Disability Support Officer

* Utilise your Disability Support co-ordination expertise to provide support and advice to Offender Services, Corrections Victoria.
* Fixed term, Full-Time opportunity to work with a high-performing and passionate team in the Victorian Public Service
* VPS Grade 3: $74,580 - $90,558 plus superannuation.
The Department of Justice and Community Safety (the department) is seeking a Disability Support Officer, Prison Disability Support Initiative (PDSI) to provide a critical role within Offender Services, Corrections Victoria.
About the Business Unit
Corrections and Justice Services, a business unit of the Department of Justice and Community Safety, implements court judgements and orders of the Adult Parole Board. Corrections and Justice Services manages 50 Community Correctional Services locations across Victoria and is responsible for managing Victoria's 11 public prisons and a transition centre, as well as overseeing the contracts relating to the management of three privately operated prisons. It also develops programs for the management and rehabilitation of prisoners and the community-based supervision of offenders.
The Rehabilitation and Reintegration Branch (RRB), within the Community Operations and Offender Services Division, is responsible for a range of offender programs and services across both prisons and Community Correctional Services. The Branch's purpose is to contribute to a safer community through a safe and humane corrections system that provides opportunities for rehabilitation, supports reintegration and working toward Aboriginal self-determination. The Branch holds the following portfolios:
* Naalamba Ganbu and Nerrlinggu Yilam* (Cultural Integrity and Resilience Unit), supporting Aboriginal programs and policy to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the justice system.
* Programs and support services for cohorts that require a specialist or targeted response such as women, those with disability, as well as ageing and culturally and linguistically diverse offenders.
* Transition and reintegration activity and programs in prison through to post-release.
* Family engagement and parenting programs.
* Family Violence interventions and support services for victim survivors and perpetrators.
(*Corrections Victoria honours, respects and thanks the Taungurung Clans Aboriginal Corporation for the use of their language to name Corrections Victoria's Cultural Integrity and Resilience Unit).
The Prison Disability Support Initiative (PDSI) is a newly implemented state-wide Disability Support service. The PDSI aims to:
* Improve the identification of people accommodated within the prison system with cognitive impairments and associated complex disability needs.
* Enhance the capacity of prison staff and stakeholders, particularly custodial staff, to effectively support people accommodated within prison settings who demonstrate cognitive impairments.
* Enhance decision-making about all aspects of supporting those people whilst accommodated in a prison setting, including decisions relating to: placement, case management, rehabilitation options, and transition and reintegration needs.
* Provide evidence-based therapeutic intervention to improve the independent functioning of people accommodated within prison settings who demonstrate cognitive impairments.
* Support people accommodated within prison settings who demonstrate cognitive impairments to access appropriate Disability Support services.
About the Role
The Disability Support Officer (DSO), of the PDSI, provides an integral Disability Support co-ordination role within the Disability Support stream of the PDSI service. The PDSI team consists of a manager and a multidisciplinary team of clinical and Disability Support staff. PDSI staff work across all prisons in Victoria providing a range of services including case co-ordination, advocacy, clinical consultations, training, assessment, treatment, behaviour support and other interventions for service users with disability associated with underlying cognitive impairment.
This position will: provide crucial Disability Support knowledge to the broader team and relevant stakeholders; utilise an understanding of relevant Disability Support services both within the criminal justice system and the community to develop Disability Support plans; utilise an understanding of disability needs to support service users to access relevant Disability Support services, including but not limited to the National Disability Insurance scheme (NDIS); implement high level disability case co-ordination; provide advocacy and advice in relation to disability needs to a range of internal and external stakeholders.
The PDSI is a state-wide essential prison service with staff actively providing in prison services. This role consists of a hybrid of working from 121 Exhibition Street and providing in prison services across all metropolitan and regional prisons.
To learn more about this role before applying, please read the attached position description.
About you
To be successful in this role, you will have:
* Demonstrated experience working with, and implementing supports for people who demonstrate cognitive impairments.
* Demonstrated experience in leading case- co-ordination, support pathway planning, advocacy and providing supportive services to people who demonstrate cognitive impairments.
* An understanding of, and commitment to the application of, the Risk Needs Responsivity model.
* An understanding of the challenges involved in working within a forensic environment.
* Demonstrated experience working within the field of disability and/or the criminal justice system.
* An understanding of the challenges involved in working within a forensic environment.
How to Apply
Please click the Apply button on this advertisement. Applications should include a resume and covering letter. Attachments can be uploaded in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt or .rtf formats.
The successful candidate will be required to undergo pre-employment checks which may include national police checks and misconduct screening.
If you require adjustments to the recruitment and selection process, or require an alternative format to any of the application material, please don't hesitate to get in touch with the contact person listed on this ad.
FOR INTERNAL VPS EMPLOYEES:
* For this particular vacancy, priority consideration applies to Victorian Public Service (VPS) and select employees of the Victorian Public Sector who apply through the Jobs Skills Exchange (JSE) jobs board platform.
* For all VPS employees, due to the new Jobs Skills Exchange (JSE) policy, please apply through the JSE to be eligible to be considered for this position in the first round.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
CHILD SAFE STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT:
The Department of Justice and Community Safety is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. We seek to prevent harm of any kind impacting children and young people and have zero tolerance for racism, child abuse and inequality. Children and young people's rights, relationships, identity, and culture must be recognised and respected, their voices heard, and their concerns acted upon. We aim to foster a culturally safe, child safe and child friendly environment for all children and young people we have contact with, deliver services to, or are impacted by our work.