Counsellor Advocate – Child Youth and Family

Your impact

Foundation House adopts a holistic and integrated approach to meeting the needs of our clients and their communities. We do so to ensure a more complete application of trauma-informed principles and trauma focussed interventions. As such, Foundation House aims to address both the complex psychological impact of torture and trauma along with addressing the challenges clients face in terms of the broader social and economic determinants of mental health.

As a Child, Youth and Family Counsellor Advocate, you will work with the Foundation House Trauma Recovery Framework to provide assessment and counselling using a diverse range of developmentally appropriate psychosocial therapeutic interventions. These services will be accessible, trauma-informed, culturally safe, and appropriate to the needs of our clients and their families. Foundation House provides regular supervision and professional development support to assist you in undertaking your work as a Counsellor Advocate.

Your role will also involve a range of advocacy including liaison and facilitated referrals with relevant health, community, education, and legal services to support access to, and responsiveness of those services. Where therapeutically indicated and consistent with our Trauma Recovery Framework, accompanied appointments to such services will also form part of your role. These functions have proven to be vital in delivering a holistic trauma-informed approach, building trust with clients and enabling a greater level of control and safety over their lives. Continuous feedback about your work with clients, via the client information system, is essential to inform the systemic advocacy Foundation House provides, which is aimed at improving client services and relevant areas of government policies and programs.

For further details on our Counsellor Advocate model, please see our website https://foundationhouse.org.au/be-involved/careers-with-us/our-counsellor-advocate-model/

About You

We are looking for a Child, Youth and Family Counsellor Advocate who is committed to advancing human rights and is passionate about supporting trauma recovery for refugee background children, young people and families. You will be compassionate, thoughtful, professional, accountable, committed to continuous learning and demonstrate integrity in all you do.

You will embrace working with people from many cultural and religious backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities. You will demonstrate flexibility in providing support to our clients.

We have ongoing positions available across our offices in Sunshine, Dandenong, Dallas (close to Broadmeadows) and are offering between 0.8 EFT and 1 EFT.

What you’ll need

To be successful, you will need to positively respond to the below selection criteria:

• Relevant tertiary qualifications in psychology, social work, counselling, or other related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience and expertise to undertake comprehensive psychosocial assessments and risk assessments with children, young people and their families.
• In depth understanding of child development and relevant theories for working with children, young people and their families.
• Demonstrated expertise in providing trauma-focused therapeutic counselling interventions with children and young people, using a range of evidence-based modalities in a culturally appropriate and safe way.
• Good understanding of how to negotiate and advocate with multiple service systems in Victoria to support the needs of refugee and asylum seeker children, young people, and families.
• Ability to write professional psychosocial reports for a variety of key stakeholders including legal and government bodies.

In return

You’ll be rewarded with:

• An attractive remuneration package, ranging between $102,554 and $107,079 plus superannuation
• Salary packaging benefits of up to $18,550 and novated car leasing options.
• A role with true purpose to make a difference in people’s lives.
• A welcoming, highly diverse and supportive team environment.
• Excellent training and professional development.
• Generous leave provisions with option to purchase additional leave.
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for staff and family members.