Aboriginal Community Support Workers
Job No:
N38
Location:
Newcastle
- Unique position where YOU can really make a difference in the local community!
- Work with and enjoy the support of an Aboriginal team!
- Family-friendly workplace with great working conditions!
About the Organisation
New Horizons Enterprises Limited is a leading non-profit provider of accommodation, employment and support solutions for people with disability, mental illness, as well as those who are frail-aged.
Founded in 1981, the organisation is growing rapidly, and today delivers around a million hours of support to approximately 3000 people in New South Wales.
Services range from out-reach and in-reach support to job placement and supported employment, from residential and community aged care to humanitarian and Indigenous support services.
Head Office is based in North Ryde, however services extend across Sydney, Central Coast, Hunter, Mid North Coast, Blue Mountains and Northern Rivers regions.
About the Service
The Aboriginal Housing Accommodation Support Initiative (HASI) program aims to increase opportunities for Aboriginal citizens to grow and live independently even during hard times. The program aims to achieve this by encouraging people to be involved in the community by:
- Assisting with maintaining accommodation;
- Providing someone to talk to;
- Encouraging participation in family life; and
- Encouraging participants to get relationships back on track.
In partnership with NSW Health and NSW Housing, New Horizons currently operates HASI services in Sydney, Central Coast, Mid North Coast, Northern Rivers and Greater Newcastle region.
About the Opportunity
New Horizons has exciting opportunities for permanent Aboriginal Community Support Workers to join the Aboriginal HASI team based in Lambton, Newcastle.
In these positions, you will be responsible for the provision of culturally appropriate support to Aboriginal community members and their families. An integral part of the role will be to walk beside the person and help them make the best of their life and achieve their potential.
Ideally, you will have connections to the local Awabakal community and be culturally aware of the impact that culture, including social and emotional issues and history, has on the provision of health services to Aboriginal clients.
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.
A pivotal part of the role will be to build and maintain strong collaborative relationships with the community and services; therefore an approachable communication style is important. Additionally an understanding of relevant industry acts and standards would be highly regarded, as will an understanding of strength based recovery.
To be successful, you'll require excellent problem solving and decision making skills, as well as the ability to work to timeframes and work in challenging situations. Also essential to the role will be competency in administration, documentation, reporting and intermediate computer skills in Microsoft Office.
Successful applicants will hold, or be willing to obtain, qualifications in Community Services, Disability, Mental Health or Welfare, as well as have experience in working with people with mental health issues.
This program will operate over a 7 day roster between 6.00am to 8.00pm, offering the opportunity to access penalty shifts. A current NSW driver's licence is required for this role. 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 to increase the value of your take-home pay. In addition to this, you will also receive monthly RDO's and fantastic working conditions. What's more, the organisation truly values its employees, and actively encourages training and further study.
About the Process
Applications close @ 5.00pm Monday, 6 February 2012. Applicants who are successful through to the next stage will be contacted by email. It is anticipated interviews will be held early February 2012. Note: a current and active email address is required as part of your online application.