Weave Women and Children’s Centre
Staying Home Leaving Violence (SHLV) Caseworker
Position Description
Position Title:
Supervision:
SHLV Caseworker
Program supervision provided by The Weave Women and
Children’s Centre Team Leader.
Clinical Supervision provided externally as arranged
by/negotiated with team leader
Responsible For:
Providing support, casework, case management, advocacy,
information & referral for women residing in the Redfern
Local Area Command, and City of Sydney and
Marrickville LGA’s in relation to domestic violence and
community education and information sessions.
Location:
Weave Women and Children’s Centre, 133 Morehead St,
Waterloo
Employment Details and Remuneration (standard)
Employer:
Weave Youth and Community Services Inc
Hours of Work:
4 days per week, 28 hours per week
Status:
Permanent part time. There will be an initial 6 months probation
period. All positions at Weave are dependant on continued
funding.
Grade:
SCHCADS Level 4 Paypoint 1- 4
Salary:
Hourly rate: $31.36 - $33.90 per hour
Benefits:
Hourly rate calculated based on 35 hour week and generous salary
packaging is available.
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Position Context
Weave Women and Children’s Centre (Formerly The Shop Women and Girls Centre) has
been operating in the Redfern/Waterloo area for over 30 years. In 2006 Weave Women
and Children’s Centre became auspiced by Weave Youth and Community Services Inc
(formerly known as South Sydney Youth Services) and is now managed by Weave’s
Board and is bound by Weave’s policies and procedures. The Women and Children’s
Centre offers support services, counselling, casework, groups and educational
opportunities to women with children 0-12years.
Weave Youth and Community Services
Weave provides a range of services to socially excluded young people, women and
families who live in the City of Sydney Local Government Area as well as the
Maroubra/La Perouse and Inner West regions.
Weave was established in 1976. The team at Weave are dedicated, experienced and are
well recognised for their engaging work with young people, Aboriginal communities,
women and families and community development work. Please refer to our Vision,
Mission, Values and Culture at the end of this document. For more information about
Weave please visit our website: www.weave.org.au
Summary of the Position
Coordination, in collaboration with other SHLV worker and Team Leader, of service
provision for the Weave’s SHLV program. Providing case management for women
residing in the Redfern Local Area Command, and City of Sydney and Marrickville
LGA’s who are experiencing domestic violence. Supporting them to remain safely in
their home or a home of their choice. Providing support, advocacy, information & referral
with issues that may include:
Housing
Court Support
Legal Matters
Drug & Alcohol
Health
Parenting Support
Education & Employment
Centrelink
Counselling
Practical support
In addition to this, the SHLV Caseworker is responsible for providing community
education and information sessions about the SHLV program, liaison with key
stakeholders and partners, participating in the Redfern WDVCAS and Inner City
Domestic Violence Interagency as well as coordinating and participating in the SHLV
Reference group.
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In conjunction with Women and Children’s Centre team leader ensure the Family and
Community Services (FACS) Service Delivery Specifications (SDS) and Performance
Level Agreement (PLA) targets for the SHLV program are met. The SDS and PLA
attachments form part of this job description.
Responsibilities
Case Management
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In conjunction with the other SHLV caseworker, provide case management
support for at least 40 women per year experiencing domestic violence (case
allocation dependent on level of intensity and number of weekly working hours)
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Conduct lethality risk assessments, safety audits and devise safety plans with
clients.
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Assess and approve brokerage expenditure to provide security upgrades for
clients.
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Organise safety upgrades to clients’ homes as necessary through SHLV brokerage
funds.
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Support clients while making statements to police and during court proceedings.
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Assist clients to identify areas of need and provide appropriate support, referral,
information and advocacy within an individual casework plan. This requires
knowledge of social and community welfare services in particular public housing,
crisis accommodation, domestic violence support and advocacy including
knowledge of Apprehended Violence Orders legislation and the new Domestic
Violence Framework.
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Work in a highly responsive, proactive and innovative way with service users.
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Develop collaborative relationships with other service providers to ensure holistic
support for service users. In particular, work closely with the other SHLV
Caseworker and Weave Women and Children’s Centre staff.
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Provide outreach service provision and home visits in line with service policies
and procedures.
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Case Coordination for a small group of clients is also part of the role.
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Community Education and Information Sessions
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Plan and deliver at least 6 community education and information sessions per year
about the Staying Home Leaving Violence Program.
Administrative Duties
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Ensure compliance with service funding agreement, service specifications and
statistical data collection requirements
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Participate in service evaluation in line with service specification requirements
using FACS SHLV data portal and Weave’s Client database, DEREK.
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Report writing for both internal and external purposes
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Facilitate community awareness raising/education program regarding SHLV
principles.
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Develop and distribute publicity material for the program.
