Department of Health & Human Services
Position description

Prison Program Coordinator

The Prison Program Coordinator position sits within the Disability Forensic Assessment and Treatment Service (DFATS). DFATS is a state wide service that provides treatment and interventions in the community and in prison for offenders with a disability as defined within the meaning of the Disability Act 2006.

Title / Prison Program Coordinator
Classification / AH-3
Team, unit / Divisional Liaison Team, Disability Forensic Assessment and Treatment Service
Branch/area/region
Division / Secure Services
North Division
Work location / Disability Forensic Assessment and Treatment Service
Position number / DHHS/DFATS/374945
Employment type / Fixed Term (29/08/2016 - 28/08/2017). Full-time (76 hours per fortnight)
Salary range / Value range 1: $77,418 - $87,838plus superannuation
Position reports to / Divisional Liaison Officer, Disability Forensic Assessment and Treatment Service, Secure Services, North Division
Further information / Louise Gallagher – (03) 9280 2741
Closing date / Sunday 7th August 2016

Organisational environment

The department develops and delivers policies, programs and services that support and enhance the wellbeing of all Victorians. We take a broad view of the causes of ill health, the drivers of good health, the social and economic context in which people live, and of the incidence and experience of vulnerability.

Our vision is to support and enhance the wellbeing of all Victorians. We aspire to be an organisation where everyone is committed to achieving our vision and demonstrates our values in all that they do.

  • We are respectful
  • We have integrity
  • We collaborate
  • We care for people, families and communities
  • We are accountable
  • We are innovative

Division

Service Design and Operations

Service Design and Operations is responsible for the design and delivery of services and improved client outcomes across the department’s divisions, regions and areas. It oversees the translation of policy into operational service delivery.

The four divisions across the state provide strategic oversight and coordination for the areas and regions within them. The divisions provide corporate and administrative services and oversee service implementation, quality and performance and also play a critical role in emergency management and in dealing with the department’s regulatory obligations where community safety is at risk.

Service Design and Operations provides practice leadership for human services professionals in Victoria and leads the design and development of integrated health and human services and statutory functions.

In addition Service Design and Operations provides leadership for innovative service design to better meet demand, provide improved outcomes and oversees the youth and disability affairs portfolios.

Branch

The branch provides well-managed, secure and safe facilities which focus on services for clients to reduce risk of recurrence or re-entry into the system, and to support them to reintegrate into the community.

The Secure Services branch is accountable for the management and oversight of Youth Justice Custodial Services (YJCS), Secure Welfare Services (SWS) and Disability Forensic Assessment and Treatment Services (DFATS). The integration of the three secure services under one management model will deliver the following benefits for the department:

  • better management, oversight and transparency
  • greater consistency and sharing of expertise and systems across the secure services
  • well managed, safe and secure services
  • maintenance of specialist responses by maintaining centre management arrangements.

Role of unit

The Disability Forensic Assessment and Treatment Service (DFATS) is a state-wide disability service. DFATS delivers a range of time-limited assessment, treatment, support and residential services to people with an intellectual disability who display high risk, anti-social behaviour and are involved, or at risk of being involved, in the criminal justice system. Through these services, DFATS aims to facilitate positive long-term changes that will allow clients to transition, live and participate safely in community life.

Purpose and accountability

Purpose

The Prison Program Coordinator is positioned within the Divisional Liaison Team at DFATS, the position works collaboratively with this team who manage the intake and referrals to all programs provided by DFATS. Whilst the Disability Prison Services Coordinator position is located at DFATS, the successful applicant will spend the majority of their time in a range of other adult justice custodial locations such as Port Phillip Prison and the Melbourne Assessment Prison.

Accountabilities

Operating at value range 1, you will:
  1. Identify, collate, and update information about people who have an intellectual disability that have been remanded or have received a custodial sentence.
  2. Provide advice to key staff on how to plan, develop and establish sound case planning processes, including pre-release planning for adult offenders with an intellectual disability being released from prison.
  3. Initiate and maintain collaborative relations between Corrections Victoria and Disability Services in the support of adult offenders with an intellectual disability, in particular when planning for their release from prison.
  4. Provide authoritative advice on disability related issues for people involved in the adult correctional system and work with a high level of autonomy and accountability.
  5. Provide secondary consultation in a range of meetings in relation to adult offenders who have an intellectual disability, who have been remanded or received a custodial sentence.
  6. Contribute to the planning, development and delivery of training to DHS and Corrections Victoria staff in working with adult offenders with an intellectual disability and assist DHS and Corrections Victoria staff with applications and assessments of transfers from the prison system of security residents under the Disability Act 2006.
  7. Plan and manage local delivery of departmental objectives that impact state-wide or significant localised service delivery.
  8. Contribute to strategic thinking and future planning, change management initiatives and integrated approaches to enhance compliance with department-wide policies.
  9. Assist in providing timely advice and develop open and effective communication strategies including collection of complex and sensitive information on matters of staff or business.
  10. Prepare and present detailed comprehensive reports, collection of data, briefings, and correspondence on operational/program issues.
  11. Lead effective liaison and communication with existing disability and Corrections Victoria staff, in order to facilitate individual access to appropriate support services for adult offenders with an intellectual disability.
  12. Contribute to the development and delivery of services for adult offenders with an intellectual disability, including identifying risks, resolving emerging issues and trends.
  13. Operate within increased level of autonomy and accountability in delivering within broad strategic directions.
  14. Keep accurate and complete records of your work activities in accordance with legislative requirements and the department's records, information security and privacy policies and requirements.
  15. Take reasonable care for your own health and safety and for that of others in the workplace by working in accordance with legislative requirements and the department's occupational health and safety (OHS) policies and procedures.
  16. Demonstrate how the actions and outcomes of this role and work unit impact clients and the department’s ability to deliver, or facilitate the delivery of, effective support and services.

