Social Worker Grade 4

Forensicare; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging

Employee Assistance Program

Fitness Passport

Job summary

Forensicare in Melbourne is seeking a Senior Social Worker to bring advanced clinical practice to a forensic mental health setting. You will contribute to service development through research, quality improvement, and supervision of students and early-career practitioners.

The role requires sound clinical judgement, trauma-informed approaches, and strong engagement with consumers, families and multidisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• Eligibility for AASW membership in Australia.
• Extensive background in mental health or forensic settings.
• Proven clinical assessment and intervention capabilities.
• Demonstrated leadership and supervision experience.
• Solid knowledge of relevant legislation and systemic advocacy.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate social work practice within a designated inpatient stream.
• Provide leadership and support to junior and senior social workers.
• Deliver psychosocial and risk assessments and offer specialist consultation.
• Support consumers, families and carers through structured interventions and care planning.

Skills

AASW membership eligible

Mental health/forensic experience

Clinical assessment skills

Leadership and supervision

Legislation & advocacy

Communication & engagement

Job description

Please note, applications will be reviewed and accessed as received. Advertising may close earlier than indicated.

About the Role

We’re seeking an experienced Senior Social Worker to bring depth of experience to clinical practice, contributing to systemic understanding, advocacy, and culturally responsive care. The role supports service development through participation in research, quality improvement, and supervision of students and early-career practitioners. The position requires sound clinical judgement, strong engagement skills, and a commitment to ethical trauma-informed practice in a forensic setting.

As a Senior Social Worker, you will:

• Coordinate social work practice within a designated inpatient stream (acute, women’s or continuing care).
• Provides leadership and support to early career as well as more established social workers
• Deliver complex psychosocial and risk assessments and provide specialist consultation to multidisciplinary teams.
• Support consumers, families and carers through structured interventions, advocacy and coordinated care planning.

You’ll bring:

• Eligibility for AASW membership
• Extensive experience in mental health or forensic settings
• Strong clinical assessment and intervention skills
• Demonstrated leadership and supervision experience
• Sound knowledge of relevant legislation and systemic advocacy
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills

• Influenza and Immunisation Evidence
• This position is subject to a Police Check
• Salary packaging up to $9,010 + $2,650 meal allowance per year
• Employee Assistance Program for confidential support
• Fitness Passport – discounted access to gyms, pools & fitness centres

Forensicare is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to attracting and developing a diverse workforce which reflects the community we serve. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people who identify as LGBTQI, people with a lived experience of disability, as well as people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Forensicare promotes our guiding principles of RESPONSIVENESS, INTEGRITY, IMPARTIALITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, RESPECT, LEADERSHIP, HUMAN RIGHTS; and promotes behaviours that are consistent with these values at all times. Forensicare is an equal opportunity employer and offers a smoke free environment.

Our story

Forensicare (Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health) is the state-wide specialist provider of forensic mental health services in Victoria. Forensicare is the only agency in Victoria that provides clinical forensic mental health services which span all components of the mental health and criminal justice sectors – giving Forensicare a unique perspective on mental health and public safety issues. It is able to provide specialist forensic mental health services tailored to meet the specific needs of both sectors.

We provide forensic mental health services for people:

with a serious mental illness in the criminal justice system

at risk of offending who pose a risk to themselves or others

referred from the general mental health system for specialist advice, support and/or treatment.

Forensicare’s primary focus is the provision of clinical services within a recovery framework. These services include the effective assessment, treatment and management of forensic patients, prisoners and clients.

Source: This is an extract from the company's own website.

Our vision

Clinical excellence and translational research enable our consumers to lead fulfilling and meaningful lives in a safer community.

Our mission

We will provide high quality, specialist clinical services that:

focus on the recovery of our consumers,

build our translational research capacity; and

work collaboratively with our stakeholders to achieve better and safer outcomes for our consumers and the community.

Our values

Forensicare is guided by the values established by the Victorian Public Sector Commission for the public sector, and promotes behaviours consistent with these values at all times and in all circumstances:

Perks and benefits

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