About the Business Unit 

Victim Services, Support and Reform (VSSR) is a part of the Police, Racing, Victims and Coordination Division of the Department of Justice and Community Safety and is responsible for coordinating a suite of services for victims of crime, including an information, support and referral service for all victims of reported and unreported crimes through the Victims of Crime Helpline (Helpline), as well as funding state-wide services to provide eligible victims with flexible case management services to meet the practical, emotional and psychological needs of victims to help manage the effects of crime.  

The Helpline offers information, support and referrals and is the first step for victims of crime to access free services in Victoria. The Helpline is pivotal in linking victims to services, ensuring they receive personalised, timely and appropriate support to manage the effects of violent crime. The Helpline is also the state-wide service providing support and referrals for male victims of family violence, primarily through responding to L17 reports received from Victoria Police. The Helpline operates 7 days per week 8am -11pm and is located in the Melbourne CBD.

About the Role 

Reporting to the Helpline Operations Manager, the Senior Family Violence Practice Lead (SFVPL) is  responsible for leading development and implementation of family violence best practice across the Helpline team to ensure the delivery and provision of high quality and effective services to family violence victim-survivors. The SFVPL is responsible for practice leadership on risk management, risk assessment and providing expert advice to Family Violence Practice Leads (FVPL) and the broader Helpline team. In addition, the SFVPL will support FVPLs to monitor and coordinate the Helpline's response to L17s, including re-classification of predominant aggressors, information sharing activities and the implementation of MARAM within the Helpline. The role also provides advice and guidance on family violence best practice across Victims Services, Support and Reform and the Victims Assistance Program (VAPs).

The SFVPL will establish and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders to create, contribute to and implement evidence-based family violence best practice and provide advice within VSSR and externally on family violence related matters.

About you  

As our ideal candidate you will have:   

• An intrinsic understanding and awareness of the nature and dynamics of family violence, the legislative context and family violence service system in Victoria.
• Extensive knowledge and experience in implementing rigorous approaches to family violence risk assessment and management.
• Demonstrated knowledge, skills and experience in responding to victim survivors and/or alleged perpetrators of family violence informed by organisational guidelines, appropriate theoretical frameworks, and best practice models.
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability to respond to critical incidents of crime and effectively engage with victims who have experienced a critical incident.

Qualifications/Requirements 

Mandatory minimum requirements: a Bachelor of Social Work or equivalent formal learning, including holding a Bachelor degree or above; or equivalent qualification.

Qualifications must align with the Mandatory Minimum Qualification Requirements for Specialist Family Violence Workers (Recommendation 209).

For more information, please refer to: https://www.vic.gov.au/mandatory-minimum-qualifications-specialist-family-violence-practitioners.

How to Apply  

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: 

The department is committed to providing and maintaining a working environment which is safe and without risk to the health of its employees consistent with the department's obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic). Therefore, there is a requirement that all DJCS employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to undertake duties outside of their homes. 

At interview stage and prior to commencement of employment with the department, you will need to provide evidence that you are vaccinated against COVID-19 with three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.  

Upon commencement of employment with the department you will be required to provide evidence that you have an up-to-date vaccination status within the timelines specified by the department into the DJCS Service Portal. This includes evidence of three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine required by the department (from time to time).