BWAHS Careers
Current Vacancies
Counsellor Advocate – Children, Youth and Families (Parental Leave Cover)
Part time – 0.8 EFT
Parental Leave Cover
Role Purpose
As a Child, Youth and Families Counsellor-Advocate, you will be required to provide assessment and counselling interventions to members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, using a range of developmentally appropriate, culturally and trauma informed evidence-based modalities.
These may include individual and family-based approaches to meet the complex therapeutic needs of children, young people and families in the community.
You will also be required to provide client-centred advocacy through liaison with relevant education, health, legal and other services, and requires the facilitation of referrals to support access to those services.
This role works in collaboration with the Therapeutic Group program, and at times you will be called upon to provide therapeutic input into the development of group programs, as well as to provide support with group facilitation.
Your therapeutic interventions and advocacy will be carried out at a combination of locations including onsite at BWAHS Bayswater/Lilydale offices, as well as in educational environments and other community settings.
Key Responsibilities
Assessment & Intake
Undertake comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments with children, young people and their families.
Where appropriate, conduct risk assessments, including MARAMs, mental health and suicide risk assessments.
Develop risk management and safety plans where required and participate in risk management meetings as needed.
Support intake processes where required.
Therapeutic Interventions
Using formulations developed through your assessment process, develop clear therapeutic goals.
Provide culturally and developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed therapeutic interventions for children, young people and their families to promote healing and recovery from family violence and other experiences of trauma.
Work to enhance parent/carer self-determination and confidence in parenting after violence and support their children’s healing and recovery journey.
Provide a range of options for community members to engage in services including onsite, outreach and virtual/telephone options.
Support the development and facilitation of structured family sessions for children/young people and their families/carers.
Therapeutic Group Work
Provide trauma-informed input into the development of therapeutic group responses.
Co-facilitate therapeutic group responses in conjunction with the Therapeutic Group Program.
Advocacy
Where community member’s safety, mental and physical health or wellbeing are compromised, develop and implement advocacy strategies designed to improve overall wellbeing.
Support community members’ access to external support agencies through referrals.
Participate in internal and external care teams.
Be available to provide secondary consultation to external service providers, with the aim of improving their ability to respond to members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Establish and maintain positive working relationships with key stakeholders, both internally and externally.
Represent BWAHS in relevant networks, working groups and communities of practice.
Culturally informed practice
Commit to cultural curiosity and engage in ever improving culturally informed practice.
Seek and engage in cultural consultation where appropriate.
Contribute to a positive and culturally safe workplace.
Centre First Nations’ voices and support agency and community self-determination
Inclusive and intersectional practice
Provide informed and safe support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families who identify as LGBTQIA+.
Contribute to a positive and safe workspace for people who identify as LGBTQIA+.
Provide informed and safe support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families who are living with a disability.
Contribute to a positive and safe workplace for people who are living with a disability.
Training and professional development / capability development
Participate in regular clinical and operational supervision, and cultural supervision when available.
Participate in all agency activities that contribute to professional development requirements, including team meetings and other program-based sessions.
Participate in regular culturally informed training.
Seek and access relevant professional development opportunities to build and maintain therapeutic skills.
Record keeping and report writing
Maintain accurate and timely records including notes, reports, plans and data reporting in accordance with BWAHS quality requirements.
Ensure written client reports and letters are prepared within BWAHS guidelines and are approved by your line manager before provision to legal, government and health bodies.
Participate in BWAHS ongoing quality improvement and strategic direction implementation.
Policies, Procedures and Systems
Comply with all organisational policies and procedures.
Proactively identify and report Workplace Health and Safety concerns.
Ensure that child safe practices are implemented.
KEY SELECTION CRITERIA
An understanding of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and the history of intergenerational trauma.
A tertiary qualification in social work, psychology, family therapy or a related discipline along with demonstrated experience.
Theoretical understanding of the issues underpinning family violence and therapeutic interventions within an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural context.
Experience in the provision of trauma-informed, culturally safe therapeutic approaches to support safety and healing from family violence to children, young people and their families.
Ability to engage families of varying ages, stages and compositions who have multiple and complex needs.
Knowledge of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and mainstream services in the Eastern Metropolitan Region or a willingness to learn.
Understanding of State and Regional Aboriginal Family Violence strategies and frameworks.
Demonstrated commitment to liaise and work collaboratively with stakeholders, carers, DFFH, the Education Department, other agencies and the community.
The ability to work independently and as part of a small team.
A willingness to embrace opportunities for professional development where appropriate.
CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT
It is a condition of employment that BWAHS be provided with the following:
Current Victorian Driver’s License
Current Working with Children’s Check
Undertake National Police Check
APPLICATION PROCESS
To be considered for the position all applicants must include a resume and a cover letter addressing all the Key Selection Criteria.
Applicants will be short listed and may be interviewed upon receipt of application, and the position may be filled before the closing date 3 July 2026.
Please contact Jacqui Robson at jacqui.r@bwahs.com.au for further information or a copy of the position
Full Time – Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander identified role.
About the role
The role of the Aboriginal Family Services Practitioner is to promote healthy family dynamics which include safety from violence, living a safe lifestyle, stability within the home and personal wellbeing and to assist in enhancing the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and their families. The role requires working collaboratively with Aboriginal families and Communities to build child, family and community capacity and resilience through effective case management. Assessments and planning are undertaken using the ‘Best Interests’ Framework and the MARAM Framework.
The key focus is to work in collaboration with other BWAHS programs and other Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCO’s) as well as partnering with external support services to ensure comprehensive integrated service delivery. This is primarily an outreach role delivered to children, young people and families in their homes and may involve working from multiple worksites.
BWAHS has assessed this position as an identified role under as per section 12 (1) of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 due to the requirement to work closely with Community. As such it is only open to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
Key responsibilities include:
All employees must have:
Commitment to BWAHS Vision, Mission, Values and Principles.
Capacity for self-assessment, reflection and emotional intelligence.
Ethical and culturally aware practice.
Strong communication and collaboration skills.
Accountability and adherence to professional standards.
Willingness to contribute to projects and tasks outside of core role to support the wider BWAHS team.
Compliance with Workplace Health & Safety and Privacy requirements.
About you
You are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person with a thorough understanding of the Victorian Aboriginal Community, particularly in relation to the impact of family violence on Aboriginal women, children, families and communities.
You hold a relevant tertiary qualification or have significant relevant work experience with a willingness to work towards the qualification in line with mandatory minimum qualifications policy.
You are experienced in the Child and Family Services and/or the Family Violence sectors and providing case management/coordination to Aboriginal families, children and young people.
You are both professional and genuine – you use these skills to engage and build relationships with clients, your team, and a wide network of stakeholders. You are trusted in Community because you keep confidentiality.
You are a self starter, working independently yet ready to pitch in when others need a hand and you embrace professional development opportunities.
BWAHS has assessed this position as an identified role under section 12 (1) of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 due to the requirement to work closely with community. As such it is only open to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
Please contact Bronwyn Williams, Manager – People, Workforce & Belonging, bronwyn.w@bwahs.com.au for a copy of the position description.
Interested? Apply now!
As BWAHS is a child safe organisation, prior to commencement the successful applicant will be required to:
This role also requires a current drivers licence.