POSITION DESCRIPTION

• Status: Full Time, Fixed term contract
• Classification: Social, Community, Homecare and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award
• Date of Review: 30 June 2029
• Location: Brisbane

Primary Purpose of Position

The Sexual Assault Worker primarily provides counselling and support for the women prisoners in Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre, Helena Jones Correctional Centre and Numinbah Correctional Centre who have experienced sexual violence. Most of the work is individual counselling, including working with many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women prisoners. The Worker is required to travel to prison sites regularly each week. Some group work with women prisoners may also be conducted (within the confines of the prison system).

This position is part of a suite of Sisters Inside (SIS) programs which collectively address domestic, family, sexual, systemic and other forms of violence against women and girls. In addition to this position, the SEQ based team is a team of 2 Sexual Assault Support Workers in community and 1 Anti-Violence Worker inside Gatton. In NQ, SIS employs a total of 4 workers to provide Anti-Violence and Violence Prevention programs, these positions are all funded by the Queensland Department of Justice & Attorney General (DJAG)

In all their duties, the Sexual Assault Worker is expected to work in accordance with the Mission; Values & Vision[1]; model of service[2]; and policies and procedures[3] of SIS.

Key responsibilities of Position

• Provide one-on-one crisis and longer-term counselling and support to women prisoners in SEQ prisons who have experienced violence.
• Use a customised, culturally informed, empowering approach with each woman according to her perception of the nature and complexity of her needs.
• Support women to address related issues arising from their imprisonment, including developing strategies to optimise their safety and wellbeing post-release.
• Liaise with appropriate service providers (e.g. prison staff, SIS workers, other organisations) on behalf of individual women.
• Participate in the planning and evaluation of the SIS Sexual Assault Program, to optimise service accessibility and appropriateness to the needs of women prisoners.
• Attend relevant community network meetings, professional supervision, team meetings, SIS Staff Meetings, SIS Inclusive Support Meetings and SIS Management Committee meetings as required.

• Record the data required by DJAG and SIS in an accurate and timely manner and provide written reports to the Program Manager (Decarceration, SEQ) as required.
• Other duties as directed.

Organisational Environment

Sisters Inside is an organisation developed and driven by formerly incarcerated women. It exists to advocate for the human rights of criminalised and imprisoned women and girls, and their children, and provides services in response to their unmet needs.

SIS is a particularly values-driven organisation. We are committed to involving criminalised women in all facets of the organisation. We are also committed to being culturally appropriate, employing Aboriginal workers and Torres Strait Islander workers whenever possible and maintaining strong linkages with First Nations Elders, organisations and communities.

As at June 2026 in addition to the CEO, SIS had 36 positions based in our Brisbane office and 18 positions based in Townsville. Our services are funded through various State, Commonwealth and Philanthropic funding programs. Sisters Inside is a versatile, powerful organisation. We both strategically advocate for the collective interests of women and girls in the legal system and provide services to address their more immediate needs. These roles function in a complementary manner - our service provision informs our social change work. The CEO, guided by the SIS Management Committee, is responsible for the systemic advocacy work of the organisation at a local, state, national and international level.

Reporting Relationships

• Position title of direct supervisor

The position reports directly to the Program Manager, SEQ). The Worker is also required to take the advice of the Senior First Nations Practitioner on matters relating to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.

• Titles of position that report to this position - None

• Other significant internal relationships

This position works particularly closely with SIS Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence workers (and often other SIS workers) in women’s and children’s prisons. It also maintains working relationships with all SEQ SIS workers, NQ anti-violence workers, student internees, volunteers and administrative staff.

Key Selection Criteria

KSC1 - Understanding of SIS’s Values and a commitment to working within the organisation’s Values, Vision, model of service, policies and procedures

KSC2 - Understanding of racial-gendered violence, and experience addressing sexual, domestic and/or family violence

KSC3 - Understanding of the nexus between violence and imprisonment amongst women, including the impact of imprisonment on women survivors of violence and the constraints on service delivery in a prison setting.

KSC4 - Substantial experience working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, and an understanding of the issues and needs of criminalized First Nations women and girls

KSC5 - Experience in one-on-one counselling based on a sound knowledge of at least one trauma-informed, culturally-competent therapeutic framework consistent with the SIS model of service and the needs of First Nations women and girls

KSC6 - Knowledge and experience in organising and conducting educational and/or therapeutic small groups

KSC7 - Ability to communicate effectively with a range of people (including criminalised women and girls, their dependents/families, non-government service providers and government authorities)

Essential Attributes

• Ability to work within a prison culture and environment, whilst remaining women-centred
• A strong sense of commitment
• Enthusiastic and receptive in interaction with women, girls and children
• Able to balance working within funding constraints, whilst remaining women-focused
• Advocacy, mediation, negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Sound problem solving skills (e.g. knowing when to seek direction and able to critically reflect on practice)
• Good time management skills (e.g. able to prioritise, plan, organise and manage competing demands)
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Sound word processing, email and data entry skills

Essential Requirements

• Significant lived experience relevant to working with criminalised women; experience working with criminalised or other highly disadvantaged and marginalised women/girls; and/or tertiary qualifications in the social or behavioural sciences.
• Holder of a current Queensland A Class Driver’s License

• Suitability Card from the Commission for Children and Young People (Queensland Blue Card)

Additional Information

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

This is a fixed term position which ends on 30 June 2029. It is hoped that SIS will continue to be funded to provide this service, however employment following the end of the current contract cannot be guaranteed.

The position is subject to a 6-month probationary period for new SIS staff and approval to enter women’s prisons (Yellow Card).

[1] At https://sistersinside.com.au/research-hub/research-library/sisters-inside-publications/values-service

[2]The Inclusive Support Model: A guide for new SIS workers at https://sistersinside.com.au/research-hub/research-library/sisters-inside-publications/values-service

[3] Detailed in the Sisters Inside Working Guide 2023

A position description is attached.