Chief Practitioner, Office of Professional

Location: Melbourne | CBD

Job type: Full time / Five (5) year executive employment contract

Organisation: Department of Families, Fairness and Housing

**Salary**: $384,541 - $511,862

Occupation: Executive Management

Reference: VG/DFFH/COPL/375285A

The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) works hard to create equal opportunities for all Victorians to live a safe, respected and valued life.

Our areas of focus are child protection, housing, disability, the prevention of family violence, multicultural affairs, LGBTQI+ equality, veterans, women and youth. The work we do benefits thousands of Victorians, particularly those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable.

We work in a variety of community-based settings, including people's homes, residential facilities and secure settings across metropolitan, rural and regional Victoria.

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The Chief Practitioner, Office of Professional Practice works across the Department and external partners to champion and deliver best practice in human services, foster a culture of continuous improvement and learning and provide expert advice and leadership to ensure that the best possible outcomes are achieved with, and for, Victorians in need.

The Chief Practitioner is part of the Community Operations and Practice Leadership division of the Department and is deeply embedded in the work of the Division to ensure the delivery of high quality services, supporting the translation of the best evidence and research into operational practice.

The role supports and champions the department's frontline workforce, building professional capability and providing expert advice on complex and high risk matters. The role is the principal clinical adviser across community services, including Child Protection and child and family services, disability, housing, homelessness, prevention, family violence and sexual assault services and for people who have complex needs that cut across program boundaries. In addition to providing advice and leadership to support frontline practitioners in their work, the Chief Practitioner will have oversight of a small caseload of complex child protection cases to ensure the department is able to leverage practice expertise and partnerships at a senior level to manage risk and ensure children and their families receive the best possible care.

The department has an ambitious vision and program of reform and the Chief Practitioner will play an instrumental role in embedding that vision into practice. In addition to a reporting line to the Deputy Secretary, Community Operations and Practice Leadership, the Chief Practitioner will have a reporting line to the Secretary and will work across the Department influencing and supporting program and policy development and system reform. The role will also hold responsibility for key strategic projects that will drive and accelerate outcomes for children and families or address emerging risks.

The Chief Practitioner has oversight of statutory functions through the Office of the Victorian Senior Practitioner (Disability), and partners with the Aboriginal Principal Practitioner role to develop the community services workforce and improve service user experiences for Aboriginal Victorians. The Chief Practitioner demonstrates a commitment to cultural safety and makes sure that Aboriginal self-determination is at the core of Victorian practice.

The Chief Practitioner is an effective leader, influencer, collaborator and manager. The Chief Practitioner is a member of the department's Executive Board and contributes to the leadership, strategic direction and performance oversight of the organisation.

The role leads a team of approximately 80 FTE and a budget of $18.3 million, working across the department's frontline workforce of almost 5000 FTE and the community sector and government partners.

**VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS POLICY**

The department is committed to providing and maintaining a working environment that is safe and without risk to the health of its workers and clients. The department may require its employees to be fully vaccinated against preventable diseases such as the current coronavirus (COVID-19). The department's **COVID-19 Vaccination requirements policy** **(Word) outlines the requirements for existing employees, other workplace participants and prospective employees. Subject to exceptions, only employees or other workplace participants with up-to-date vaccination status (see definitions section of the policy) against COVID-19 and who provide evidence of their Vaccination Status are permitted to work for the department outside their ordinary place of residence. For this role, you are required to submit proof of vaccination prior to commencement. Please refer to the above link for