Counsellor Dcrs

Location: Melbourne | CBD

Job type: Part time / 12 Months

Organisation: Department of Health

**Salary**: Salary not specified

Occupation: Health and Allied Health

Reference: VG/DH/RRIL/1733746

VARTA is a statutory authority guided by the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008 and the Minister for Health’s Statement of Expectations. VARTA helps people understand what they can do to improve their chance of having a baby. We regulate assisted reproductive treatment (ART) providers and prioritise the best interests of people having ART, and their future children. We support people involved in donor conception to get the information they need and to achieve their connection preferences.

**Role Purpose**

The Counsellor is also responsible for conducting public education activities and developing supportive resource material (including website content) relating to donor conception for audiences including people considering donor treatment, and families already formed using an egg, sperm, or embryo donation.

The Counsellor will deliver support for families on how to tell children that they are donor-conceived by providing information and advice sessions in line with the VARTA public education program and by working with professionals who provide support to families.

**VARTA**:
OUR VISION is that people are enabled to make optimal choices about their fertility, assisted reproductive treatment and the connections it creates.

VARTA helps people understand what they can do to improve their chance of having a baby. We regulate assisted reproductive treatment (ART) providers and prioritise the best interests of people having ART, and their future children. We support people involved in donor conception to get the information they need and to achieve their connection preferences.

VARTA is a statutory authority guided by the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008 and the Minister for Health's Statement of Expectations.

**Key Accountabilities**:
**Donor conception registers**
- Manage the counselling sessions for donor-conceived people, parents of donor-conceived people, and donors on the Central and Voluntary Registers.
- Keep appropriate records of the counselling sessions including writing reports and recording counselling activity in the customer relationship database as required.
- Undertake donor-linking activities, which includes facilitating the exchange of information between parties and facilitated meetings between parties if requested.
- Monitor and evaluate the stakeholder experience of donor conception register services.

**Public education**
- Assist with the organization of education events such as: Time to Tell seminars, Family Storybook workshops for parents and health professionals and Donor-linking seminars for donor-conceived adults, recipient parents and donors.
- Contribute to the development of education resources pertaining to assisted reproductive treatment (ART) and donor conception. This includes printed or audiovisual resources and development of website content.
- Attend relevant meetings to represent VARTA and the donor registers services.
- Support health professionals who want to improve their knowledge and skills in managing the psychosocial aspect of donor conception.
- Contribute to building a positive and supportive team culture.
- Undertake other duties as required.

**Technical Expertise**:

- Demonstrated experience working in a counselling role.
- Highly developed verbal and written communication skills
- Highly developed interpersonal skills with an ability to liaise and communicate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders, individuals, and groups.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a complex environment.
- Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships, including contributing to a positive workplace culture.
- Demonstrated ability to contribute effectively to process and quality improvement.
- Ability to employ sound judgement and decision making amongst competing demands.
- Ability to show initiative in planning and developing new ideas and approaches, and to implement and communicate change effectively.

**Qualifications**:

- Qualification in social work, psychology, or similar.
- Sound knowledge and demonstrated experience of counselling theory and practice.
- Knowledge of issues related to fertility, infertility and assisted reproductive treatment or experience working in the fertility industry is highly desirable.

**Mandatory Vaccination Policy**:
**Application Eligibility**:
**Application of JSE Policy**:
**Notification this is not a VPS Role**

**HOW TO APPLY**: