Outh Aod Outreach Worker

**A bit about the role**:
***

The Youth AOD Outreach role is responsible for delivering a comprehensive range of individual counselling and case management support services to young people in the Northwest region experiencing a range of issues such as: substance use and misuse, housing breakdown, mental health & relationship issues.

Working within a social model of health, you will operate within a case management and brief intervention model to conduct assessments, provide direct interventions, undertake structured and semi-structured counselling sessions and conduct supported referrals across a range of domains.

**A bit about you**:
You're passionate about working with at-risk and vulnerable young people with AOD concerns and you are familiar with using a family-focussed approach to case management.

You've got at least 2 years of experience working in AOD and/or assertive outreach and you hold a qualification in Social Work, Youth Work, Community Development, or similar disciplines and have completed (or be willing to complete) the AOD units of competency.

You know the importance of providing effective interventions, client advocacy and implementing the principles of harm minimisation. You know not every day will be the same, you can switch from providing support, to advocating for service access, to writing up case notes in the blink of an eye. Changing lives is your passion but you still embrace rolling up your sleeves and mucking in to get the job done.

**A bit about us**:
We are an independent, registered charity providing front line support to young people and individuals experiencing disadvantage, unemployment, homelessness, alcohol and other drug issues. We also help those looking to re-engage with learning and employment. We recognise the complex and varying needs of the people we work with and go above and beyond, 365 days a year, to provide pathways out of poverty.

Last year our highly skilled multi-disciplinary team, helped 15,288 people through face-to-face contacts at The Living Room, 1,243 young people through our employment and training programs and dispensed over 1.3 million safe injecting kits through our needle exchange program.

We have the ability to provide a complete wrap around, judgement free service with a strong focus on respect, service users-centred care and harm prevention. The impact we seek enables each person to lead longer lives, have improved health, meaningful employment and a greater sense of belonging, safety and security through a holistic model of care.

This is (some) of what we have got up to recently:

- Over 8,000 people accessed our services.
- Welcomed 16,431 visits to The Living Room.
- 80% of the young people we supported landed sustainable employment or education outcomes.
- More than 150,000 coffees were sold through our social enterprise cafes with $73K profit re-directed into homelessness and youth services.
- Experienced 130,000+ contacts through our harm minimisation programs.

You can read more in our
**Impact Report**, check out our
**Health Outreach Program **or you'll find us right across Naarm/Melbourne with our main hubs located in Glenroy, Sunshine, Werribee, Melton and on Hosier Lane in the heart of the city.

**Why should you work with us?**

We're a casual and flexible, yet professional and high energy workplace. We encourage flexibility for a healthy work/life balance and although we are very serious about our work, we are very chill when it comes time to wind down. Every day you spend working with us, you're making a difference.

Although they're pretty great perks, we don't just stop therehere are some of the others:

- Free, locally roasted coffee at the office
- A portion of your income as tax-free through generous salary packaging benefits
- PLUS additional tax-free salary packaging on meals & entertainment expenses
- Flexible work environment & Great Place to Work Certified
- 17.5% Annual Leave Loading
- Uncapped Employee Assistance Program
- Additional paid leave for caregiving, wellbeing, family violence, study PLUS an extra 5 personal leave days

**Sounds like you'd like to work with us?**

Send through your resume + a cover letter
- Please note is a requirement of all Youth Projects positions that the successful applicant holds a valid Working with Children's Check, Police Check._

**Our commitment to diversity**

**Safety screening**

Youth Projects is committed to being a Child Safe organisation, providing an environment where children who come into contact with the organisation are safe and feel safe. Youth Projects has a zero tolerance for child abuse. All Youth Projects staff must undergo Police and Working with Children