Assist women to re-establish and strengthen relationships with their children and other family members while in custody. Ongoing, full-time opportunity. VPS grade 4 – $100,894 – $114,476 plus superannuation.
About the Business Unit
The Corrections and Justice Services (CJS) group, comprising Corrections Victoria (CV), Justice Health and Justice Services, plays an integral role in developing safer and more resilient communities and in delivering a trusted justice and community safety system. CV is responsible for the implementation of policies, programs and services that ensure the safe and secure containment of prisoners, and that seek to rehabilitate offenders by addressing the underlying causes of offending behaviour. CV also sets strategy, policy and standards for the management of the state's system of correctional facilities whilst also developing programs for the management and rehabilitation of prisoners and the community-based supervision of offenders. As part of the CJS group, the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC) is a 649‐bed maximum‐security facility for female offenders located within the West Metropolitan Area, Department of Justice and Community Safety.
About the Role
The Family Engagement Worker is an integral part of the Family Engagement Service offered at both prisons and will be responsible for assisting women prisoners and their families to maintain relationships or re-establish contact with family. Using a whole‐of‐family approach, the Family Engagement Worker will identify, assess, and coordinate family engagement planning and referrals for women and their families. This will include liaison with other Government departments, such as the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) Child Protection and working on strategies to assist women to transition to the family unit and the community in general. The Family Engagement Worker will also work closely with other prison staff and service providers to ensure activities that support women, and their families operate in a collaborative, integrated, and coordinated manner.
Responsibilities
* Assist women to re‐establish and/or strengthen relationships with their children and other family members while in custody.
* Act as a point of contact with agencies such as DFFH Child Protection, including where women identify a desire to maintain/re‐establish contact with their children who may be in out‐of‐home care arrangements.
* Coordinate and involve women in goal setting during all stages of imprisonment to encourage and support women and their families' engagement during all types of contact.
About You
* Demonstrated knowledge of the complexities associated with women in custody, including transition and reintegration issues and needs of women prisoners.
* Experience working with women and their families.
* Experience working in environments where it can be difficult to keep clients engaged.
* Capacity to work within a prison setting.
* Experience delivering parenting programs or similar public speaking roles is desirable.
Qualifications / Requirements
* Demonstrated skills in similar roles, tertiary qualifications and/or experience in human services, family welfare practice, or related fields is desirable.
Child Safe Statement of Commitment
The Department of Justice and Community Safety is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. We seek to prevent harm of any kind impacting children and young people and have zero tolerance for racism, child abuse and inequality. Children and young people's rights, relationships, identity, and culture must be recognised and respected, their voices heard, and their concerns acted upon. We aim to foster a culturally safe, child safe and child friendly environment for all children and young people we have contact with, deliver services to, or are impacted by our work.
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