POSITION DESCRIPTION Program Manager Women s Services

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Document Number: HRE-FOR-005 Version: 1 Page No. 1 of 7 Document Status: Current Pathway: T:\10.0 Forms

Date created: December 2016 Prepared by: Manager People & Culture Date Updated: January 2021 Updated by: Operations Manager IPS & EH Review Date: January 2023 Approved by: Manager People & Culture

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Program Manager Women’s Services

OVERVIEW

Program: Women’s Services

Reports to: Operations Manager Individual Planned Support & Engagement Hubs, Client Services

Supervise: Program Coordinator- Homefront Crisis Accommodation Program Coordinator- Bethlehem Community

Program Coordinator- Women’s House Date of Last Review: January 2021

Classification: Social and Community Services Employee Level 7 Sacred Heart Mission Enterprise Agreement 2018

Victorian Portable Long Service Benefits Scheme

This role has been deemed eligible to participate in Scheme

ORGANISATION CONTEXT

Sacred Heart Mission (SHM) works with people whose capacity to participate fully in community life is affected by deep, persistent disadvantage and social exclusion. Since opening our doors in 1982, the Mission has been providing a range of innovative, relationship-based service responses which enable people to overcome disadvantage and realise their full potential. As a trauma informed organisation, our shared recognition of the impact of trauma informs and guides all of our interactions with the people who access our services.

SHM is an Equal Opportunity Employer and an Environmental Sustainability driven organisation. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, national origin, age or disability. We ensure staff and volunteers operate from fit for purpose facilities that adopt green building design and practices.

SHM has a number of staff committees across the organisation committed to championing best practice in these areas. Our EEO groups lead by example to break down the barriers to inclusion and to foster a diverse workplace where people are free from discrimination and disadvantage and are treated with

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respect and dignity. Our Green Team has set targets for developing SHM’s environmental profile as a sustainable organisation and as a leader in the sector.

VISION

Our vision is of an inclusive, fair and compassionate community, which enables people to overcome disadvantage and realise their full potential.

MISSION

Our mission is to build people’s capacity to participate more fully in community life, by addressing the underlying causes of deep, persistent disadvantage and social exclusion.

We do this by:

▪ Ensuring access to the necessities of food, clothing, housing, health care and specialised services.

▪ Listening, understanding and responding to people in a holistic, caring, and respectful way, so they can take control of their lives.

▪ Delivering accessible, responsive, evidence informed and innovative services.

▪ Welcoming people in the spirit of social justice, co-operation and partnership to create better communities.

▪ Engaging sector partners, researchers, philanthropy, business, government and the broader community, to contribute their time, expertise and resources.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

SHM is made up of four Divisions – Client Services, People & Strategy, Business Development and Business Services. Women's Services sits within our Client Services Division and is made up of several programs, including Homefront, Women’s House, and Bethlehem Community, and is committed to a gender specific response to the needs of women experiencing homelessness and other associated issues. Together these programs in partnership with all SHM client services contribute to a continuum of care to support women into stable housing and other quality of life outcomes.

• The Women’s House is a safe and welcoming engagement hub for women seeking support for a range of issues. Women can access information and assistance with housing, drug and alcohol issues, physical and mental health, employment and legal support. Comprehensive case management can be provided along with referral to specialist services. Breakfast and lunch are provided, and women can use the laundry and shower facilities or participate in art classes and other social activities (Temporarily suspended due to Covid 19).

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• The Homefront Program offers crisis accommodation, support and case management to women over 25 years who are homeless. Whilst in crisis accommodation, women are engaged in support and case management toward the establishment of a medium-long-term housing plan. Women are also assisted in addressing accompanying issues that have contributed to them becoming homeless and in accessing appropriate supports and responses. Homefront further offers outreach support to women who exit to transitional housing.

• The Bethlehem Program is a specialist therapeutic mental health, AOD, and homelessness supported accommodation and outreach support service for women over the age of 35 without accompanying children/dependents. Bethlehem provides 24hr supported accommodation to 10 in Reservoir; outreach support to 17 women residing in independent living units in their Thomastown facility and 3 living in private rental.

• Women’s Services will also be delivered in 2021 in alignment with SHM’s exciting and innovative new Continuum of Care (CoC) project. The Vision for the CoC is to ensure that all clients receive the support and housing they need, to keep people out of the cycle of chronic homelessness.

• The CoC project works with people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to secure and maintain stable housing and address their unique experience of homelessness. The CoC is designed to ensure we meet the needs of all clients by providing tailored, flexible support packages that are most appropriate for clients’ circumstances, with support drawn from across all SHM services. All of Women’s Services will play a role in either referring and/ or allocating housing/ support vacancies to the CoC.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The objectives of this position are:

▪ To lead the Women’s Services Team in providing the highest quality, most effective and client-focussed service in accordance with SHM’s values and legislative and funding requirements. ▪ To ensure Women’s Services responds flexibly to the immediate needs of women experiencing

homelessness, or at imminent risk of homelessness and/or in other crises, through the provision of support, information, case management and crisis accommodation to find safe, sustainable long-term housing options.

