• Homeless Persons Health Access Project
• 76 hours per fortnight (1.0 FTE) Negotiable
• 6 months- Fixed Term

The Position

The Homeless Persons Health Access Project is designed to pilot and inform a contemporary approach to supporting access to primary care services for those who are homeless or are at risk of being homeless. An action research approach will be taken to identifying service and systems gaps/barriers to accessing primary health care for those at risk or experiencing homelessness while working to address the barriers and improve service integration across the City of Greater Bendigo. The project will utilise emerging evidence from similar projects to inform the model development.

The team will develop a support model that encapsulates site based and outreach service delivery and primary care supports. Linkages to GPs, nurse practitioners and other allied health professions, along with a broad range of wellbeing support services, will facilitate increased community engagement with a view to positively impacting all aspects of health and wellbeing.

The Homeless Persons Health Access Project Community Connections Worker will work with community members, their families and a broad range of health and social wellbeing professionals to improve service access and reduce service refusals. As well as building the target groups capacity to access health care and have their needs assessed and responded to, the project is also designed to support primary care practitioners and other frontline staff to build understanding and capacity to connect with members of the project community.

The successful candidate will be good at building rapport with community often quickly rejected at the point of access. Patience, understanding and a deep understanding of trauma are also important to the role. As a pilot project the team will be building up evidence of enablers and barriers to health access models that improve people’s lives.

About BCHS

Bendigo Community Health Services has cared for the health and wellbeing of the Bendigo community for 50 years. We employ more than 280 people across a broad range of services.

The success of BCHS starts with our staff, who have a high level of professionalism and dedication, allowing us to deliver quality services for the community, with a particular focus on vulnerable people.

Added benefits of working with BCHS include:

• Salary packaging
• Purchasing leave
• Study assistance
• Training programs
• Novated leasing

To successfully apply for this position you will need:

Essential

1. Qualifications in social work, community development or relevant discipline.
2. Experience working with people with complex needs, with specialist knowledge in either homelessness, mental health and/or drug and alcohol responses.
3. Experience applying community development processes to engage with communities, building relationships and community capacity.
4. Demonstrated ability to work in an integrated way with a number of key stakeholders.
5. Demonstrated experience facilitating training and creating professional development opportunities.
6. Applied working knowledge of trauma informed practice.
7. Experience in, or understanding, of primary care service delivery.
8. Commitment to the organisational values of Bendigo Community Health Services.
9. A current employee Working with Children Check and Driver’s Licence.
10. The successful applicant will also be required to undertake and complete a Satisfactory National Police Check.

Desirable

1. Understanding of Medicare Benefits Scheme

For further information about the position contact Dale Hardy on 0405 992 656.

To view the position description please go to https://www.bchs.com.au/careers/current-jobs

Applications addressing the Key Selection Criteria should be submitted via the "Apply Now" button.

Applications will be acknowledged upon receipt. Applicants are requested to contact Human Resources on telephone 5406 1312 if an automatic acknowledgement has not been received.

Bendigo Community Health Services encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds and abilities.

A position description is attached.