Social Worker

Position title: Social Worker
Support service for psychologically injured Queensland workers
Organisation: Queensland Council of Unions
Time fraction: Full time – commencing January 2025
Salary From $109 000 + super
Employment arrangements: Queensland Council of Unions Staff Agreement 2023 – 2026
Minimum experience: Previous experience undertaking intake and assessment, case management, and community outreach as a social worker, preferably in the field of mental health.
Minimum qualifications: Tertiary qualifications in social work, as recognised by the Australian Association of Social Workers
Location: TLC Building, 16 Peel St, South Brisbane
Collaborates with: Workers' Compensation Information Service, Officer
Reports to directly: Executive Officer
Reports to overall: General Secretary

Organisation

Queensland Council of Unions is the peak union body in Queensland, comprised of 26 affiliated unions, representing over 400,000 union members.

Function

A support service for psychologically injured Queensland workers (who are suffering, or have suffered from, a work-related psychological injury) will be delivered through a small team of social workers with appropriate skills and experience in mental health.

This service provides supplementary, non-technical support for workers who experience difficulties in navigating community supports as a result of the psychosocial impacts related to the workers' compensation process.

Any agency engaged in workers' compensation may refer an injured worker to this service, including the Regulator, employers, unions, and treating medical or allied health professionals.

The support service is required to be accessible to any Queensland worker, in any location throughout the state, through a toll-free advisory telephone line, video conference, email enquiry, and website enquiry facilities (9 am – 5 pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays).

The support service complements an existing Workers' Compensation Information and Advisory Service (WCIAS) for Queensland workers, delivered through the Queensland Council of Unions.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Perform initial needs assessments specific to each worker, based on an analysis of complex factors;
• Contribute to the development of services, through initiating and undertaking service evaluation and audit;
• Apply independent professional judgement and high-level problem-solving skills to a complex case load to achieve positive outcomes which meet individual client goals, where applicable;
• Apply therapeutic support skills (but not treatment) to meet the individual needs of workers;
• Establish networks with key community support groups and organisations, including Centrelink and training organisations;
• Build networks and relationships to further promote the service among key stakeholder groups;
• Maintain and further develop a current case management database to responsively identify key trends and reporting deliverables;
• Recommend diverse and multiple interventions commensurate with a worker's identified needs;
• Educate and engage the worker with community support services;
• Effectively manage a worker's expectations.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualifications in social work, as recognised by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW);
• Eligibility for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW);
• No outstanding professional competency or ethical issues or complaints known to the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) which may preclude membership of the organisation;
• Evidence of continuing professional development will be well regarded.

Experience

Previous experience in undertaking intake and assessment, case management, and community outreach as a social worker, preferably in the field of mental health.

Other

This position is based in Brisbane. Applicants must have a current driver's license. Pre-employment screening, including an AFP criminal record check, may be undertaken on the person who is recommended for appointment to this role. A probationary period of 6 months applies for new employees.

The QCU supports Equal Employment Opportunity and encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, and LGBTIQ people with relevant qualifications, experience, and skills to apply.

Reporting Process

To assume this role you must be appointed by the General Secretary, in line with the QCU Staff Recruitment Policy. You will report to the Executive Officer and ultimately to the General Secretary on any matters within the area of responsibility. Formal reports on key progress points on service deliverables will be made in accordance with a funding agreement, according to an established format.

Key Selection Criteria

• High level of skill, knowledge, and expertise in social work practice, theoretical perspectives, social systems, legislation, and policies relevant to the service scope;
• High level ability to communicate and liaise effectively with clients and relevant stakeholders, including medical and allied health professionals, community service providers, and other organisations involved in meeting the identified needs of injured workers;
• Demonstrated experience in developing networks and relationships;
• Proven ability to manage and prioritise a caseload and exercise initiative;
• High level time management skills to effectively manage workload, meet deadlines and deliver services in a timely way;
• A high level of commitment to, and experience with, Queensland unions and the broader Labour movement;
• A high level of written and verbal communication skills;
• Sound computer and word-processing skills, including use of Microsoft Office Suite;
• Well-developed personal organisational and administrative skills;
• Ability to work collaboratively with staff to promote a co-operative and cohesive team approach to service delivery;
• Experience in networking and developing relationships with key stakeholders to promote service delivery;
• Experience in working independently to deliver high quality and timely actions and output, with the flexibility to rearrange priorities to meet changing needs of the organisation;
• Experience and capacity to discharge the specific function of the new role, as described in the 'Deliverables' section of this Position Description.

Application Process

Applications close at 5 pm on Thursday, 5 December 2024.

An applicant's CV, together with a cover letter addressing the key selection criteria, should be forwarded to:

Ms Jacqueline King
General Secretary
Queensland Council of Unions
Level 5
16 Peel Street
South Brisbane Qld 4101