Community Clinician / Kaiārahi

Do Good Group; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Wellington City Mission is seeking an experienced Community Clinician/Kaiārahi to join Te Pā Maru Community First. You’ll work with whānau facing barriers to traditional services, building trust and delivering holistic support within a harm-reduction framework.

The role involves assessments, planning, referrals, housing transitions, and collaboration with health, housing, and community providers. You’ll operate in complex, changing environments, bringing cultural safety, tikanga, and

Qualifications

• Registration in the relevant NZ governing body (nursing, social work or DAPAANZ) with practicing certificate.
• At least three years’ relevant professional practice experience.
• Experience supporting adults affected by AOD harm, homelessness or social disadvantage.
• Skills in holistic assessment, risk assessment and coordinated support planning.
• Understanding of harm-reduction and trauma-informed practice.
• Tikanga and Te Ao Māori cultural safety knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Build trusting therapeutic relationships through community engagement.
• Undertake holistic assessments and develop wellbeing and harm-reduction plans.
• Provide social work, nursing or AOD interventions within scope.
• Support referrals, admissions and housing transitions; coordinate care.
• Advocate for whānau and contribute to service development.

Skills

Holistic assessment

Risk assessment

Community engagement

Culturally responsive practice

Education

Nursing registration

Social Work registration

DAPAANZ registration

Job description

Wellington City Mission is looking for an experienced registered practitioner to join Te Pā Maru Community First as a Community Clinician/Kaiārahi. Bring your professional skills into the community and help make support accessible to whānau who experience barriers to conventional services.

About the role

Te Pā Maru provides an 18-bed supported accommodation service and Managed Alcohol Programme for men experiencing chronic homelessness, severe alcohol use disorder and complex health and social needs. Community First extends this relationship-based harm-reduction approach beyond the residential service.

You’ll work alongside whānau experiencing severe alcohol-related harm, housing instability, mental distress, trauma, physical health conditions, cognitive impairment and other interacting needs.

You’ll meet people where they are, supporting them before admission to Te Pā Maru, through transitions into stable accommodation, or in the community when residential support is not required.

This is a developing service, so your ideas and frontline experience will help shape how we work. Flexibility and comfort working in complex, unpredictable environments with vulnerable whānau are essential.

What you’ll be doing

• Build trusting therapeutic relationships through proactive, persistent and respectful community engagement.
• Undertake holistic assessments and develop wellbeing and harm-reduction plans with whānau.
• Provide social work, nursing or AOD interventions within your professional scope, recognising changing needs and responding to risk.
• Support referrals, admissions and housing transitions, coordinating care with health, addiction, housing and community providers.
• Advocate for whānau, maintain clear records and contribute to multidisciplinary decisions and service development.

You’ll work closely with the Kaimahi Hapori – Community First and wider team, reporting to the Te Pā Maru Kaiwhakahaere/Service Manager.

About you

You’re warm, non-judgemental and practical. You can remain calm when circumstances change, make sound professional decisions and maintain clear boundaries while building strong relationships.

You’ll bring:

• Current professional registration appropriate to the role, such as nursing, social work or DAPAANZ registration, with a current practising certificate where applicable.
• At least three years’ relevant professional practice experience.
• Experience supporting adults affected by AOD-related harm, mental health needs, homelessness and/or significant social disadvantage.
• Skills in holistic assessment, risk assessment and coordinated support planning.
• An understanding of harm-reduction and trauma-informed practice.
• Culturally responsive practice informed by tikanga, Te Ao Mäori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
• Confidence working independently while staying connected and accountable to a multidisciplinary team.
• A current full New Zealand driver’s licence.

Experience in community outreach, severe alcohol use disorder, cognitive impairment, ABI, FASD or Managed Alcohol Programmes would be an advantage.

Why Wellington City Mission?

You’ll have the opportunity to help develop a community service, contribute your professional perspective and see the effect of practical, relationship-based support. Professional supervision, reflective practice and relevant clinical and cultural learning are part of the role.

Wellington City Mission has supported people and communities across the Wellington region since 1904. Our vision is people and communities empowered, transformed and experiencing fullness of life.

Our values of aroha, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and tūmanako,guide how we walk alongside whānau and each other.

Your next meaningful conversation might happen on a doorstep, in someone’s whare or over a cuppa.

If you build trust, see strengths alongside challenges and understand that progress starts with someone’s own priorities, we’d like to hear from you.

This is a full-time, permanent position of 40 hours per week; part-time hours will also be considered. Much of your time will be spent in community settings, accommodation, other WCM services and partner locations.

Some flexibility is required to engage whānau when they are most able to connect.

Ready to bring your skills into the community?

To be considered for this role, you must be currently eligible and ready to work in New Zealand.