Full job description Central Office 4-6 Peel Street North, Ballarat VIC 3350 PO Box 2537, Bakery Hill VIC 3354 T 03 5337 8999 E people&culture@catholiccarevic.org.au ABN 51 857 084 361 Position Description Position Title: Case Coordinator (Allied Health), Homes First Program/Section and/or Homelessness and Housing Support Portfolio: Location: Bendigo, Horsham or Warrnambool (with travel required) Reports To: Team Leader, Homelessness Services (Loddon region) & Team Leader, Housing Access & Support (Wimmera-South West region) Award and Classification: Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award 2010, Level 5 This Position Description intends to describe the general scope, level of work, accountabilities and responsibilities of the position. It does not necessarily include all duties and responsibilities. This Position Description may be altered in accordance with the changing requirements of the position. About CatholicCare Victoria CatholicCare Victoria is a leading and influential provider of charitable and social services in Victoria. The Mission of CatholicCare Victoria is to build communities that recognise and nurture the dignity of each person. Our employees share our Mission for a stronger, more inclusive society through supporting individuals, families and communities in times of need, especially those who are most disadvantaged, vulnerable and/or marginalised. CatholicCare Victoria delivers excellence in a broad range of child, family and youth services, family relationship services, school counselling and pastoral care services, social housing, employment and advocacy services across various office locations and delivery sites in Victoria. CatholicCare Victoria draws on the principles of Catholic Social Teaching to inspire and direct our endeavours. We value and respect human dignity and embrace diversity in an inclusive work environment. About the Program/Section Client Services comprise client programs and services across CatholicCare Victoria with a range of diverse practitioner positions across multiple programs. Programs are funded from Federal, State and philanthropic sources. Client programs and services are grouped as follows: Client Services Operations – all client facing service delivery across children, youth families, individuals, and communities with target programs in relationship services, counselling, homelessness, family law, parenting/family support, AOD work with CALD populations, children’s mental health, refugee and settlement support, communities for children (Shepparton) carer support, kinship care, emergency relief, prison chaplaincy, youth justice, and victims’ assistance. Service Development and growth including the Schools Program and CCVT contract management. ‘Homes First’ is a Victorian State Government initiative to provide stable housing and supports to people experiencing homelessness. CatholicCare Victoria has been contracted to deliver the Homes First program in the Loddon and Wimmera-South West regions. The program will provide a response to the acute needs of community members sleeping rough and/or experiencing persistent homelessness by providing access to social housing and wrap-around supports. The Homes First team will work in close collaboration with all stakeholders across both regional catchments to support individual client transitions into social housing provided by Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH). The Homes First program model incorporates an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach with services tailored to individual client need. The initiative will enable access to long-term housing to support those people currently experiencing homelessness – assisting with access to interim accommodation for up to 12 months, where possible, while long-term housing is secured – and support services for up to 36 months. Support services encompass: o Initial referral and assessment o Support to access and establish social housing o Support to maintain the tenancy and sustain housing o Case coordination o Service navigation and referral o Specialist multidisciplinary services Position Summary The Case Coordinator (Allied Health), Homes First program will provide clients with three years of intensive case management support, working from a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach to support clients to address unmet needs and participate in the community. The position enhances the ability of individuals to be able to live independently, stabilise physical/mental health and successfully maintain tenancies. The position seeks to support clients to achieve other goals of positive value to them, including family reunification, education/training, employment and engaging in social activities. This role will include conducting capacity and independent living assessments and making recommendations on any aids/services that will assist clients to remain at home, providing collaborative assessment and identification of goals alongside clients to support linkages to appropriate health and community service providers, social supports, and coordination of a range of supports funded through the Homes First program. The role will support clients to resolve points of crisis in their lives and to develop strengthened resilience and formal and informal support networks. This position will also be responsible for coordinating case plan meetings, assisting with NDIS applications, correction orders, access to Victims of Crime services, and regularly liaising with DFFH to support our clients’ tenancies. Key Result Areas and Responsibilities The order in which key result areas and responsibilities are listed is not necessarily significant. Key Result Area Key Responsibilities Client Services • Conduct capacity and independent living assessments and make recommendations on any aids/services that will assist clients to remain at home. Provide personalised, integrated support addressing clients' needs and risks. Intensive case management with highly complex clients with long histories of homelessness. Facilitate and schedule care team/professionals’ meetings with all necessary stakeholders on a regular basis. Facilitate priority applications for the Victorian Housing Register (VHR). Deliver client-led recovery support and address individual histories. Ensure housing stability using trauma-informed care, culturally safe practices, and strengths-based approaches. Build and maintain positive, collaborative relationships with Housing Services Officers and Community Housing Tenancy Officers. Foster community connections and support tenancy maintenance. Collaborate with existing services and local housing officers. Develop, implement, and monitor case plans using the Outcomes Star tool. Coordinate referrals and linkages to necessary services. Support clients with NDIS applications correction orders, access to Victims of Crime services as applicable Brokerage Fund • Prepare and monitor program brokerage spending alongside the Team Leader Management and/or Manager. Ensure the program and services operates effectively within budgets. Utilise brokerage funding effectively and appropriately to address clients’ unmet needs. Supporting program clients to establish their new properties within appropriate program brokerage limits per household. Track spending and record all expenditure in the program CMS. Provision of brokerage reports to program management as and when required. Team Work • Contribute to program planning and development. Assist with peer support. Stakeholder • Build strong working relationships with relevant health, community and social Engagement organisations and groups, including the DFFH Local Housing Office, and the Housing Tenancy Officer. Proactively develop and strengthen referral pathways and linkages within the community. Reporting, • Ensure the accurate and timely entry of data as outlined in organisational and Documentation and program guidelines. Administration • Ensure program specific reporting is completed to schedule and as requested by program management. Actively participate in all organisational meetings and activities as required. Actively support the effectively delivery of the Homes First program. Be available to work flexible hours depending upon client need. The position is also required to perform other duties as lawfully and reasonably directed. Reporting and/or Supervision Relationships and Authority Reporting Relationship: The position has a direct reporting line to the Team Leader, Homelessness Services (Loddon) and Team Leader, Housing Access & Support (Wimmera-South West), CatholicCare Victoria, for line management support. Authority: The position works within the Homes First Practice Guidelines and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) and applicable legislation and other relevant government guidelines. The position exercises a degree of autonomy. Significant decisions require the approval of the designated Program Manager and/or General Manager. The position is required to work within the relevant delegations, policy, procedure and guidelines of CatholicCare Victoria, which includes the Instrument of Delegation. Stakeholder Relationships Internal Relationships: Develops a working relationship with all components of CatholicCare Victoria staff and management, including internal referral points. External Relationships: Works cooperatively with a range of stakeholders and networks including: Homelessness entry points and networks across each region Department of Health Victoria Department of Families, Fairness and Housing Victoria Loddon, Wimmera and South West Victoria HEART and LASN networks Health and Community Service providers Aboriginal Controlled Community Organisations Organisational Responsibilities of the Position Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) CatholicCare Victoria is committed to the health, safety and wellbeing of employees, volunteers, contractors, clients and other people within our workplaces. The position is required to perform the responsibilities of the position adhering to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (2004), in particular to: take reasonable care for your own and others’ health and safety within the workplace; take reasonable care that your actions or omissions do not adversely affect the health and safety of yourself or others; cooperate with any reasonable directions, policies and/or procedures relating to health and safety in the workplace; report all injuries, illness, near misses or hazards as per CatholicCare Victoria policies and procedures; and participate in relevant health and safety training, and risk management initiatives based on position and responsibilities. Cultural Safety and Respect CatholicCare Victoria acknowledges the history, culture, diversity and value of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and pays respect to their Elders past and present, as well as acknowledging future generations. The position is required to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in a culturally safe and respectful way. Safety of Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults CatholicCare Victoria is committed to the safety of children, young people and vulnerable adults. The position is required to perform the responsibilities of the position adhering to the Catholic Safeguarding Standards, National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, Child Safe Standards and any other relevant standards and/or legislation. Risk Management, Accreditation and Quality Improvement The position is required to actively participate in risk management, accreditation and quality improvement processes, procedures, systems and initiatives, including reporting risks, incidents and feedback in a timely and responsible manner. Policies, Procedures and Legislative Requirements The position is required to undertake the responsibilities of the position adhering to all CatholicCare Victoria policies, procedures and practice guidelines and relevant standards and/or legislation including, but not limited to: Code of Ethics and Conduct for CatholicCare Victoria; information privacy and confidentiality; Equal Opportunity, anti-discrimination and anti-bullying; and inclusion and diversity. Key Requirements Qualifications and/or Training 1. Tertiary qualifications in Occupational Therapy or equivalent allied health related qualifications. Experience 2. Extensive experience working in the homelessness or community services sector would be highly regarded. 3. Experience working with clients with multiple and complex needs. Knowledge, Skills and Attributes 4. Knowledge of integrated models of support including the Housing First model. 5. Knowledge of working in a community-based setting in partnership with government and health and community service organisations. 6. An understanding of issues and context affecting inclusion and diversity of marginalized groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and people from LGBTIQA+ communities. 7. Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills. 8. Demonstrated knowledge of relevant legislation and current policies, procedures and guidelines pertaining to the target group. 9. Well-developed information technology skills including working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and windows operating environment and experience in client data base entry. Child Safety 10. Demonstrated commitment to the safety of children, young people and adults in a respectful and inclusive environment for all diversity groups in accordance with the Catholic Safeguarding Standards, National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, Child Safe Standards and any other relevant legislation. 11. Demonstrated knowledge and application of child safe legislation, principles, standards and practices. 12. Demonstrated understanding of appropriate behaviours when engaging with children, including children with a disability and from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds. Other Requirements Current driver’s licence. Current Victorian Working with Children Check. Current Australia-wide Police Check. A Statutory Declaration (provided by CatholicCare Victoria) to declare that: you have not lived overseas for more than 12 months in one country; OR if you have lived overseas for more than 12 months, that you have no criminal history overseas. International Police Check (where applicable). NDIS Screening (where applicable). Right to Work in Australia. Please note, CatholicCare Victoria will conduct the Police Check/s. It is the incumbent’s responsibility to maintain a current valid Driver’s Licence, Victorian Working with Children Check and Right to Work in Australia. The incumbent is required to agree to undertaking a Police Check every three (3) years (or earlier to comply with specific contractual or legislative obligations and requirements).