Research Assistant in Aboriginal Child Welfare and Social Care

Location: Parkville
Role type: Full-time/ Fixed-term until 31 December 2024  
Faculty: Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences
Department/School: Department of Social Work, Melbourne School of Health Sciences
Salary: Level A – $80,258 - $108,906 p.a. plus 17% super

• This an exciting opportunity to make a real difference in Aboriginal child welfare and social care services.
• Be a part of a ground-breaking initiative by VACCA and other Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations
• Level A – $80,258 - $108,906 p.a. plus 17% super and benefits!

About the Role

This an exciting opportunity to make a real difference in Aboriginal child welfare and social care services. The Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) and the Department of Social Work at the University of Melbourne have joined forces to create a voluntary research partnership dedicated to improving the lives of Aboriginal children and families.

As part of this ground-breaking initiative, the Department of Social Work is creating a Research Assistant position for two years. This is a fantastic opportunity to manage the coordination of the Partnership and contribute to collaborative research projects that will help to establish and evidence Aboriginal child welfare and social care services.

Your responsibilities are:

• To build and sustain strong partnerships with VACCA and other Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.
• To demonstrate respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values and worldviews and self-determination for child welfare and social care services. 
• To facilitate coordination of the Partnership, including communication between Social Work academics and VACCA staff.
• To participate in meetings with Social Work academics and external stakeholders.
• To undertake fieldwork tasks, including interviews and yarns with Aboriginal people, including community members and practitioners.

Who We Are Looking For
You will bring experience in research, as evidenced by your active contributions to research projects and research outputs, such as reports and publications in academic journals. You have a demonstrated understanding of ethics and research protocols related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

You will also have:

• Completion of or working towards a tertiary qualification or equivalent experience.
• Experience working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations.
• Understanding of Aboriginal societies and cultures and of the issues affecting Aboriginal people in contemporary Australia.

For further information regarding responsibilities and requirements, please refer to the attached PD.

This position requires the incumbent to hold a current and valid Working with Children Check to ensure the University provides a safe environment for everyone.

Please note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. This role requires current valid work rights for Australia.

Your New Team – “Department of Social Work, Melbourne School of Health Sciences“

Social Work has a significant research profile and close local and national links with key human service agencies in the government and non-government sectors, social work professional bodies and other major social work schools internationally. The research areas within Social Work are in child and family welfare (particularly domestic and family violence prevention); and disability, health and mental health.

What We Offer You!

In addition, we offer the opportunity to be part of a vibrant community and enjoy a range of benefits, including generous leave provisions, salary packaging, health and well-being services and discounts on graduate courses. For more information, check out our benefits page!

About the University of Melbourne

We’re tightly connected with the community, both at home and abroad. We take pride in our people, who all contribute to our mission to benefit society through the transformative impact of education and research. Discover more via our website and stay connected with our stories and people on LinkedIn.

Be Yourself

We value the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions that each person brings to our community. For more information, please visit our Diversity and Inclusion page.

We encourage and welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds.

We are dedicated to ensuring barrier-free and inclusive practices to recruit the most talented candidates. If you require any reasonable adjustments with the recruitment process, please contact us at hr-talent@unimelb.edu.au.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Applicants

We welcome and strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

We recognise that reconciliation is central to our purpose. For more information, please visit our Reconciliation page.

Join Us!

If you feel this role is right for you, please apply with the following documents: 

• Resume
• Cover Letter outlining your interest and experience
• The responses against the Selection Criteria^ (found in the Position Description)

^For information to help you with compiling short statements to answer the selection criteria and competencies, please go to http://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/selection-criteria

Position Description: 0059274_Research Assistant in Aboriginal Child Welfare and Social Care_PD.pdf

Applications close: 14 Jun 2023 11:55 PM AUS Eastern Standard Time