Social Worker

Important role information

The position reports to the Senior Social Worker.

Employment is part time (30 hours per week) fixed term for 12-month parental leave contract.

The salary for this role is $107,531.21 base per annum (pro rata), (plus 12% superannuation) with annual leave loading, generous salary packaging options and extra leave benefits.

This role can be based at our Melbourne offices with 40% of the month in the workplace with hybrid working arrangements. 

Our Team

Justice Connect’s Homeless Law is Victoria’s specialist free legal service for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Since 2001, our Homeless Law team has worked closely with pro bono lawyers to increase access to specialised legal support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Our tailored Homeless Law services, which focus on preventing and ending homelessness, are outreach-based and client-centred, and don’t just focus on legal needs. Homeless Law has integrated staff social workers and collaborates with community sector partners to ensure that clients’ needs are holistically addressed. Homeless Law also prioritises advocating for better laws and policies through evidence-based strategic engagement and advocacy, which is focused on stopping homelessness before it starts and preventing the criminalisation of homelessness.

Our ideal candidate

You’ll bring to the team experience in the following areas:

• Experience working in housing and homelessness, and/or knowledge of Victoria’s homelessness and housing-service sector, including the Opening Doors Framework, crisis accommodation, transitional, community and public housing.
• Experience working with clients who have matters in Victorian courts and tribunals, and with clients who are in or exiting prison (noting that previous work in a legal service-setting is not specifically required for this role).

Expertise that you may have that would support our team:

• A tertiary qualification in social work, social sciences or other related discipline
• Well-developed interpersonal and client engagement skills, including in working with individuals living with complex circumstances.
• High-quality verbal and written communication skills, including capturing and collating data, contributing to reporting, and delivering training.
• Skills in MS Office software, appointment scheduling, and the use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and case management platforms.
• Ability to maintain confidential and accurate records.
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously as well as collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team environment.
• Highly-motivated and diligent, with excellent time and task management skills.
• A commitment to Justice Connect’s strategy, vision and values, and an interest in social justice and human rights issues

What you will achieve in the role

In this role, you’ll work to

• Provide a range of targeted interventions and services to court users who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including by providing targeted referrals, assistance to understand and engage with services, the Court and Tribunal, advocating with existing non-legal and legal services on their behalf and offering brief periods of intensive support
• Coordinate and manage intake and triage of social work referrals from pro bono and staff lawyers, and deliver secondary consultations to Homeless Law pro bono lawyers
• Lead Homeless Law’s engagement and participation processes with people who have lived experience of housing insecurity
• Increase the understanding of integrated practice, and contribute to its development
• Manage grant and brokerage funds for client related financial expenses, and contribute to reporting requirements
• Contribute to awareness-raising, educational activities and resource development, and Homeless Law’s systemic advocacy and project work (as required)

A week in this role

If you were here last week, you would have:

• Attended a weekly social work team meeting with the other social workers in Homeless Law to discuss client work, any relevant updates, themes and new social work referrals.
• Triaged any new social work referrals and responded accordingly to the lawyers who made the referrals.
• Completed several secondary consultations with pro bono Homeless Law lawyers in regard to new client referrals for non-legal assistance.
• Had a phone appointment with pro bono Homeless Law lawyers to discuss legal and non-legal strategy in regard to a client’s legal matter.
• Written a court support letter for a client to be added to the legal submissions.
• Had phone appointments with clients that you are directly supporting to discuss their non-legal needs.
• Attended a care team meeting with external supports for your client with some of the most complex circumstances.
• Attended a weekly Homeless Law team meeting to discuss any relevant updates related to client work, advocacy and other projects that the team is contributing to.
• Completed tasks related to client work and management of the Court Fund grant for client related financial expenses.