Aboriginal Community Support Workers

Job No: 18658

Location: Newcastle, NSW

    * Opportunity to work in your local community and make a difference in a person's life!
    * Family-friendly work hours
    * Highly autonomous role which is challenging and rewarding

About the Organisation

New Horizons is a progressive not-for-profit community based organisation, which has been operating since 1981.

The organisation provides services in supported accommodation, supported employment and aged care for over 1200 people. New Horizons' non-profit commercial packaging service specialises in providing solutions for commercial clients while providing employment for people with a disability.

The organisation's head office is in North Ryde, however services are provided in the Sydney, Central Coast, Hunter, Mid North Coast, Blue Mountains and Northern Rivers regions. New Horizons is growing rapidly, with approximately 520 employees in NSW.

About the Opportunities

New Horizons has exciting opportunities for (2) permanent Aboriginal Community Support Workers to join its teams in NSW, working in various initiatives within the Personal Helpers & Mentors Program.

The Personal Helpers and Mentors program aims to increase opportunities for people, by being involved in the community, having someone to talk to, getting their family life and relationships back on track, to grow healthy and strong even if they are going through hard times. The successful applicants will support Aboriginal community members and their families by providing links and referrals to a range of mainstream and Aboriginal services.

The primary purpose of these roles is to ensure service delivery encompass the principles of recovery to meet the needs of the participants and implement community mental health initiatives to assist people with mental illness and their families and carers to manage the impact of mental illness. Shifts for the PHaMs program will only be required to work Monday to Friday during normal business hours.

Due to the nature of this role, applicants are required to be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. In this role an applicant's race is a genuine occupational qualification and is authorised by section 14 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1997, as amended.

About You

To be successful , you will have an understanding of the complexity of Aboriginal traditional culture and history, and the impact that culture including social and emotional issues and history has on the provision of health services to Aboriginal clients.

To be considered for these roles it is important you hold a minimum Certificate III in a related field, while it would be advantageous if you had completed training in Mental Health and/or Community Services. An understanding of the Disability Service Standards and National Mental Health Standards will be vital.

For all our roles, you should be an empathetic individual, with strong communication and organisational skills, and the ability to work in challenging situations. You will need a current NSW driver's licence. An enthusiasm for the industry, and a genuine desire to help others and improve the community, is essential!

You will need a current NSW driver's licence. Candidates with a first aid certificate will be held in high regard. Successful applicants will be required to undergo a Criminal Record Check and a Working with Children check.

About the Benefits

New Horizons offers a competitive remuneration package and salary sacrifice options.  In addition to this you will also receive monthly RDO's and enjoy family friendly work hours, with fantastic working conditions. The organisation truly values its employees, and actively encourages training and further study.

These are extremely satisfying and rewarding roles, and you will finish each working day knowing you have improved the lives of others and truly made a difference within the community!

This is an amazing opportunity to truly make a positive difference in a rewarding role, while gaining valuable experience, learning new skills and driving your career forward!