YDAS Map Your Future Project Officer

  • Hours:3-4 days (22.8-30.4 hours) per week
  • Remuneration:$65,208 - $69,160p.a. (pro-rata). Classified at SCHCADS Award Level 4(YACVic pays above award rates).
  • Status:Fixed-term contract until 31 December 2017.
  • Location: Based in Melbourne CBD, with regular state-wide travel.

About Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic)

The Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic) is the peak body and leading policy advocate on young people’s issues in Victoria. YACVic’s vision is that young Victorians have their rights upheld and are valued as active participants in their communities. YACVic is an independent, not-for-profit, member driven organisation that represents young people (aged 12-25 years) and the sector that works with them.

YACVic Youth Disability Advocacy Service (YDAS)

YDAS is a core YACVic agency, funded by the Victorian Government. YDAS undertakes individual and policy advocacy to support young people with disabilities to have a stronger voice, reduce the barriers that they experience and improve their quality of life.

About Map Your Future

Map Your Future is a trialprogram that will build the capacity of young people with disability to exercise choice and control in their lives and access thefull potential of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). During a nine-month test period, thisfree program will be targeted at fifty 15 – 18 year olds who are eligible for the NDIS now or within the next two years.

Map Your Future will run as a series of 10 week, structuredcourses of individual and small group coaching. Innovative, flexible activitieswill empower young people to identify and plan life goals and create a personal ‘roadmap’ to navigate through NDIS planning into successful package administration.Each young person will receive six hours of one-to-one support and take part in a four hour group workshop with four other program participants.

Map Your Future is unlike other NDIS support programs currently available for young people with disability, which are more structured around the interests of service providers or young people’s families/carers. It is also not generic casework or ongoing support coordination.

About the role

The YDAS Map Your Future Project Officer will coordinate and evaluate the Map Your Future program. This will involve building relationships with and facilitating a series of one-to-onecoaching sessions and small group workshops for young people with disability, either in person or via videoconference.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Key Responsibilities

  1. Implement the Map Your Future trial program by organising and facilitating a series of one-to-one and group coaching sessions for 50 young people (five young people per intake).
  2. Promote the program to recruit young people to participate in the trial and encourage referrals from appropriate agencies or services.
  3. Convene and facilitate a small project reference group, which includes young people with disability, to oversee the program.
  4. Provide support, including preplanning support, to young people with disability to understand how to be ready for NDIS and to understand their rights and responsibilities.
  5. Maintain appropriate case and project notes to document activities, outputs and outcomes and track young people’s progress through the program.
  6. Work with the YDAS Manager and program reference group to evaluate the program.
  7. Work closely with other YDAS team members and the YDAS steering committee to build a consistent, well networked and highly respected source of information, support and advocacy for young people with disability.
  8. Attend regular YDAS and YACVic staff meetings and participate as a member of the wider YACVic staff team.
  9. Carry out any other duties senior managers may assign to you, having regard to your skills, training and experience.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

  1. Demonstrated commitment to the rights and interests of people with disability.
  2. Proven ability to build rapport and work effectively with young people.
  3. Proven experience of planning and evaluating structured learning activities with defined outcomes.
  4. Demonstrated skills in facilitating groups or workshops, preferably with young people.
  5. Demonstrated understanding of appropriate behaviours when engaging with children and young people, including those with diverse needs and/or backgrounds, and commitment to the Code of Ethical Practice for the Victorian Youth Sector.
  6. Highly developed organisational and technology skills, including use of Microsoft Office software.
  7. Willingness and capacity to travel throughout Victoria and work occasional evenings or weekends when required.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA:

  1. Undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications relevant to the role (e.g. social/youth work, education, training and assessment).
  2. Experience of case management or individual advocacy.

REPORTING

The YDASMap Your Future Project Officer reports to the YDAS Manager.

EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS

The YDAS Map Your Future Project Officer will be a YACVic employee.

YACVic is an Equal Opportunity Employer. People with disability are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

YACVic promotes the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all children and young people, including those with a disability, those who are Aboriginal or those from refugee or migrant backgrounds. We take child protection very seriously. All employees are subject to screening and assessment against child safety standards, including rigorous background, identity and reference checks. The successful applicant will require a current Working with Children Check and Police Check (costs reimbursed) and must agree to adhere to our child safe policy and code of conduct.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications should be addressed to Leah van Poppel, YDAS Manager, and emailed th ‘YDAS Map Your Future application’in the subject line and must include:

  • a brief cover letter/email stating where you saw the job advertised;
  • your resume, includingcontact details for a minimum of two referees, including your last line manager (we will not contact referees without your permission);
  • a separate document detailing your response to each selection criteria, as stated in the position description.

Applications closeMonday 10 April at 10am AEDT.

Interviews will be held on Wednesday 12 April in Melbourne CBD.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Leah van Poppel on 9267 3709 or email

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