knowmore legal service is currently seeking  an experienced Social Worker Counsellor to join our organisation within the community legal sector. This is an opportunity for the right candidates to be part of a reputable organisation with fantastic career progression and professional development prospects. 

About knowmore

knowmore is a nation-wide, free and independent mainstream community legal centre providing legal information, advice, representation and referrals, education and systemic advocacy for victims and survivors of child abuse.

knowmore uses a multidisciplinary model bringing together Intake Officers, Lawyers, Social Workers and Counsellors, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Advisors and Financial Counsellors to provide trauma-informed, client-centred and culturally safe legal assistance to clients. Services are provided through a national phone, video link and face-to-face services in key locations, supported by a comprehensive program of outreach and community engagement across Australia. 

About the Role 

Being part of knowmore’s national Support Services Team, this role delivers frontline trauma-informed, person-centred and culturally safe services to clients. The key function of this role is to support clients in a trauma-informed way that minimises impacts of the legal process and helps them to understand the information, advice and options provided to them and in turn provide instructions to their lawyers.  

Duties and Responsibilities are including but not limited to:

• Providing crisis and short-term counselling and support for clients of knowmore through telephone and face to face services, responding to a high level of client requests in a timely and effective manner.
• Supporting clients within knowmore’s multidisciplinary teams and service delivery model, including working alongside lawyers, intake staff, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Advisors and administration staff.
• Providing information and supported referral assistance to clients to access other services that can assist them.
• Providing discipline-specific case consultation and support to co-workers within and external to knowmore for the purposes of supporting the well-being of clients and minimising the impacts of engagement with the service.
• Delivering outreach services where required which may include home visits and legal advice clinics. Outreach may involve intra and interstate travel and involves travelling with members of the multidisciplinary team, including at times to remote and regional communities.
• Delivering presentations including community education sessions about knowmore, information about the knowmore model and others as required.
• Representing knowmore at key external meetings and interagency and service coordination forums.
• Providing informal debriefing and situational support to co-workers as required to enhance awareness of wellbeing within a trauma-informed organisational framework.

Qualifications, Experience and Key Selection criteria 

• Tertiary qualification in Social Work, Psychology or Counselling including current membership with a relevant professional body.
• Five years or more relevant work experience, with a demonstrated commitment to excellence in counselling service provision.
• A well-developed understanding of institutional child sexual abuse, its impacts and current best practice approaches to working effectively with survivors.
• Experience working in trauma-informed, multidisciplinary services and teams.
• An understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples and, ideally experience in providing culturally safe services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients.
• Highly developed teamwork and stakeholder engagement skills including building successful referral relationships with other services.
• Experience in and willingness to work at a variety of off-site locations including external agencies, correctional centres, client home visits and outreach to other services.
• A high level of commitment to self-care, reflective practice and supervision.
• The ability and willingness to travel and having a current driver’s licence are highly regarded.

Location & Hours

• Location: Adelaide  
• Full time hours 
• Ongoing Contract - subject to the funding of the knowmore service.  

Benefits

A competitive salary commensurate with the not for profit sector is offered together with the availability of salary packaging to achieve a tax effective total salary package.  In addition to being a flexible workplace, knowmore offers 10% superannuation (0.5% above the SGC), a 37.5 -hour working week and 4 weeks annual leave, including annual leave loading.

Additionally, knowmore offers the ability to partially work from home to facilitate a balanced work life. 

How to apply

Further Information about knowmore is available at www.knowmore.org.au.

For more information and to discuss your specific queries, please contact Rory Maloney, Support and Trauma Informed Practice Manager, on 02 8267 7400.

If this sounds like an opportunity you would be interested, please “apply now”.

The role will be required to satisfactorily complete a National Police Records Check and a Working with Children Check.

Agencies please note: This recruitment assignment is being managed directly by knowmore. We do not require extra assistance at this time.