Senior Social Worker

at  Forensicare

JOB DESCRIPTION

Location: Melbourne | Western Metropolitan
Job type: Full time
Organisation: Forensicare
Salary: Salary not specified
Occupation: Health and Allied Health, Policy

Reference: 16445

• Full-Time Social Worker Grade 3
• Based at Marrmak Unit, Dame Phyllis Frost Centre
• Salary $99,606 (SW3-1) to $113,796 (SW3-4)+11% Super + Benefits
• Diverse and supportive environments
• Salary packaging options that increase your take-home pay
• International Support of Permanent (186) or Temporary (482) Visa for eligible applicants!

A career in the forensic mental health sector is diverse, challenging and rewarding. A career at Forensicare will be like no other. If you’re passionate about supporting people in their mental health recovery, Forensicare is where you need to be. You will be a part of a caring and supportive team, making a real difference to people living with the dual stigma of mental illness and offending. We approach our work with curiosity and a commitment to understanding the unique needs of our consumers and carers. Working across community, hospital and prison settings, you can learn, apply your specialist skills and advance in your profession. Together, we can contribute to a more connected, compassionate mental health and criminal justice system.
Job location
Forensicare is the statutory agency responsible for providing adult forensic mental health services across Victoria.
Forensicare provides specialist mental health services at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in the Marrmak Unit, a 20-bed residential program for women prisoners with an intensive outreach program and a therapeutic day program. There is a strong focus on providing a healing environment not only for people in prisons but, importantly, one that supports all staff’s well-being and safety. This approach recognises that many women who are imprisoned are also victims of crime and have challenging mental health conditions as a result. The word Marrmak is from the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people, which means ‘safe’.

About the Role:

• The Senior Social Worker works with the social work discipline leads and educators to develop, plan and implement prison-based social work services to achieve and maintain a high standard of consumer care, consistent with the Forensicare Model of Care.

Duties:

• Demonstrates highly developed skills when undertaking social work assessments of patients within an inter-disciplinary inpatient setting.
• Demonstrates specialised knowledge and understanding of women’s gender-specific needs and pathways into the criminal justice system.
• Formulates and documents client-focused care coordination plans, emphasising more complex management issues.
• Demonstrates skills in the appropriate assessment of patient discharge/release needs and matching these with relevant services for the effective preparation and ongoing support of patients re-entering the community

About You:

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of women’s gender-specific needs and pathways into the criminal justice system.
• Demonstrated ability to provide high-level leadership, management and supervision of staff and students.
• Ability to deliver specialist social work services, including clinical, primary, secondary and tertiary consultation within a complex and dynamic environment.
• Proven skills and experience in developing and implementing complex case plans involving direct and indirect social work practice.
• Demonstrated ability to liaise effectively with various external agencies and organisations, including key stakeholders.
• Demonstrate family violence risk assessment and management activities aligned to the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management (MARAM) Framework, the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS) and Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) legislative requirements and related Forensicare guidelines.

What you need:

• Approved degree in Social Work and eligibility for membership in the Australian Association of Social Workers.

This position is subject to a Police Check.

A culture where people matter.

• Excellent supervision and investment in the skill development of managers and supervisors.
• Celebration and reward for good performance through employee recognition.
• A leading, multi-faceted approach to safety, with unparalleled strategic, practical, individualised and team-based support to minimise risks and fear and maximise safety and security, underpinned by our workplace health and safety strategy.
• Access to an employee assistance program – an external, confidential, self-referral employee wellbeing program, for personal or work-related matters.
• A mental health and wellbeing program providing psychological support, peer support and critical incidence response programs, as needed.

For more information on Careers at Forensicare, visit https://www.forensicare.vic.gov.au/careers

• Please Note - Applications will be reviewed and Interviewed as they are received.

About the Role:

• The Senior Social Worker works with the social work discipline leads and educators to develop, plan and implement prison-based social work services to achieve and maintain a high standard of consumer care, consistent with the Forensicare Model of Care

Duties:

• Demonstrates highly developed skills when undertaking social work assessments of patients within an inter-disciplinary inpatient setting.
• Demonstrates specialised knowledge and understanding of women’s gender-specific needs and pathways into the criminal justice system.
• Formulates and documents client-focused care coordination plans, emphasising more complex management issues.
• Demonstrates skills in the appropriate assessment of patient discharge/release needs and matching these with relevant services for the effective preparation and ongoing support of patients re-entering the communit