Community Services Worker

Wayside Chapel Evangelical Free Church of America Inc; Sydney; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Five weeks’ annual leave

Flexible/hybrid working options

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Wayside Chapel is seeking a Community Services Worker to provide frontline support to visitors, creating a safe, welcoming environment. You will engage with individuals experiencing vulnerability, assess immediate needs and deliver practical assistance within a trauma-informed, harm-minimisation framework.

The role includes shifts from 9AM to 9PM, totaling 38 hours per week of full-time work. You will collaborate with volunteers and programs to promote dignity, wellbeing and urgent relief

Qualifications

• Experience addressing the needs of disadvantaged populations and at-risk groups.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed principles and harm minimisation approaches.
• Initiative and flexibility; ability to work in a demanding environment as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Greet visitors, build rapport, assess immediate needs and direct visitor flow through the service.
• Provide crisis support and respond to immediate issues such as housing shortages, mental health crises and health emergencies.
• Manage practical assistance including showers, toiletries, emergency clothing and meals.
• Promote independence and wellbeing through individual and community engagement; maintain a safe environment.
• Collaborate with volunteers and other Wayside programs to advance visitor care objectives.
• Operate within trauma-informed care and harm minimisation frameworks and manage incidents as they arise.

Education

TAFE level qualifications in Community Services Work, Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs or related area

Job description

The Community Services Worker provides frontline support to visitors by creating a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment. The role involves engaging with individuals experiencing vulnerability, assessing immediate needs, delivering practical assistance, and providing crisis support and referrals.Working within a trauma-informed and harm minimisation framework, the position promotes dignity, independence and wellbeing while managing visitor flow and maintaining safety across shared spaces.You would be required to work a mixture of shifts across 9AM - 9PM. This role full-time - 7.6 hours per day, 38 hours per week.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Greet visitors, build rapport, conduct basic assessment of need and direct visitor flow through the serviceProvide crisis support and respond to immediate visitor issues such as lack of housing, mental health crises and other health emergenciesManage the provision of practical assistance including allocation of showers, toiletries, emergency clothes and emergency mealsPromote independence, self-determination and self-worth in visitors through one-to-one and community engagementUtilise a trauma informed care approach to all interactions with visitorsOperate within a harm minimisation framework when working with visitors engaged in high- risk behavioursMaintain a safe environment through monitoring visitor behaviour and managing incidents as they arise, including dealing with aggression, challenging behavioural issues, substance use, overdose, suicidal ideation, complex and co-occurring mental health presentationsCollaborate and work effectively with volunteers and with other programs within Wayside for the advancement of visitor care objectives

ABOUT YOU

TAFE level qualifications in Community Services Work, Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs or other relevant area, and/or extensive experience in the areas of addressing the needs of disadvantaged populationsExperience working with at-risk populations and understanding of related issues, both practical and systemic (including but not limited to Juvenile Justice, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, CALD, trauma, homelessness, mental health, alcohol and other drugs)Knowledge of and ability to operate with regard to trauma-informed principlesInitiative, flexibility and the ability to work as part of a team in a demanding environment

ABOUT WAYSIDE

Wayside Chapel has provided unconditional love, care and support to the most marginalised people on and around the streets of Sydney since 1964. Our mission is to create a community with no ‘us and them’, and address underlying issues of inequality, wellbeing and loneliness.From our centres in Kings Cross and Bondi and through outreach teams, we offer a range of support services that place dignity, respect and low at the heart of what we do.Every day, we walk alongside people facing homelessness, addiction, mental health challenges and isolation. We provide care that is trauma informed, respectful and human.

OUR VALUES

Connection- Moving Together

Accountability - Doing the Work

Dignity - Seeing the Person

Courage- Staying in the Room

Openness - Looking a Little Deeper

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

Five weeks’ annual leaveFlexible/hybrid working options3 days flex leave$15,900 of your annual salary tax-fee through generous NFP salary packagingPaid cultural and ceremonial leave for First Nations employeesCultural loading allowanceEmployee Assistance Program – free, confidential counselling serviceTenure Leave after 2 years employmentGifted day of Christmas LeaveAccess to monthly External Clinical SupervisionWayside is a registered portable long service leave employerTenure Leave after 2 years employment

Wayside is an Equal Opportunity Employer that provides an inclusive work environment and embraces the diverse talent of its people. We value people of all cultures, languages, capacities, sexual orientations, gender identities and/or expressions. We are committed to achieving a diverse workforce and strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Before an offer of employment, candidates will be required to complete the pre-employment checks, including reference checks and a background check.