Selection criteria

Knowledge and skills

  1. People management: aligns team with the organisational values and goals through effective people management and modelling; maximises effectiveness by selecting, developing, managing, deploying and motivating a high performing team; clearly defines role expectations, monitors performance, provides timely and constructive feedback and facilitates employee development.
  2. Strategic planning: plans and reviews work based on what is important to achieve, rather than what tasks are usually done; identifies or develops overall team goals and links strategies and actions required to achieve these goals
  3. Influence and negotiation: gains agreement to proposals and ideas; builds behind- the- scenes support for ideas to ensure buy-in and ownership; uses chains of indirect influence to achieve outcomes, for example, ‘gets A to show B so B will tell C’; involves experts or other third parties to strengthen a case.
  4. Self-management: plans and prioritises work to ensure outcomes are achieved; resists the temptation to react immediately without taking time to think things through; uses strengths to contribute constructively and consciously manages the impact of own weaknesses; anticipates own reactions to situations and prepares accordingly.

Personal qualities

  1. Relationship building: establishes and maintains relationships with people at all levels, promotes harmony and consensus through diplomatic handling of disagreements, forges useful partnerships with people across business areas, functions and organisations, builds trust through consistent actions, values and communication, minimises surprises.
  2. Creativity and innovation: generates new ideas, draws on a range of information sources to identify new ways of doing things, actively influences events and promotes ideas, translates creative ideas into workplace improvements, reflects on experience and is open to new ways to improve practice.
  3. Decisiveness: takes rational and sound decisions based on a consideration of the facts and alternatives; makes tough decisions, sometimes with incomplete information; evaluates rational and emotional elements of situations; makes quick decisions where required; commits to a definite course of action.
  4. Teamwork: cooperates and works well with others in pursuit of team goals, collaborates and shares information, shows consideration, concern and respect for others feelings and ideas, accommodates and works well with the different working styles of others, encourages resolutionof conflict within the group.

Safety screening

  • All competitive applicants are subject to a satisfactory National Police History Check as part of the recruitment assessment process.
  • Applicants who have lived overseas for 12 months or longer during the past 10 years are required to provide the results of an international police check. Applicants should contact the relevant overseas police force to obtain this and submit as part of their application. Details of overseas police agencies are available on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection website(www.immi.gov.au) and search under 'Character and Police Certificate Requirements – How do I obtain a police certificate?'.
  • A current Employee Working with Children Check (WWCC) card is required and will need to be provided prior to commencement of employment by the applicant. Currency will need to be maintained by the employee for the period of employment.
  • Safety screening will include checking whether your name is on the Disability Worker Exclusion List (DWEL) maintained by the Disability Worker Exclusion Scheme Unit (DWESU). The DWEL includes names of persons unsuitable for employment as a disability support worker in a disability residential service provided, funded or registered by the Department of Health & Human Services.

Qualifications

  • A Bachelor of Social Work, Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Behavioural Science/Psychology or other equivalent qualification appropriate to public welfare practice would be required.
  • A full driver’s licence is required due to the need to travel to attend a range of work sites including various prisons in Victoria.

Specialist expertise

  1. Knowledge of the criminal justice system, relevant legislation and DHHS policies impacting on this client group.
  2. Demonstrated understanding of the VictorianState disability services system, relevant legislation (in particular the Disability Act 2006), statutory and policy objectives impacting on people with a disability in a custodial setting.

Conditions and benefits

People who work for the department must comply with the Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees 2007 and agree to work according to our values of quality, collaborative relationships, responsibility, client focus, professional integrity and respect.

Employees of the Department of Health & Human Services can enjoy a range of generous Victorian Government employment benefits. These include attractive salaries, flexible leave arrangements and training and development opportunities. Please see www.careers.vic.gov.au/why/benefits-conditions

The department promotes diversity and equal opportunity in employment. If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander applicant, or if you have a disability, and require advice and support with the recruitment process, please contact our Diversity Unit on .

How and where to apply

The Department of Health & Human Services prefers job applications submitted electronically to best manage administrative and environmental resources. If you are unable to apply online, please follow the instructions below to submit a paper copy.

  • Online – existing staff: click through to the job opportunities page from the department’s intranet homepage.
  • Online – external applicants: visit the job search page at www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/our-organisation/careers/job-search
  • Paper copy – all applicants: complete a Hard Copy Application for Employment form available via the links above or the contact for further information noted on page 1 of this document. Paper applications should quote the job reference number on the outside of the envelope and be posted to: Recruitment Officer, Department of Health & Human Services, 145 Smith Street, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065.
  • If you are unable to apply online or having difficulties accessing the information online, please phone North Workforce Services on 03 9412 2712 for assistance.

Other relevant information

For other important information about the recruitment process, please read the department’s Information for applicants page at www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/our-organisation/careers/applying-for-a-job/information-for-applicants or request a copy from the contact for further information listed under the ‘Position details’ section of this document.

Prison Program Manager1