• Sydney based 
• Permanent, full time with part time considered 
• $82,616.75 - $90,945.06 (pro rata for part time)
• Supervised by the Financial Abuse Service, Managing Solicitor  

Redfern Legal Centre 

Redfern Legal Centre is a non-profit community legal centre that promotes social justice and creates change.  We provide free legal advice, legal services and education to people experiencing disadvantage in New South Wales.  We drive innovation and change through policy and law reform work to address inequalities in the legal system, policies and social practices that cause disadvantage. 

We provide effective and integrated free legal services that are client focused, collaborative, non-discriminatory and responsive to changing community needs - to our local community as well as state-wide.  Our specialist legal services focus on tenancy, credit, debt and consumer law, financial abuse, employment law, international students, First Nations justice, police accountability, and provide outreach services including through our health justice partnership.   

Position Overview 

Redfern Legal Centre’s Financial Abuse Service (FAS) is a statewide service that provides trauma informed legal, social work and financial counselling assistance to victim survivors who have experienced financial abuse from an intimate partner.  The integrated service comprises of credit and debt law solicitors, a financial counsellor, family law solicitors, a company and tax law solicitor, social workers and a collaboration with another CLC for immigration law services. This specialist, cross-jurisdictional, and integrated approach provides holistic support to our clients, increasing their safety and wellbeing and leading to financial independence and empowerment.  

FAS also coordinates the Economic Abuse Reference Group (EARG), a network of Australian community organisations which influences government and industry responses to the financial impact of domestic and family violence. Our members include domestic and family violence services, community legal services and financial counselling services.  

The FAS intake and administration officer will provide client intake and administrative services to support the service. This may include, but is not limited to, triage and trauma informed needs assessment, intake and referrals, processing legal documentation, filing court documents, preparing correspondence, liaising with various stakeholders and the public; and other tasks to support the effective and efficient operation of the Financial Abuse Service NSW.   

This position will work collaboratively with social workers, a financial counsellor and specialist lawyers (family law, consumer credit and debt law, corporations law, tax law and immigration law) in an integrated model to assist people across New South Wales by telephone, teleconferencing, email and in person.  

Position Responsibilities 

• Provide trauma informed triage, intake, needs assessment and referrals to people who contact the Financial Abuse Service NSW via phone, email and webform. 

• Apply eligibility criteria, provide simple and facilitated referrals, conduct conflict checks, book interpreters, book and manage client appointments, and ensure crucial information for client intake and administrative is collected and recorded accurately.  
• Ensure that intake is conducted in a culturally safe and welcoming environment for clients and referees. 
• Establish and maintain positive relationships with stakeholders such as referring agencies and other legal and non-legal support services, including promoting the service and referral pathways. 
• Provide clerical, secretarial and administrative services as directed, including assisting with client file management within Actionstep and filing of court documents. 
• Assist with the administration of the service’s legal advice clinics, including liaising with volunteers and stakeholders regarding appointment schedules, access to documents and IT systems, and conflict checks. 
• Attend team and external meetings, as required.  
• Help to create and update forms, newsletters, information sheets, leaflets, manuals and other resources for the service. 
• Provide training to staff and volunteers on the client intake and administrative policies, procedures and IT systems of the Financial Abuse Service NSW.  
• Contribute to Redfern Legal Centre through attendance at staff meetings, contribution to board and funding reports, assistance with intake including intake supervision shifts, and contribution to the effective implementation of our Reconciliation Action Plan.

Knowledge, skills and experience 

Essential 

1. Demonstrated ability to provide trauma-informed, effective and efficient intake services to clients with complex needs in challenging situations, in particular people who have experienced domestic violence.  
2. Good written and verbal communication skills, ideally demonstrated in a front-line service delivery role, including the ability to communicate complex information in a practical, accurate and accessible way to clients in difficult situations.  
3. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, with a high degree of initiative and autonomy, and time management skills. 

Desirable 

1. Knowledge of Australian law and legal systems. 
2. Experience working in a legal practice or community legal centre 
3. Experience in developing processes and systems for a workplace. 
4. Experience working with First Nations clients and/or culturally and linguistically diverse clients, and a commitment to culturally safe practice. 

Conditions 

Salary and benefits: $82,616.75 - $90,945.06 (pro rata for part time) depending on qualifications and experience. Superannuation and annual leave loading are paid in addition.

As a Public Benevolent Institution, Redfern Legal Centre offers generous salary packaging options. The tax savings for a staff member choosing to take full advantage of the salary packaging option mean that their take home salary may be increased by up to $6,000 per annum. 

Redfern Legal Centre is a diverse, culturally safe and inclusive workplace. Our enterprise agreement offers a 35-hour working week, time in lieu options, and a paid end-of-year closure of two weeks (including public holidays) on top of four weeks' annual leave.  

We prioritise staff wellbeing through external debrief supervision, a generous training and professional development budget and flexible working conditions. 

Applications 

Redfern Legal Centre is a diverse and inclusive workplace. We strongly encourage applications from First Nations applicants, people from diverse cultural backgrounds and people with disability. 

Your application should be no more than six pages long, and must include: 

• a cover letter,  
• your resume; and  
• must include a statement addressing the Knowledge Skills and Experience criteria in the position description. 

Only applications that include a cover letter, resume and responses to the selection criteria will be considered. Please submit your application via Employment Hero. 

Non-lawyers employed by Redfern Legal Centre are required to comply with s 121 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law.  

Enquiries should be directed to Catherine Hewett, Chief Operations Officer, at [email protected] using the subject line: Intake and Admin Officer - Financial Abuse Service enquiry via EthicalJobs.