About Wayside Chapel

Wayside Chapel has provided unconditional love, care and support for people on and around the streets of Kings Cross since 1964.
Under the banner of Love Over Hate, Wayside's programs and services are designed to ensure that the most marginalised members of our community have access to essential health, welfare, social and recreational services.

Each year, thousands of people visit Wayside's two centres in Kings Cross and Bondi for assistance in gaining equitable access to essential health, welfare and related services.

Our mission is creating community with no ‘us and them,’ breaking down the barriers of judgement and providing a safe place where people from all walks of life are welcome.

Website: www.waysidechapel.org.au

About the Position

We are seeking to expand our existing team of Community Services Workers, and are looking for dedicated and passionate people to join our welcoming and inclusive team. We have two community service centres located in both Kings Cross and Bondi Beach, which are open during the day and evening, 7 days a week.

We are hiring a number of roles and are seeking people to work a variety of shifts, which will include weekday and weekend work during daytime hours and evening hours up until 9:30pm.

Two roles are Monday to Friday hours between 9am-5pm.

We are also looking for Casuals available to work across a variety of shifts.

The Community Services Worker is responsible for welcoming visitors to Wayside, ascertaining and responding to their immediate needs such as practical assistance and crisis referrals, and maintaining a safe space including appropriate management of incidents.

Key Responsibilities

• Greet visitors, build rapport, conduct basic assessment of need and direct visitor flow through the service
• Provide visitors with information on Wayside services and other local services
• Manage the provision of practical assistance including allocation of showers, toiletries, emergency clothes and emergency meals
• Provide crisis support and respond to immediate visitor issues such as lack of housing, mental health crises and other health emergencies
• Refer visitors to care coordination staff when appropriate
• Maintain a safe environment through monitoring visitor behaviour and managing incidents as they arise, including dealing with aggression and AOD/overdose
• Develop and deliver various activities to assist with visitor engagement
• Promote independence, self-determination and self-worth in visitors through one-to-one and community engagement

Selection Criteria – About you:

• TAFE level qualifications in Community Services Work, Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs or other relevant area and/or extensive experience in the areas of addressing the needs of disadvantaged populations
• Experience working with at-risk populations and understanding of related issues, both practical and systematic (including but not limited to Juvenile Justice, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, CALD, trauma, homelessness, mental health, alcohol and other drugs)
• Knowledge of and ability to operate with regard to trauma informed principles
• Initiative, flexibility and the ability to work in a demanding environment
• Ability to work as part of a team with a commitment to sharing knowledge and expertise and supporting Wayside culture
• Understanding of community-based model of care and commitment to the mission, vision and values of Wayside

Application and Recruitment Process

• Applicants should provide their resume and a cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the selection criteria, via the link in the job ad
• Please also include in your cover letter your available days/times for work and your preference for full time or casual
• Applications will enter a candidate pool, from which a shortlist will be made based on merit, interest, availability and need of the organisation
• Applications will be reviewed as submitted, so please apply right away

Please note that we are firm in our belief that we must embrace all efforts within our remit to manage and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. So, we have made it mandatory for all staff and volunteers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Offer of employment to the successful applicant is dependent upon completing a Police Check and Working with Children Check prior to commencing employment.