Harm Reduction Worker

• Casual roles available
• $41.52 per hour + super + salary packaging
• Work for a multi-award-winning iconic community health organisation
• Generous salary packaging options to reduce your cohealth taxable income

So why cohealth?

cohealth leads the way in reducing health and social inequity in partnership with people and the communities in which they live. Named Premier's Health Service of the Year (Primary) and the Supporting LGBTIQ+ Health Service at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards, cohealth's 1000 staff demonstrate courage, leadership, innovation, and agility in their commitment to providing inclusive and culturally safe health services that protect the human rights of all people of all gender identities, sexualities, ages, cultural backgrounds, faiths, and abilities.

Our inclusive workplace culture enables staff to bring their whole selves to work, where uniqueness is valued, and people experience a feeling of belonging. Our aim is for everyone to thrive in their role. Please click here to find out more.

About the role

The Harm Reduction Worker provides assertive street outreach Harm Reduction services to individuals and groups. Improving health, wellbeing and inclusion amongst People Who Use Drugs (PWUD), live with Mental Illness and who may be experiencing or have experienced homelessness is the key purpose of this position.

Please refer to the Position Description for more information.

Your duties include:

• Undertake assertive street outreach within a multidisciplinary team
• Provide Harm Reduction education, advocacy, referral, needles/syringes and other injecting and disposal equipment to clients to support safer using and disposal through all modalities; onsite site, outreach and dispensing machines.
• Undertake community engagement, development activities and tasks which reduces stigma and promotes community safety and wellbeing
• Using safe strategies, work with intoxicated consumers and assess overdose risk.
• Respond to challenging behaviour calmly and assertively using a trauma informed framework and in line with cohealth policies and procedures

What cohealth offers:

• Generous salary packaging options to suit you - tax free amount of up to $15,900 p.a (mortgage, rent, or credit cards) and a further $2,650 p.a (meal, entertainment expenses and holiday accommodation). Salary packaging reduces your cohealth taxable income, meaning you pay less tax on your cohealth income
• A generous rewards program from our salary packaging provider
• Exciting Parental leave benefits
  • cohealth offers primary carers 14 weeks paid parental leave upon completion of only 6 months of continuous service
  • Eligible co-workers will continue to receive superannuation on unpaid parental leave as well
• Novated Leasing available
• Discounts for health and wellbeing activities, such as gym memberships, health clubs products, and spas
• Free staff Immunisations and Vaccines
• Counselling services for you and your immediate family through our EAP-Access provider, and mindfulness, resilience, and wellbeing programs
• We offer inclusion, equality, and opportunity in a workplace where making a difference counts (based on our guiding principles and values)
• Career development and continuous learning opportunities/mentoring with senior clinicians

Our ideal candidate:

• Minimum Certificate IV in a relevant discipline (e.g. Alcohol and Other Drugs, Community Development, Social Work)
• Proof of qualification to be sighted
• Lived experience will be highly regarded.
• Sound knowledge of the health and social issues and service sector for people who use substances and sleep rough

All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory Police Check, a Working With Children Check (WWCC), complete a Statutory Declaration, evidence of legal rights to work in Australia, and evidence of vaccination against COVID-19 (3 doses). Additionally, some roles will also require current AHPRA registration and/or NDIS Worker Screening Clearance.

Roles that are determined to be Risk Category A or B [staff that have direct and/or indirect contact with body substances and are at higher risk of occupational exposure to infections] will be required to provide evidence of immunisation assessment including Influenza prior to commencement [A] or within 12 weeks of commencement [B]. This is in accordance with the Victorian Minister of Health Mandatory Vaccination Orders for COVID-19 and legislated requirement for influenza vaccination.

Application Process

Click on apply now to be directed to our careers page. You will be asked to upload your CV/ resume and answer the Key Selection Criteria in the Cover Letter. We will be conducting interviews for this role as suitable applications are received. This campaign will close on the mentioned date at 10.00 PM. If you have any questions regarding this role, please contact Jill Tejada ***********@cohealth.org.au.

To apply for this job go to: https://cohealthcareers.org.au/Current-Jobs & enter ref code: 6544421.

Applications close 01 March 2024.