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Advocate to ensure that case management agreements with partner agencies are
implemented
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Coordinate and attend Staying Home Leaving Violence Reference Group
meetings and attend Women’s Domestic Violence Interagency Meetings.
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Keep abreast of current resources and developments in relation to domestic
violence, statutory requirements, legislation and women’s issues in general.
Identify professional training and development needs in consultation with Team
Leader and undertake training within budget constraints.
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Carry out any administrative or clerical tasks as required within the course of the
work including upkeep of electronic casework files, database, daily client
statistics, ensuring minutes and other documentation relating to the SHLV
reference group meetings is completed and distributed.
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Performance of other duties as required and directed by the team leader.
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General Accountabilities of all Weave Staff
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Work as part of the wider Women’s Centre and Weave team displaying effective
team membership
Participate in the Women and Children’s Centre and Weave staff meetings,
training and performance appraisals as required
Attend regular supervision as arranged with your team leader.
Perform all duties in accordance with the Weave code of conduct and Weave
policies and procedures
Maintain a commitment to continuous quality improvement and contribution to
maintenance of Weave’s accreditation under ASES standards.
Maintain a commitment to EEO policy and WH&S safety standards, ethical
practice principles and a commitment to the principles of cultural diversity.
Ensure work practice is underpinned by Weave’s Mission, Vision, Values ,
Principles and Objectives.
Take responsibility to ensure that Weave Women and Children’s Centre is a
warm, inviting and hospitable environment for everyone to be in. Treat people
like you would if they came to your home.
Notice when things are untidy and make an effort to clean up as needed.
Make sure all visitors to the centre are welcomed and looked after including
offering cups of tea, coffee, water etc. and that they get the assistance they came
for or at least information and referral if Weave Women’s Centre cannot assist
directly. Hospitality is a shared responsibility of the whole of Women’s Centre
team and is included in the job descriptions of all staff.
It is important to take care to listen very carefully to what people are asking for
and not make assumptions about their needs, it is equally important to welcome
all people to the centre, even those that clearly don’t fit in our target group.
If someone has made an appointment to see a particular worker you need to make
sure that you accompany the person to the worker and ensure they are connected.
If the worker is not in the office, call them on their mobile to organize something
for the client.
Whilst it is understood that each worker has specific duties, there is a natural
overlap of roles.
Expectations of workers roles can change according to the needs of the
community and available resources.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Essential Criteria
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Relevant qualifications in Social Work, Community Work or other relevant
discipline and/or equivalent relevant experience.
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Experience in using a strengths-based framework in the provision of assessment,
casework and case management support to women experiencing domestic
violence.
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Knowledge and understanding of the legal system in relation to domestic violence
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Demonstrated skills in building community connections and interagency
relationships
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Excellent written and oral communication skills.
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Good understanding of social justice issues in general and particularly those
facing women who live in the Redfern/Waterloo/Inner Sydney and Inner West
areas.
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Understanding of issues affecting Aboriginal Women.
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Understanding of issues affecting CALD Women.
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Demonstrated skills and knowledge in provision of parenting support, particularly
in relation to the impact of domestic violence on children.
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A commitment to EEO policy, OH&S safety standards, ethical practice principles
and a commitment to the principles of cultural diversity.
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NSW Working With Children Check clearance.
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Ability to work in a flexible and adaptable manner under stress.
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Excellent sense of humour.
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Ability to work effectively as part of a team, and to support other team members
in their work from time to time.
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Current NSW Class C driver’s license.
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Computer literacy.
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Willingness to use own vehicle for work purposes from time to time (mileage will
be paid)
Desirable Criteria
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Groupwork skills
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Weave’s Vision, Mission, Culture and Values
What we see for the future: Our Vision
A strong, connected community that values its members with opportunities and justice
for all.
What we are here to do: Our Mission Statement
To support young people, families and communities to value each other and create
opportunities to realise their goals and dreams
How we describe ourselves: Our Culture
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We value and respect the traditional owners of the land and acknowledge their
struggle.
Our work is underpinned by social justice principles.
We are holistic in our approach
We value genuine, authentic, transparent, client-centred work practices
We work with passion, energy, creativity and commitment
We highly value and appreciate collaboration and partnerships with team
members and other services
Our work is informed by an understanding of the politics of power
We understand complex social issues and we work in creative and flexible ways
to address them
We know that practical and timely intervention can have important long-term
meaningful value
We embrace diversity
What is true and important to us: Our Values
Integrity – We work ethically at all times and are transparent in our practice
Respect –We value and respect our service users, community members, partners and coworkers and treat people as individuals.
Good practice – Our work is informed by relevant and current practice models and we
review and evaluate constantly.
Optimism and a sense of humour
Fairness and Justice – We challenge injustice at every level and work with others
towards a more just society
Sustainability – Sustainable practice underpins our work on an individual, community
www.weave.org.au
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