Location: Preston, VIC
Salary: $120,000 plus superannuation and salary packaging benefits (based on experience)
Flexible Work: Hybrid working available
About VALS
The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) and the state’s only specialist legal and support service dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Established in 1973, VALS provides culturally safe legal advice and representation across criminal, family, civil, and human rights law, youth justice, and specialist litigation. Our broader supports include a 24/7 Custody Notification Service, transitional housing for women exiting custody, family violence programs, one‑to‑one client support, and community legal education.
The VALS Family Violence Service has been newly established to provide a specialist, culturally grounded and multidisciplinary response for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and young people experiencing or responding to family violence across Victoria. The service recognises that family violence in Aboriginal communities occurs within a broader context shaped by systemic racism, intergenerational trauma and cumulative disadvantage. It has been developed to provide a culturally safe, needs specific and holistic approach that integrates legal and non-legal support, ACE support and cultural guidance.
We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Applicants from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, LGBTISBQ communities, and diverse cultures are strongly encouraged to apply. We welcome requests for adjustments throughout recruitment and employment to ensure accessibility and support.
Role Summary:
The Lead Family Violence Support Practitioner is responsible for the coordination, leadership and delivery of high quality, culturally grounded social work support within the Family Violence Service. The role provides senior guidance to Family Violence Support Practitioners and ACE workers, ensuring integrated case management and trauma informed practice for clients affected by family violence, including those who may have been misidentified as primary aggressors.
Key Responsibilities
- Ensure the Family Violence Service provides high quality, culturally safe and trauma informed social work support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients affected by family violence.
- Oversee day to day support work practice, including complex non-legal case management, safety planning, risk assessment and culturally responsive decision making. Provide guidance, supervision and mentorship to Family Violence Support Practitioners and ACE workers to ensure consistent, integrated and safe practice.
- Provide non legal advocacy and support for clients attending court, including those appearing at the Federal Circuit and Family Court and other state-based court locations. Support clients to understand information regarding their rights, court processes, and available supports, without providing legal advice.
- Work closely with legal staff to develop coordinated responses that integrate legal and non-legal support. Engage with lawyers, paralegals and the Principal Managing Lawyer, on risk assessments and ongoing risk evaluation.
- Liaise with court registry staff, security, duty lawyers, community organisations and specialist services to support the safety and wellbeing of clients, including the implementation of safety plans at court.
- Maximise referral opportunities by working closely with the intake team and broader Family Violence Service partners. Provide warm referrals to culturally safe services, community organisations and specialist family violence providers.
- Prepare reports for management regarding client needs, service delivery outcomes, emerging themes and opportunities for improvement. Contribute to strategic planning, service development and data quality processes.
- Participate in community engagement, law reform activities, community education and ACCO partnership work to strengthen sector understanding of misidentification and support best practice responses.
- Support the development of culturally safe practice frameworks, policies and service guidelines that strengthen the multidisciplinary model.
About You – Essential Requirements
- Tertiary qualification in Social Work or equivalent and eligibility for membership with the AASW.
- Demonstrated experience in the family violence sector or a closely related field, with strong capability in trauma informed and culturally responsive practice.
- Experience providing crisis intervention, case management, risk assessment, safety planning and integrated social work support.
- Understanding of the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in relation to family violence, misidentification, intergenerational trauma and systemic disadvantage.
- Ability to provide leadership, supervision and guidance to social work and ACE staff within a multidisciplinary team.
- Capacity to work across court environments and navigate complex legal, social and family violence systems.
- Strong interpersonal, communication and relationship building skills, including the ability to work with clients experiencing distress and stakeholders across courts, ACCOs and community services.
- Ability to travel regularly to court locations across Victoria.
Qualifications & Mandatory Checks
- A current Employee Working with Children Check card
- A valid Victorian Driver’s license
- A National Criminal History Check
- Proof of work rights in Australia, such as an Australian passport, birth certificate, or valid visa documentation
- Copy of relevant qualifications
What We Offer
- 17.5% Leave Loading
- 5 additional days of annual leave on top of the standard 20 days
- Generous salary packaging up to $15,900 via Maxxia
- Opportunity to work alongside a passionate, culturally committed team
- Ongoing professional development and training opportunities
- A supportive, inclusive, and culturally safe workplace environment