide holistic trauma informed crisis intervention, support and counselling placing women at the centre, responding holistically with a feminist lens to women who present to TWC. Including but not limited too holistic wrap around support for accommodation (emergency and or sustaining accommodation), safety planning, referrals, high level advocacy and liaison with services for outcomes that are women centered and focused on providing a safe space and quality support to all women.
• Provide culturally safe support and counselling to First Nations women. Understand unique and ongoing barriers that First Nations women experience.
• Provide culturally safe support and counselling to women who experience intersectionality, CALD, women who live with a disability or who identify as LGBTQIA+.
• Develop and implement groups for sexual assault survivors and their supporters.
• Develop/ implement and maintain personal development, health and well-being and other therapeutic groups to meet the needs of women in the Townsville area.
• Liaise and work with other organisations to be more responsive to the needs of survivors of sexual assault including the police, the medical profession and appropriate services. Facilitate other health services to provide clinics at The Women’s Centre to increase access to those services.
• Liaise with the appropriate health and human service organisations with and on behalf of service users.
• Provide appropriate referrals to, and advocate for women, particularly within both the medical and legal systems.
• Participate in a 24 hour on-call response to support sexual assault victims.
• Contribute to the reception and daily support of the service, providing counselling, information and referral to individual women and to other service providers.
• Support other women based services or projects as appropriate e.g. Women's Legal Service.

Administration

• In consultation with the Service Delivery Coordinator and/ or Counselling Team Leader, plan work schedules for efficient use of time and resources.
• Use current case management system (SRS)
• Record and collate monthly statistics for organisational purposes.
• Assist in providing case study data and statistics for the purpose of project work or reports.
• Organise workload effectively to include preparation and follow up time.
• Participate in Professional Development, Staff Training and Supervision
• To participate with the CEO, other staff and management in Women's Centre meetings, policy formulation and the planning of future directions of the Service.

Community Education - Partnerships and Collaboration

• Provide community education/training on relevant women’s health matters, including Sexual Assault to provide a range of education and awareness opportunities to organisations and educational institutions including Police, Health and Welfare Professionals, Schools, University.
• Sexual Assault Partnership development through community and organisational engagement.
• Improve referral pathways for women by strategically working with health and social service organisations such as Health, Police, City Council, Victims Assist and others.
• In conjunction with other staff, identify and facilitate social action responses which may include International Women's Day, Reclaim the Night and Sexual Violence Awareness Month.
• With other Sexual Assault Support Workers, maintain active involvement and current membership of Sexual Assault Response Team and the Sexual Assault Strategic Partnership Group
• Participate in peak body networks and forums in consultation with the Senior Counsellor and/or Coordinator.
• Promote a social justice ethic within the medical system and in society generally.

Sexual Assault Response Team

• In collaboration with partners in the Townsville Sexual Assault Response Team, participate to provide 24 hour on-call crisis care services for recent victim/survivors.
• Provision of specialist critical incident sexual assault support and information regarding victim/survivors rights and options with legal and medical issues in a trauma violence informed framework.
• Preserve the integrity of client confidentiality in accordance with the victim centred best practice model of the Townsville Sexual Assault Response Team, and share information as necessary to facilitate the collaborative partnership
• Liaison and consultation with other professionals, including, Queensland Police Service (QPS), Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), Homelessness Services, Mental Health Services, Courts, Medical Services and Victim Assist Queensland (VAQ)
• Employees are on a roster for after-hours support to victims of sexual assault.

Award Classification

• Commensurate with experience under the SCHCADS Award – Level 4

Responsible to

• Team Leader Counselling

It is a genuine occupational requirement of this position that it be filled by a woman as permitted by, and arguable under Sections 25, 104 and 105 of The Anti-Discrimination Act 1991. First Nations women are encouraged to apply.

Next Steps

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