Family Violence Project Worker (0.8 FTE)

Overview

 The Migrant Information Centre (Eastern Melbourne) (MIC) is seeking an experienced Project Worker to coordinate two distinct projects; one aimed to prevent family violence and the other in responding to family violence amongst communities from migrant and refugee backgrounds residing in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The prevention program aims to address underlying gendered drivers of violence and reinforcing factors, promote gender equality, support individuals within migrant and refugee communities to call out inappropriate attitudes and behaviours and decrease the use and acceptance of family violence within migrant and refugee communities in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

The response program aims to address family violence during the COVID-19 pandemic by delivering family violence awareness raising and early intervention activities with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities residing in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

Position Context

The Family Violence Project Worker will work alongside the MIC’s Settlement Engagement and Transition Services (SETS) program, and Strategic Partnerships (Refugee and Asylum Seeker) Program (SPP) in delivering meaningful programs and services for people from refugee and migrant backgrounds living in Eastern Melbourne to prevent and respond to family violence.

The project worker will work collaboratively with refugee and migrant community leaders, faith leaders and community members, including women, to implement programs and strategies to prevent and respond to family violence within refugee and migrant communities. This will include developing education programs, campaigns and response initiatives that aim to address underlying gendered drivers of violence, promote gender equality, support community members to call out inappropriate attitudes and behaviours and support and empower victim/survivors to seek and receive appropriate support, including promoting accessible referral pathways into external support services.

The project worker will also provide information, short term support and referrals into specialist family violence services for people who present as a result of the interventions, as well as providing support to others who contact MIC seeking assistance with family violence related matters, where appropriate.

The project worker will also be responsible for supporting MIC staff and community and faith leaders in identifying and responding to family violence and developing and delivering training as required.

The project worker will:

• work with refugee and migrant communities to implement a range of prevention programs, groups and initiatives
• identify barriers to victim/survivors and those at risk of or experiencing family violence, seeking support and establishing appropriate and accessible referral pathways into support services.
• ensure multicultural community members at risk of, or experiencing, family violence are supported to access specialist family violence services through referral by multicultural, faith-based or ethno-specific organisations
• build the capability of ethno-specific, faith-based and multicultural organisations to identify and respond to family violence in line with the Victorian Government Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM)
• build stronger partnerships between multicultural, faith-based and ethno-specific organisations and specialist family violence services, including inTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence, to support stronger referral pathways and better support people experiencing family violence
• ensure multicultural communities are engaged in family violence awareness raising and prevention activities

Key Result Areas

• Planning, delivery and evaluation of community development activities with refugee and migrant communities and their community associations in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne that build their capacity to prevent and respond to family violence
• Develop and maintain strong links and effective partnerships with other agencies and service providers working in the Eastern Metropolitan Region (EMR)
• Work in partnership with refugee communities, their associations and local agencies across the EMR to develop programs and activities that meet identified needs of these communities
• Fulfill all reporting requirements
• Provision of effective casework services that assist people from refugee and family stream migrant backgrounds who settle in the EMR and who are at risk of, or experiencing family violence
• Develop and deliver information sessions, programs and activities to people from refugee and family stream migrant backgrounds who live in the EMR, providing them with information and skills that will assist them to prevent and/or respond to family violence, including access to services for victim/survivors

Key Selection Criteria

 Essential

• Demonstrated community development skills
• Demonstrated experience in working with refugee communities and knowledge of refugee settlement in Australia
• Demonstrated experience in successful project management
• Demonstrated experience of working with victim/survivors of family violence and a
• Demonstrated knowledge of the barriers victim/survivors from refugee and migrant backgrounds face to accessing services when seeking support
• Demonstrated experience in developing and maintaining effective partnerships with external agencies across both the government and community sectors
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal, networking, consultation and negotiation skills
• Sound organisational and time management skills
• Experience in complying with reporting requirements of government in respect to received funding
• An understanding of the MARAM framework and the Family Violence and Child Wellbeing Information Sharing Schemes

Desirable

• Completion of MARAM training (accredited or non-accredited)
• An Australian Driver’s Licence
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office suite
• Bilingual skills in a relevant community language

Position dimensions

The Project Worker will:

• Report to the Migrant Information Centre (Eastern Melbourne) Manager
• Work in co-operation with staff and volunteers of the Migrant Information Centre (Eastern Melbourne)
• Manage and effectively implement project objectives and work plans as stated in the agreement between Migrant Information Centre (Eastern Melbourne) and the Department of Premier and Cabinet
• Provide reports, attend staff and network meetings and liaise with funding bodies as required