Aboriginal Enquiry Officer

**Aboriginal Enquiry Officer (Identified)**

**Housing Contact Centre**

**Location: Bega**
- **Industry leading training and career development**:

- **1 x Ongoing Full-Time**:

- **Satellite Office Location: Bega**:

- **Clerk Grade 5/6, Salary ($87,493 pa - $96,540 pa), plus employer’s contribution to superannuation and annual leave loading**:

- **A talent pool will be created for future ongoing and temporary roles**

To meet the needs of Aboriginal communities in appropriate ways, it is important to have senior client service officers who are Aboriginal people. As an Enquiry Officer, you will have the opportunity to:

- provide an Aboriginal perspective
- advocate on behalf of Aboriginal people in your community
- build strong relationships with partner agencies to support and strengthen families and cultural connections
- use cultural knowledge to help inform and shape service delivery

**About us**

The Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) was formed in 2019 with the merger of two former departments Family and Community Services (FACS) and Justice.

**About the Agency**

Housing Services, an agency of The Department of Communities and Justice, directly supports approximately 800,000 people every year and reaches a further million people through local community-based programs.

Housing Services is one of the largest providers of social housing in the world, providing a range of housing solutions to meet the needs of today’s community.

In partnership with the community, industry and individuals we provide safe, decent and affordable housing opportunities for those most in need so that they can live with dignity, find support if needed and achieve sustainable futures.

**About the role**

This is an Ongoing role in accordance with the Government Sector Employment Act 2013.

The Housing Contact Centre (HCC) is a 24/7 contact centre operation of approx. 320 staff. The HCC office is located in Liverpool, with a satellite office in Broken Hill and Bega. The centre delivers phone support to NSW clients with access to social housing services, including Link2home crisis accommodation, Social Housing Applications and Rentstart bond loan service.

The centre manages the Aboriginal Enquiry line (AEL), Which Provides Culturally appropriate services to clients over the phone between 8:30 am - 4:30 pm weekdays.

An important part of this role is to work within a team of Aboriginal Enquiry Officers to closely oversee the AEL service and work with internal and external stakeholders to provide this service to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. While the enquiry line is primarily handled by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Client Service Officers (CSO), this role will be to manage escalations, as well as lead the AEL line toward future change and development.

**Duties**
- Lead Aboriginal client issue and inquiry resolution process from point of referral to the AEO by Aboriginal CSOs to completion to ensure timely response within service standards.
- Monitoring AEL service as a whole including statistics, to ensure all calls are actioned properly with timely resolution, and provide relevant advice when needed to Senior Operations Managers (SOMs), Service Managers and Team Leaders.
- Provide advice and/or make appropriate referrals to assist Aboriginal clients with complex support and housing needs in accessing appropriate support services.
- Collaborate with Aboriginal housing providers/AHO as needed to achieve appropriate outcomes for clients.
- Seek out and actively manage key internal and external stakeholder relationships in the local area based on open and regular discussions and feedback.
- Facilitate indigenous training - including training in AEL, local management of the Aboriginal, cultural awareness project, and related matters. Share specialised knowledge and coach/mentor and guide team members to strengthen effectiveness in managing competing client needs, and compliance with relevant legislation.
- Identify development and training needs for client service teams and provide on the job training, mentoring and guidance to client service staff to ensure Aboriginal clients’ specific needs are understood and appropriate services are delivered.
- Mentor AEL team members to further develop skills and general knowledge required.
- Collaborate with internal service areas as well as other agencies and service providers to broker services for individual clients, which requires a high degree of sensitivity and professional empathy.
- Provide cultural advice across all HCC services, by providing feedback to SOM and Team Leaders about matters referred to the AEL from CSO’s containing incorrect information or processes, with the aim to educate CSOs more deeply about Aboriginal housing issues to improve culturally sensitive service delivery for Aboriginal clients.

**Please see below YouTube video link for more information about the role of a Client Service Officer within the team.**

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