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Vixen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Project Worker

Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association
  • Part-time (0.4 EFT- 15 hrs/week)
  • 6 month contract

ORGANISATION DESCRIPTION

Vixen is Victoria’s peer-only sex worker organisation, and member of Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association. Vixen promotes the cultural, legal, human, occupational, and civil rights of all sex workers, and has been leading the Victorian campaign for the full decriminalisation of sex work for many years.

Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association, the peak national body representing sex workers and sex worker organisations in Australia will auspice Vixen and support Vixen’s transition to operate as an autonomous sex worker organisation.

ORGANISATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

This position is responsible to the Vixen Coordinator, the Vixen Manager and the Scarlet Alliance Chief Executive Officer.

This position may be responsible for supervision, training, and mentoring of staff and/or volunteers at Vixen.

RESPONSIBILITIES

All duties conducted are to be guided by Scarlet Alliance’s Purposes and Principal Activity.

The Vixen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Project Worker will be working directly with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers by providing culturally appropriate peer education, support, advocacy and referral services. Services are provided both on-site and on outreach whilst maintaining the organisation’s core values.

Responsibilities will include:

  • Providing holistic support, information and peer education about safer sex practices within a health promotion framework, including information on best practice occupational health and safety practices for sex workers and our workplaces.
  • Providing peer education, support, information, training, advocacy and referral services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers on issues that affect them including but not limited to: health, legal, taxation, finance, employment, sexuality and identity, rights, and safer injecting.
  • Developing community engagement and development strategies to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers to represent their issues, ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers are involved at all levels of policy development, program planning and implementation, and to promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex worker input into Vixen.
  • Ensuring the availability of a range of culturally appropriate, translated, written, visual, and electronic resources for use with sex workers by contributing to the development of new resources and, where appropriate, updating and modifying existing resources.
  • Participating in the direct sale and distribution of a variety of safer sex products to sex workers, other sex industry participants and other members of the community.
  • Developing and implementing an outreach program, reflecting the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers in Victoria, including maintaining regular contact through outreach.
  • Developing, monitoring and reporting on work plans and personal development plans.
  • Providing strong leadership, advocacy and representation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers in Victoria. This may include representing Vixen on committees or other forums and to other relevant organisations in the HIV sector and in the wider community as well as contributing to the development, policy, planning and evaluation of the broader Vixen program.
  • Consulting and liaising with other organisations, groups and services that have contact with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers with a view to coordinating HIV, sexual health and support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers.
  • Developing and maintaining effective data collection and record-keeping practices.
  • Contributing to national sex worker affairs via participation in Scarlet Alliance networking activities.
  • Ensuring work practices comply with the requirements of the relevant legislation and WH&S policies and procedures including Scarlet Alliance’s Child Protection Policy.
  • Conducting other duties as directed.

POSITION LOCATION

The position is based at the Vixen office in North Melbourne, with regular outreach to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers.

SALARY & CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT

Sex work experience is an essential criterion; to submit an application all selection criteria must be addressed.

This is a 6 month part-time position offered subject to ongoing funding or organisational change.

This is a part-time position 0.4 EFT (15 hours/week) paid at the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 Level 4.1, ($37.54 per hour, 0.4 pro rata of $74,179.04 per annum) and subject to the National Employment Standards. Salary packaging is available.

The position at times requires significant out-of-hours work consistent with responsibilities. Some inter/intrastate travel may be required.

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA (Qualifications, Experience, Skills and Abilities):

Essential

  1. Sex work experience and a demonstrated understanding of sex worker issues, the principles of human rights, and sex worker rights.
  2. Personal experience of issues that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers.
  3. Demonstrated understanding and knowledge of the current issues related to the diversity of sex worker populations in Victoria, and a high level understanding of the current issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers in Victoria.
  4. Demonstrated knowledge of relevant theory and practice as it relates to health promotion approaches and HIV prevention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers, including community development, peer education, enabling environments and harm reduction.
  5. Demonstrated experience or ability to identify, assess and meet resource and information needs.
  6. Commitment to promoting sex worker empowerment, community ownership, sex worker representation and self-determination as key health promotion approaches.
  7. Effective oral and written communication skills; organisational, time-management and reporting skills.
  8. Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision and cooperatively within a team.
  9. Demonstrated cross-cultural skills and knowledge and demonstrated knowledge of culturally appropriate work practices.
  10. Ability to develop and foster networks and collaborate with a range of stakeholders.
  11. A desire and willingness to work with other sex workers, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people who inject drugs, trans and gender diverse people, and people living with HIV.
  12. Current driver licence.

Desirable (but not essential)

  1. Experience in a community-based organisation and in working with volunteers.

Note: This Position Description includes an attached copy of Scarlet Alliance’s Purposes and Principal Activity.

MISSION STATEMENT

Through its objectives, policies and programs, Scarlet Alliance works to advance Sex Worker Rights with the achievement of equality and social, legal, political, cultural health and economic justice for past and present workers in the sex industry to enable sex workers to be self-determining agents, build our own alliances and choose where and how we live and work. The membership as a whole are the highest decision-making body of Scarlet Alliance.

Scarlet Alliance’s purposes and principal activity

Scarlet Alliance’s purposes are to:

  1. advance the health of past and present sex workers;
  2. promote and protect the human rights of past and present sex workers; and
  3. promote respect for sex workers and end all forms of discrimination against sex workers.

Scarlet Alliance’s principal activity is health promotion for sex workers by, without limitation:

  1. Working to guarantee the right of all sex workers to optimum occupational health and safety, including general health knowledge and safe work practices;
  2. Actively promoting the right of all sex workers to work in whatever area of their chosen occupation, including street, brothel, escort, private and opportunistic work;
  3. Enhancing the capacity of sex workers to be politically active, advance their rights, and build networks and organisations;
  4. Playing an active role in Australia’s response to HIV/AIDS, blood borne viruses and sexually transmitted infections, including peer education and harm reduction strategies for sex workers;
  5. Disseminating sex industry related information
  6. Providing training and education on issues relating to the Australian sex industry and migration of sex workers into Australia;
  7. Lobbying for supportive legal, policy and administrative frameworks which do not discriminate against sex workers;
  8. Challenging any government, legislation, regulations, rules, policies, processes or law enforcement practices which are discriminatory, repressive or fail to promote the rights and autonomy of sex workers;
  9. Eradicating sex worker stereotypes and stigmatisation in the sex work community as well as the broader community;
  10. Communicating the diversity of ideas, opinions and aspirations of past and present sex workers;
  11. Collaborating with international and local Sex Worker Rights groups that align with the Aims and Objectives of Scarlet Alliance.

Note: if you are interested in the position but unsure whether you meet the selection criteria, please call Jules on 0411 985 135 to discuss.

A position description is attached.

How to apply

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