Needle Syringe Program

Needle Syringe Program – Outreach Worker

• Box Hill location working across Eastern Metro region
• Permanent Part Time Positions – After hours
• Multiple opportunities available working 1-2 evenings per week

Who are we?

healthAbility, as the name suggests, plays a unique and valuable role in the health system. We work to address the root causes of vulnerability, prevent disease and promote lifelong health outcomes, empowering people in our community to live their best life.

Our role is also supporting people to self-manage long-term health conditions, such as diabetes and mental health challenges, with multidisciplinary teams delivering community-based programs in a comfortable setting. We also support people, including older people and people with disability, to stay living at home longer and to live well in their community.

Our broad range of primary health services, care management and in home and community support services can be tailored to an individual's needs and with major hubs in Box Hill and Eltham, these services can be delivered locally, in the Eastern and North Eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

Why work with us?

Although our clients are at the heart of what we do and we strive to positively impact our communities and those who need it most, the wellbeing of our employees is just as important.

When joining healthAbility's supportive, kind, caring and ethical culture, you are welcomed by multi-disciplinary teams passionate about the health and wellbeing of clients and communities, from prevention through to specialist care, and passionate about continually learning and building on their areas of expertise. We embrace this passion and are values driven, offering careers with meaning and environments that are flexible, evolving, creative and connected.

healthAbility is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We promote a workplace that actively seeks to include, welcome and value unique contributions of all people. This means we encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people with disability, LGBTIQ+ and from culturally diverse backgrounds to apply for this job, with age being no barrier.

The opportunity:

We are looking for a Outreach Workerto join our supportive and professional multidisciplinary teams in apart time capacity.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to;

• Deliver mobile outreach services across the Eastern Metropolitan Region, distributing sterile injecting equipment and collecting used items.
• Provide non-judgmental, confidential support to People Who Inject Drugs (PWID), including education on safer use, overdose prevention, wound care, BBV and STI prevention.
• Distribute harm reduction resources.
• Conduct assertive night outreach to priority populations.
• Respond to syringe disposal reports and actively contribute to public safety, community education, and stigma reduction.
• Offer brief interventions, referrals, and support to navigate internal and external health, AOD, and social services.
• Maintain vehicle supplies and restocking of equipment onsite.

Our ideal candidate:

• Current Victorian Driver's License.
• Current Working with Children Check (WWCC).
• Strong knowledge of the health and social issues facing PWUD, including harm reduction principles and practice, BBV and STI prevention, and stigma and discrimination
• Demonstrated ability to assess client needs and provide relevant support, information, and referrals.
• Experience engaging diverse clients in a respectful, non-judgmental, trauma-informed, and strengths-based manner
• Ability to set and maintain professional boundaries with service users and colleagues.
• Experience working independently and collaboratively within a team.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution.
• Ability to assess risk and respond safely and professionally in high-pressure situations.
• High-level organisational skills with the ability to prioritise tasks and manage time effectively.

Please apply here by submitting a cover letter addressing the key selection criteria with your CV.  Thank you for your time and interest and please note, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted directly.

Any enquiries can be made to Julia Bilton at

See the video to hear from our employees why this opportunity is much more than a job and how healthAbility offers careers with meaning.