Senior Advisor X6

THE ROLE

Responding effectively to child abuse risk and family violence concerns for children and adults are responsibilities shared by Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments.

The primary objective of the department's Family Law Program is to facilitate the identification and management of risk and to prioritise the safety and well-being of children, families and individuals interacting with state and commonwealth systems. The objectives of the Victorian model are achieved by:

• Ensuring the provision of timely and quality reports to facilitate decision making in the best interests of children, families and individuals subject to family law proceedings where there are also child protection and/or family violence concerns.
• Fostering collaborative relationships and practices with family law personnel and child protection services to better meet the needs of vulnerable cohorts.
• Capacity building in both the child protection and family law systems as they relate to child abuse and family violence risk and responses.

To support information exchange between the child protection, family violence and family law systems, the Commonwealth Government has developed The National Strategic Framework for Family Violence Information Sharing Between the Family Law and Family Violence and Child Protection Systems (the National Framework). The objective of the National Framework is to promote the safety and wellbeing of adults and children affected by family violence and child abuse. It is also to support informed and appropriate decision making when there is, or may be, a risk of family violence or child abuse.

The role of the Senior Advisor is be to provide reports and information on both open and closed cases regarding sensitive Child Protection issues in response to orders made by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCoA).

The role will also be required to review and respond to Hague international child abduction cases, matters related to property-only disputes and spousal maintenance issues brought before the court where there are concerns regarding family violence.

This role reports to the Family Law Program's Team Manager.

The role may occasionally require travel to various office/court locations across Victoria and requires both a current Victorian driver's licence and a current Working with Children Check.

ACCOUNTABILITIES INCLUDE

• Provide professional responses and recommendations to the FCFCoA and Child Protection on complex, sensitive child protection cases, both open and closed, under the CYFA Act 2005, Family Law Act 1975, Family Law Amendment Act 2023, and recommendations of the National Strategic Framework.
• Provide expert advice, undertake follow-up action, and identify emerging issues, pre-planning, and evaluation related to child protection matters before the FCFCoA.
• Apply current Child Protection systems, terminology, practice, legislation and risk assessment frameworks, including MARAM, Connect for Safety, L17 Portal to report to the Court and assist child protection practitioners.

Please open the position description to read more.

This is an NDIS Risk Assessed Role / This is a Key Personnel Role.

Staff appointed to this role at the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing may not commence in role until they have an NDIS Worker Screening Clearance and have provided this detail for recording.

For more information on what this means, and all other requirements, please see the Position Description.

This role requires a Working with Children Check.

Further advice on obtaining this check can be found here:

For more information on what this means, and all other requirements, please see the Position Description.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants are encouraged to apply online. Attachments can be uploaded in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt or .rtf formats.

Applicants are required to submit a CV and Cover Letter (max 2 pages) outlining their suitability to the role in line with the Key Selection Criteria.

Applicants must be an Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident or hold a valid work permit or visa. Work eligibility will be checked as part of the recruitment process.

Preferred candidates will be required to complete pre-employment screening, including a national police check and misconduct screening.

For more information on working with us and our recruitment process, please visit Department of Families, Fairness and Housing Victoria | Jobs )

Please apply to submit your interest in this position.