▪ To embed the Sacred Heart Mission Service Model across Women’s Services to promote trauma informed, quality, outcomes-based services and align practices with the new CoC Project.

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Accountability Major Activities Service

Management

▪ Manage Women’s Services in accordance with the Mission’s Vision, Mission & Values statement and with funding and legislative requirements.

▪ Ensure Women’s Services staff are appropriately supervised, supported and provided with opportunities to reflect on their practice, and are given development opportunities to increase their skills to promote the best possible outcomes for clients.

▪ Plan & manage Women’s Services budgets within agreed parameters

▪ Ensure that Occupational Health and Safety policy, procedures and legislative requirements are met.

▪ Lead risk awareness across Women’s Services and the application of SHM’s risk strategy to service delivery.

▪ Lead the cycle of continuous improvement, quality work-plans and accreditation across the operations of Women’s Service.

▪ Contribute to the SHM Client Services On-Call roster. Strategic

Management

▪ Contribute to the broader leadership goals of the organisation through participation in the Management Group.

▪ Lead the strategic development of Women’s Services within the SHM 10-year strategic plan, including the Continuum of Care project.

▪ Oversee the implementation of the Strategic Plan and key organisational initiatives across Women’s Services. ▪ Uphold the organisational and staff values and ensure their

application in Women’s Services

▪ Contribute to a workplace environment which supports staff and volunteers, develops teamwork and collaboration, and ensures the provision of quality services.

Relationship Management

▪ Foster and develop positive relationships with internal

stakeholders, particularly Client Services Managers, volunteers, donors, and partnership agencies providing in reach to SHM.

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▪ Foster and develop positive relationships with local services and agencies working with people experiencing homelessness and marginalisation, and which provide similar services to SHM. ▪ Liaise and network with appropriate peak bodies, networks of

service providers, and Local, State and Federal Government and government departments.

▪ Participate in regional, state-wide and federal forums as agreed. ▪ Contribute to the SHM Communication and Fundraising objectives

through presentations, case for support, and communication collateral.

Professional Development

▪ Attend and participate in fortnightly supervision sessions and individual training

▪ Participate in yearly professional development and review

meetings and take responsibility for own training and development plan in collaboration with Operations Manager IPS & EH, Client Services.

Health & Safety Exercise a duty of care to work safely, taking reasonable care to protect your own health and safety and that of your fellow workers, volunteers and clients including following safe working procedures and instructions.

RISK All SHM staff are responsible for considering, identifying and addressing risk (the effect of uncertainty on objectives) whether positive (opportunities) and/or negative (threats).

CQI

(Continuous Quality Improvement)

All SHM staff are responsible for identifying areas of the strategic plan that ‘add value’, and for implementing and monitoring CQI initiatives. Staff are open to new ways of doing things, respond to challenges with innovative ideas and solutions and promote a continuous quality improvement culture.

TIC

(Trauma Informed Care)

All SHM staff are responsible for engaging in learning and development to integrate their understanding of and responsiveness to the impact of trauma within their work including active participation in the supervision and performance development process.

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MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

Valid driver’s license to drive in Australia

Current Working with Children’s Check & Police Check

QUALIFICATIONS

Appropriate Bachelor level tertiary qualification relevant to the delivery of community services e.g. Social Work, Psychology or equivalent.

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA

ESSENTIAL

▪ Demonstrated ability to lead and supervise the functional activities of Coordinators and program teams in alignment with higher-level objectives.

▪ Demonstrated ability to provide trauma informed supervision and build/ support high functioning teams that deliver on contractual and organisational requirements.

▪ Demonstrated ability to manage, liaise and work closely with diverse key stakeholders across a broad range of complex staff and executive matters.

▪ Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a fast-changing environment, to work productively with limited supervision and to work to deadlines.

▪ Proven experience in the development of a culture of excellence in service delivery.

▪ High-level problem-solving skills and analytical ability including the ability to obtain and interpret information and make specific recommendations.

▪ Demonstrated ability to contribute to annual budget planning cycles, prepare budgets and monitor monthly profit and loss statements.

▪ Demonstrated ability to organise and prioritise work both individually and across teams and meet strict deadlines without compromising the quality of output and outcomes.

▪ Demonstrated ability to provide leadership to a team during periods of organisational change. ▪ Demonstrated ability to work within a quality framework and enhance systems and procedures

to create organisational improvements.

▪ Willingness to work in a high-pressure environment with proven techniques and the ability to manage demanding work requirements.

▪ Strong alignment with the values of Sacred Heart Mission.

DESIRABLE

▪ Knowledge/ experience of the Specialist Homelessness Service System ▪ Experience in providing gender specific services and feminist practice.

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Date created: December 2016 Prepared by: Manager People & Culture Date Updated: January 2021 Updated by: Operations Manager IPS & EH Review Date: January 2023 Approved by: Manager People & Culture APPROVED BY OPERATIONS MANAGER ………..

ACCEPTED BY STAFF MEMBER ………..

DATE ………