Advocate, Independent Family Advocacy Support

at  Victoria Legal Aid

ABOUT YOU:

As our ideal candidate, you will possess:

• Experience in advocacy, social work or community development with clients in the child protection, community services or justice systems.
• Knowledge of the child protection system, child and family services and relevant legal and policy frameworks.
• Experience working with First Nations families, adults with intellectual disabilities, and/or people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, particularly within the child protection system.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to build rapport with clients quickly.
• Post-secondary qualification (certificate, diploma or degree) in a relevant field such as social work, human services or community development.

Don’t meet every requirement? At VLA, we understand that your work and life experiences can be just as valuable. If you’re excited about this role but your CV doesn’t align perfectly with our job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or one of our many other opportunities.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

• Full time maximum term position to June 2027 (0.8FTE part time considered)
• Salary range: $76,426 - $98,901 (pro rata) plus super plus salary packaging
• Up to $15,900 in salary packaging and hybrid WFH & office model

ABOUT THE ROLE:

Join a unique and innovative service supporting clients involved in the child protection system.
VLA’s Independent Family Advocacy and Support (IFAS) provides non-legal advocacy to parents involved in the early (pre-court) stages of child protection. IFAS has a particular focus on supporting First Nations families, parents with an intellectual disability, and families from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
We are seeking a committed and client-focused advocate to join our growing IFAS team as we expand the service to new areas. In this role, you will provide high quality non-legal advocacy services to parents, including the provision of information about child protection decision-making processes; supporting clients to understand their rights and self-advocate; making referrals to legal and non-legal services; and assisting clients through direct advocacy with Child Protection and other relevant agencies.
You will work closely with other advocates, senior advocates, the IFAS Manager and lived experience consultant, as well as legal and other colleagues in VLA. You will also maintain strong referral relationships with agencies in the child and family services system, including through outreach and co-location.
The role is based at our Melbourne CBD office on Wurundjeri Country with 1 day fortnightly at a co-location outpost. This role will require travel within metropolitan Melbourne.