• DURATION: Full time position, fixed term
• First Nations People, LGBTIQA+ people, people with disability, people of colour, public housing residents or people with a lived experience are encouraged to apply
• DS is committed to child safety and strictly adheres to the Reportable Conduct Scheme for organisations. The safeguarding and wellbeing of our clients is our core focus. All staff must undergo thorough recruitment process including screening and providing evidence of current Working With Children Check and National Police Check.

About the role

Drummond Street Services (DS) is a not-for-profit organisation that delivers responsive, intentional and evidence-based prevention, early intervention and treatment programs within a public health framework for a range of communities. Our focus is on a whole-of-family and intersectional lens, incorporating a trauma informed and strengths-based approach.

Led by DS, in partnership with CMY, the project will support young people from multicultural backgrounds who enact harm in a family setting, acknowledging that many of these young people are also victim survivors of family violence.

The program is being delivered across the north focussing on Inner city public housing and west growth corridors of Melbourne, based in Carlton and Wyndham. Our service will be intentionally positioned in each region to prioritise support to many of the multicultural/ multifaith young people and families that have knowledge of, and/or existing connections to our respective services but who frequently remain disconnected to support once the young person enacts harm or violence. This project will allow the work to be implemented through a place-based approach with a range of multifaith/multicultural communities and will require outreach services to communities.

The DS AVITH Practice lead (Multicultural Adolescent Family Violence In The Home) will provide a whole-of-family response when young people are causing harm or using violence in the home, recognising that many of these young people are also victims of family violence (FV). CMY AVITH Multicultural Youth workers will work alongside the DS AVITH Practice Lead, and Multicultural AVITH family practitioner offering differential support within a whole of family framework.

The AVITH Practice Lead will be skilled in the development and delivery of programs for those who have enacted harm and provide observation, feedback and debrief sessions for AVITH practitioners. They will collaborate with the Child and Families Team as well as all partner organisations and external stakeholders to ensure that services are integrated and supportive and that they provide equitable access to the program for people from diverse backgrounds. Staff will be supported by supervision models and collaborate with management to develop and review the multicultural AVITH framework.

This role will also work with management and the Centre for Research and Evaluation to progress and review the AVITH program alongside the development of an intersectional AVITH practice model with a multicultural/multifaith lens and make recommendations for future implementation of the practice model. The model will incorporate whole-of-family, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, intersectional and collaborative practice approaches.

Your responsibilities

• Using a therapeutic trauma informed model, informed by whole-of-family practice, ensure the provision of Integrated service response (ISR), Case Management, Whole of family Plans
• Provide ongoing individual, family, risk and safety assessments, case planning, therapeutic case management and counselling, case review, warm referrals to appropriate local services and relevant interventions for multicultural/multifaith young people using and experiencing family violence.
• Oversee initial risk and safety screening, ISR engagement with our Young people Family Violence Specialists, ensuring case coordination planning, linkage to and the provision of intensive case management support for higher risk cases.
• Undertake review of cases with the AVITH staff and case management meetings with in-scope service sectors
• Provide observation, feedback, and debrief sessions for group facilitators.
• Provide supervision to the AVITH Youth Family Violence Specialists and Multicultural AVITH practitioners to ensure an ISR and monitor protective, risk and safety factors.
• Liaise with internal and external services to maintain relevant links and networks to strengthen services for children and young people who have enacted harm in the home, and their families.
• Work collaboratively with project partners, CMY Multicultural youth workers and DS Child and Family Practitioners to deliver an integrated service, ensuring that individuals and families’ safety and freedom underpins all interventions.
• Liaise with internal and external services to maintain relevant links and networks to strengthen services for young people and their families.
• Liaise with legal services, police, Child Protection, and the Courts, as required.
• Provision of centre based and outreach services as appropriate across the north and west region of Melbourne.
• Facilitation of capacity building for Practitioners from the service and from partner organisations in the sector

About you

• Highly developed supervisory and leadership skills in complex family violence settings
• Highly developed interpersonal, oral and written skills.
• Highly developed administration and information technology skills
• Sound knowledge of public health approaches to mental health and well-being and the social determinants and impacts of family violence 
• Understanding of and experience in working within a therapeutic trauma counselling and recovery practice framework, preferably in AVITH.
• Family-aware and inclusive practice whilst holding risk and safety as paramount.
• Knowledge of local and regional services.
• Belong to multicultural communities, and/or other communities with whom DS assertively engages
• Cultural and diversity humility
• Must be eligible to work in Australia

Selection Criteria

All of the following must be addressed in your application to be considered.

Essential:

• Tertiary qualification in Social Work, Psychology or other allied health fields and further training in relation to family work with registration or eligibility for registration with a professional governing body such as AASW, AHPRA, APS.
• A minimum of four years’ experience in AVITH, mental health, AOD, refugee sectors or family services in a similar role.
• Demonstrated understanding of a gendered and intersectional analysis of family and intimate partner violence and the limitations and challenges it offers when working with women, people from CALD communities, refugees, transgender and gender diverse people who are enacting violence
• Demonstrated experience of working with families with complex needs such as AVITH, family violence, drug and alcohol and mental health issues
• Demonstrated capacity to work within integrated, collaborative and systemic approaches
• Demonstrated understanding of the needs, issues and sensitivities of people from diverse backgrounds including Aboriginal, LGBTIQA+ and culturally and linguistically diverse and multi-faith people and communities.
• Ability to supervise staff within an integrated service approach that centres the individual and their affected others
• The ability to handle pressured situations with resourcefulness, adaptability, and creative thinking.
• Demonstrated experience with providing supportive counselling and case work using a range of therapeutic approaches that supports individuals, families and communities with multiple and complex needs such as family violence, AOD issues. mental health.
• Demonstrated experience in working in collaboration with other organisations and multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated high level written, oral and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience in community engagement activities and group work
• A valid and current Victorian driver's licence and access to personal vehicle (role specific)

Application process

• All applications will be directed to our careers portal – Click the "Apply Now" button.
• All applicants must include a resume with a cover letter addressing all the key selection criteria for the position
• Suitable applicants that apply before the closing date will be offered an interview

Please contact Charlotte Bowden, People & Culture Advisor on [email protected] using the subject line: Practice Lead, AVITH - Multicultural Adolescent Violence in the Home enquiry via EthicalJobs to discuss your application.