Counselling Intake Officer

Make a difference to the lives of Australians seeking access to our services
- Opportunity to flourish within supportive team environment
- Based in centrally located Melbourne Support Office

**_About_**
**us**:
We are an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to ensuring sexual and reproductive health services are equally accessible to all people living in Australia. MSI Australia is the only national accredited provider of abortion, contraception and vasectomy services, and the country’s longest running provider of tele-abortion. We have a client-centred approach empowering our purpose of your choice, made easier.

MSI Australia operates a network of 10 clinics, a national telemedicine service providing comprehensive termination of pregnancy, vasectomy services from 25 locations and national family planning support. Our clinics and telemedicine services provide support for over 25,000 clients per year.

Our holistic, client-centred approach empowers individuals to control their reproductive health safely, and with dignity, regardless of their circumstances. Through active partnerships with healthcare providers, researchers and communities, our models of care ensure the total wellbeing of our clients is supported at every stage.

**_The role:_**
The Counselling team provides an evidence based, trauma-informed service to pregnant women and people, people in relationships and individuals including young people, seeking counselling support in areas related to their sexual and reproductive wellbeing. We understand client experiences through an intersectional lens, underpinned by a human rights and feminist framework. We acknowledge the lived experience of clients, and the connection to country, community and culture of First Nations clients, as central to wellbeing. We are committed to our own professional and personal development in order to provide a counselling service of the highest quality.

The Counselling Intake Officer role is integral to the effective operation of the Counselling service. As a first entry point, the function of Counselling Intake is to engage often-distressed people, screen for risk including self-harm or child safety concerns, document highly sensitive personal information, and advise internal stakeholders of client care requirements. Counselling Intake information supports counsellors to plan for and deliver targeted therapeutic interventions within time limited sessions

**_Your responsibilities:_**
- Undertake risk and psychosocial screening for clients, and in consultation with line Manager and coordinate emergency response (eg police attendance) if needed
- Consult with internal stakeholders to support a seamless client journey
- Liaise with external stakeholders as needed, with client consent, to support client engagement with MSI services
- Escalate risk issues related to clients, staff or to organisational reputation to line Manager
- Ensure counselling appointment slots are filled by monitoring counsellor schedules, managing client non-attendance and advising internal stakeholders of appointment availability
- Provide information and resources to clients within scope
- Actively participate in quality improvement initiatives to support the Counselling (including Intake function) and Case Management service
- Share knowledge base within team via resource development, in supervision and training sessions, mentoring of new employees and with students on placement
- Maintain up to date documentation and data logging to required standards.
- Continuously develop systems to comprehensively monitor counselling service performance
- Attend team meetings, annual performance reviews, professional development opportunities, working groups as directed
- Maintain knowledge of legislation relevant to safe and effective service provision for clients and their significant others (including children)
- Engage with activities in support of organisational goals
- Understand and comply with the Code of Conduct and Behaviour Policy for employees and all other related policies and procedures
- Demonstrate commitment to organisational values and behaviours at all times
- Adhere to and maintain confidentiality in accordance with the organisations Confidentiality Agreement

**_Required Skills and Qualifications:_**
- Fiercely Pro-choice and champion of women and pregnant people’s rights
- Passionate about de-stigmatising abortion, sexual and reproductive health
- Strong knowledge of trauma-informed care principles
- Well-developed understanding of child safety and family violence, reproductive coercion and abuse, and required organisational/professional responses
- Experience working with diverse and/or under serviced client groups such as LGBTQIA+, older persons, First Nations’ peoples, young people, people living with a disability
- Able to work autonomously and as part of a team
- Excellent time management and communication skills in a deadline driven environment
- Well-developed IT