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We are looking for compassionate people who share our mission and values, if you have the passion and drive to commit yourself to a challenging and rewarding role; we invite you to review our current vacancies.

ABOUT US

The Salvation Army is a Christian movement and one of Australia's largest and most-loved charities, helping thousands of Australians every year find hope in the midst of all kinds of personal hardship.

The Salvation Army offers the opportunity to use your professional skills and expertise to make a real difference in the lives of people who need help most.

The Salvation Army Australia's Homelessness Stream provides high quality, person-centred services to people at risk, and or experiencing homelessness. We support adults and families, including accompanying children with accommodation, case management, outreach support, financial assistance, connection and referral to other specialist services.

Our philosophy is that every person deserves dignity, respect and quality of service and that no one should be without a safe, affordable and secure home. Services are free, voluntary, accredited and delivered by professional and committed staff.

A core program within the Salvation Army Crisis Services Network, the Crisis Contact Centre (CCC) in St Kilda is a generalist service that offers a 24hr, Statewide crisis response to people of all ages. It is open for face-to-face assistance, on a drop-in basis, from 9am until 11pm every day of the year (inc public holidays) and offers a telephone-based response 24/7.

The CCC is a high-volume service that assists over 17,000 households a year, and while many are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, clients of the service present with a broad range of needs. Immediate assistance may include financial assistance for emergency housing, food vouchers and other material aid, information, advocacy and planning, as well as referral to specialist supports in relation to housing, family violence, alcohol and other drug use and mental health. We are currently recruiting for permanent part-time roles due to the increase in demand for our essential service.

The service provides clients with a team-based response to their support needs, and functions as a referral point to other support services within the Crisis Support Services and the broader Homelessness Service System (HSS).

The role

Casual positions are available to work as part of the Crisis Contact Centre (CCC) team to provide information, assessment and planning, practical assistance, referral and advocacy to people presenting with a wide range of urgent needs, including needs in relation to housing, financial crisis, health (including mental health and AOD use) and family violence.

Key responsibilities of this casual role include:

• Conduct client assessments within a crisis intervention framework.
• Allocate financial and material aid in a responsible manner.
• Telephone calls, faxes, emails and in-person queries are tended to and resolved where possible and referred when necessary.
• Model a professional work ethic - reliable, punctual, and flexible and participate in shift handovers.
• Share information with co-workers and management; be proactive in solving workplace issues and problems.
• Ensure that workloads are shared equitably among the team.
• Seek to work through conflict and reach an agreement by demonstrating good, clear communication.
• Support and backup other team members who are faced with difficult and challenging situations.
• Capacity to effectively assist clients to navigate a complex service system - this may involve the provision of information and advice or direct advocacy and negotiation with external services.
• Facilitate supported referrals for clients to specialist support services such as mental health, drug & alcohol, counselling and others, where necessary and appropriate

Reporting to the Program Manager this position is based at 29 Grey St, St Kilda.

Salary

Salary and conditions of employment are in accordance with Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010, Level 5.

Selection Criteria

• A demonstrated understanding of the issues associated with homelessness.
• A demonstrated commitment to the provision of accessible and flexible services to people with multiple and complex needs.
• A capacity to assess and make timely and appropriate decisions on the provision of information, options and resources with regard to individual situations and circumstances.
• Sound knowledge of the resources and services available in the community, especially those related to housing, health (inclusive of alcohol and other drug and psychiatric supports), family violence and income security.
• Well-developed client engagement skills.
• Well-developed interpersonal skills, both oral and written.
• Demonstrated ability to work within a team delivering a range of services and to be independent and autonomous where necessary
• Valid and current VIC driver's licence
• Working with Children's Check

Please briefly address the selection criteria in your cover letter as part of the application process.

The Salvation Army is subject to public health orders. You may be required to provide evidence of vaccine status dependent on requirements.

What we offer

• As a registered not for profit organisation, you may be eligible for generous tax-free salary packaging benefits
• Financial, retail and lifestyle discounts and benefits
• Employee Assistance Program - Independent confidential counselling service
• An inclusive culture of dedicated, passionate and professional team members

Contact Richard Elmer for a Position Description, or if you would like to discuss the role, at [email protected], using the subject line: Social Worker enquiry via EthicalJobs.

To submit your application, click Apply Now. 

The Salvation Army is an Equal Opportunity Employer who provides an inclusive work environment and embraces the diverse talent of its people. We value people of all cultures, languages, capacities, sexual orientations, gender identities and/or expressions. We are committed to achieving a diverse workforce and strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Salvation Army is a child safe organisation and is committed to protecting children and young people from harm. All child facing roles will require the successful completion of a Working with Children Check. Applicants for all roles require a mandatory National Police Check.

We value Integrity, Compassion, Respect, Diversity, and Collaboration.