• Extensive investment in facilities and people supporting our service expansion
• A culture where people care

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 provides specialist forensic mental health services across 12 of Victoria’s 14 prisons with expansion underway to include Western Plains in the Barwon region. This position based at Ravenhall Correctional Centre in Melbourne's west, provides 75 prison-based custodial mental health beds as well as assessments and outpatient services provided in maximum-security forensic mental health complex within the medium-security prison.

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.

The Senior Social Worker provides professional leadership within the social work service, their local team and directorate, and the broader organisation, contributing to service development and research projects, committees and working parties, and the development and review of policy and procedures. The role provides direct social work practice, consultation and advice, and clinical supervision and support to early career and more established social workers.

Duties:

• Contribute to key policy and program development projects within prison services, ensuring strong links and contribution to the organisation’s Strategic Plan.
• Ensure the maintenance of accepted professional standards through formal professional supervision, mentoring, and performance appraisal of relevant social work staff and students.
• Initiate and implement discipline-specific quality improvement activities and contribute to generic quality improvement activities, protocol development and achieving ethical standards within the service.

• Deliver high quality social work services to consumers consistent with the Forensicare Model of Care.

• Provide consultation and advice to members of the multi-disciplinary team on social work and related issues.

• Demonstrate highly developed psychosocial assessment skills and the ability to convey to the multidisciplinary team.

• Undertake structured family assessments, examining support structures and need for psycho or legal education and referral to services.

• Undertake structured risk and need assessments and develop risk and need management plans in collaboration with the consumer and multidisciplinary team.

About You:

• A sound knowledge of legislation relevant to the target population.

• 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.

• Ability to coordinate and evaluate social work practice and service development activities within a forensic mental health setting.

What you need:

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

To access a detailed position description, please click Senior Social Worker - Grade 3.

Or 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. Advertising may close earlier than indicated.

A culture where people matter.

• Excellent supervision and investment in the skill development of all our team members.
• Well defined career pathways existing across our Directorates with multi-disciplined Teams.
• Salary Packaging Options available – Mortgage, Rent, Car, Expenses
• A leading, multi-faceted approach to safety, with unparalleled strategic, practical, individualised and team-based supports to minimise risks and fear and maximise safety and security, underpinned by our workplace health and safety strategy.
• Celebration and reward for good performance, through employee recognition.
• 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, peer support and critical incidence response programs.

Eligibility

Influenza and Immunisation Evidence

This position is subject to a Police Check

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