Family Violence Senior Practitioner – Alexis Response Model – Sommerville/Hastings

Overview

The Alexis Family Violence Response Model (A-FVRM) aims to reduce family violence for women and children and to achieve responsibility and accountability amongst FV offenders. The A-FVRM also seeks to reduce secondary victimisation and decrease the incidence of family violence through interagency cooperation and collaboration.

This aim is achieved by providing a coordinated cross sectorial, multi-agency integrated response to victim survivors who are having repeated contact with Police and services due to family violence. In this manner, the A-FVRM aims to identify and respond to family violence as soon as possible after an incident. Furthermore, the A-FVRM provides a whole of family response that works towards reducing risk to women and children and holding perpetrators of family violence to account. The Family Violence Senior Practitioner will be embedded within the Somerville Family Violence Investigation Unit.

This position will provide a specialist response to repeat and chronic issues of family violence, as identified through police L17s from within police Division 4 or identified by the Family Violence Investigation Unit. The Senior Practitioner will have an understanding of compounding issues and complexities of family violence including mental health, drug and alcohol, identification of child abuse and/or neglect, housing insecurity etc. and will understand the referral pathways into appropriate services. The role involves adopting a holistic approach to addressing family violence, including liaising, and coordinating family violence responses with the Alexis Respondent (Men’s) Worker.

This role involves providing assertive outreach support to victim survivors while applying the MARAM framework, strength-based theory, trauma-informed theory and intersectionality theory amongst others.

Due to the nature of this role, there will be a requirement to work flexible hours as required.

Responsibilities

·         Completing joint outreach visits with police to engage with victim survivors including children.

·         Deliver high quality assertive outreach case management services to women and children who have experienced or are experiencing family violence through trauma informed, systems and developmental frameworks.

·         Facilitate a multi-disciplinary team approach, providing a collaborative and holistic response for women and young people impacted by family violence, working towards identified goals.

·         Work within the MARAM framework and the FVISS/CISS information sharing scheme.

·         Demonstrate a commitment to the Child Safe Standards.

·         Understand the impact of family violence on families and provide a trauma-informed response.

·         Undertake MARAM comprehensive risk assessment, needs assessment, safety planning and case planning with women and children.

·         Facilitate financial independence and access brokerage as required.

·         Work in partnership with families to develop and regularly review individual case and safety plans, ensuring clients are actively engaged in all decision making and planning.

·         Coordination and liaising with external services/stakeholders regarding risk assessment and risk management.

·         Coordinate referrals for support and liaise with specialist services as required.

·         Working alongside the Alexis Respondent (Men’s) Worker and providing joint case coordination for victim survivors including children and holding perpetrators accountable.

·         Provide family violence consults to external stakeholders including referral consultation.

·         Participate in meetings as required, including team meetings and care team meetings.

·         Managing high risk cases including referrals to the high-risk panel.

·         Prepare reports and other written documentation such as minutes, housing, and funding applications, correspondence etc to meet professional standards.

·         Perform other duties as required

Qualifications and Experience

• A degree level qualification in Social Work, Psychology, or a related discipline is essential as well as significant experience in direct family violence case management in accordance with REC 209
• Demonstrated understanding of family violence principles including risk assessment and safety planning, including the ability to assess and respond to the risk and impact of family violence, neglect and abuse of child victim survivors
• Demonstrated ability to pro-actively engage victim survivors of family violence who have barriers to engaging with, and/or are reluctant to engage with support services
• Demonstrated professional work ethic with proven ability to be reliable, punctual and flexible
• Demonstrated experience in managing complex presentations, case planning and development including the provision of crisis responses
• Ability to keep accurate, contemporaneous records, file notes and electronic records in accordance with Good Shepherd policy and DFFH standards
• Ability to build positive and effective relationships with key stakeholders
• Demonstrated capacity to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team and to adapt to dynamic sector reforms
• Demonstrated ability to manage time and competing priorities, to take initiative, exercise sound professional judgment and to work independently
• Capacity to work flexible hours if needed
• A satisfactory Police Check including any additional security checks required for a position located within the Victoria Police Somerville Police Complex
• A Victorian Driving Licence
• A current Employee Working with Children’s Check (WWCC)
• Evidence of Covid-19 vaccination, or medical exemption

Minimum Mandatory Qualifications Requirements

The minimum mandatory qualifications requirements are in place in Victoria and have been since the 1st of July 2021. These are available on https://www.vic.gov.au/mandatory-minimum-qualifications-specialist-family-violence-practitioners

All candidates wishing to apply for this role must be able to demonstrate that they:

1.         are considered EXEMPT under the policy

OR

2.       hold a Bachelor of Social Work or other equivalent qualification

OR

3.       have minimum 5 years relevant professional experience, OR a related qualification as per the mandatory minimum qualification requirements.

OR

4.       hold significant cultural knowledge and experience or lived experience, and have faced barriers to educational pathways

Please note that candidates wishing to enter the specialist family violence workforce via a related qualification or 5 years related professional experience pathway, OR the significant cultural knowledge  and experience or lived experience pathways will be required to work towards an equivalent qualification within specified timeframes (as per the mandatory minimum qualifications policy). If you believe these pathways may apply to you and would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contac recruitment@goodshep.org.au to discuss this further.

Position Description