Communications and Community Engagement Officer

About the Role

The Communications and Community Engagement Officer (CC Officer) is responsible for the development, provision and distribution of communication material related to ADACAS organisational activities. ADACAS clients may include people with disability, people experiencing mental ill-health, older people, and carers. As part of this role you may need to support individuals to connect with the NDIS and other services within the community which may come via community outreach sessions.  The CC Officer, under the general direction of the Projects Team Leader, will be required to exercise professional judgement and initiative in response to moderate to complex advocacy issues whilst maintaining accountability within the organisation’s framework.  In addition, the CC Officer will assist in community education and connection with targeted communities, develop and deliver education sessions to cultural and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups and to provide information about the NDIS and broader supports available in the community. The CC Officer will also co-ordinate online and social media content and advertising as we maintain and develop ADACAS social media platforms and update the News section of the website.

Position Description

Communications 

  • Improve awareness and knowledge of participants, potential participants and communities about ADACAS, the NDIS and issues affecting people with disability via social media, blogging and any other current mediums 
  • Generate greater awareness for ADACAS, and its role within the community 
  • Reduce barriers of access to service by providing outreach to people with disability and their carers from CALD backgrounds 
  • Development, production and distribution of regular posts on social media and updates of News section of the website 
  • Increase media engagement (i.e. make ADACAS the go to place for media in relation to relevant disability/ housing/ SDM issues)

Relationships management and external promotion

  • Represent ADACAS at events as delegated and at designated agency network meetings 
  • Establish and maintain effective relationships with government officials and other service providers as required and take part in meetings with representatives 
  • Contribute to identifying potential education and promotional activities
  • Deliver education about ADACAS and its activities to groups in the community 
  • Deliver training sessions in educational institutions about the work of ADACAS’ advocacy, projects and support coordination as well as any other work that ADACAS has expertise in 
  • Identify and establish positive and productive relationships between clients, service providers, the NDIA and ADACAS 

 Reporting

  • Record and input information accurately into the ADACAS Case Management System (CMS) within agreed timeframes
  • Monitor data and reports generated from the CMS in the areas of the Advocate’s responsibility and contribute to the reporting of data to the relevant funding bodies 
  • Provide fortnightly timesheets, which reflect actual working hours when compared with the CMS, to the Project Team Leader 

Systemic Advocacy 

  • Help identify key trends, including potential and actual systemic advocacy issues and contribute to the development and implementation of appropriate responses 
  • Assist ADACAS in the preparation of reports and submissions which address identified systemic issues 
  • Assist ADACAS at enquiry hearings and other forums where systemic advocacy issues are being discussed, as determined by the CEO and Management Team. 

Quality assurance 

  • Apply a continuous improvement and quality assurance ethos within areas of responsibility 
  • Work individually as well as part of a team of Advocates to achieve and improve the quality of client outcomes 
  • Contribute to the development and improvement of the ADACAS quality management system. 

Member of the Staff Team 

  • Where required, actively leads and/or participates in team meetings, meetings with external stakeholders and services regarding projects Demonstrate knowledge of and commitment to the rights of the people ADACAS works with, and the role of advocacy and support coordination within the social services system 
  • Actively participate in regular Intake and Staff Team meetings, along with planning, budget and other meetings that may require Staff Team input 
  • Undertake regular supervision and performance appraisal with the Project Team Leader 
  • Demonstrate and model cultural competency in everyday work. 

Administration and organisation 

  • Practice and model effective time management in line with ADACAS policy
  • Ensure scheduled meetings and appointments are attended 
  • Ensure all activities within responsibility are recorded accurately on CMS and are up to date (basic legal note taking training provided)  
  • Ensure all duties are undertaken within the hours allocated to the position, and manage this time to limit the requirement for overtime. 

Behaviours 

  • Demonstrates integrity and commitment to ADACAS, maintaining a strong work ethic at all times 
  • Demonstrates integrity, empathy and compassion towards the organisation’s client groups 
  • Operates autonomously whilst maintaining accountability and working within organisational frameworks 
  • Demonstrates a high level of judgment when faced with complex situations 
  • Demonstrates a willingness to undertake reflective practice for self-development 
  • Demonstrates an openness to learn from others, take on constructive feedback and provide solutions.

Selection Criteria

Applicants need to write a brief statement of claim demonstrating how they meet the essential and desirable criteria for this role.

 

Personal Qualities (Essential)

  • A commitment to human rights and social justice for all people
  • Positive attitude and ability to work cohesively with other staff

Skills (Essential)

  • High level written and verbal communication skills
  • Proven experience in creating multimedia content on various social media platforms and maintaining websites
  • Ability to manage and monitor publicity and media activities, including handling event enquiries, community and organisational requests for promotional involvement
  • Demonstrated success in achieving high quality outcomes in project management
  • Ability to adjust communication style to suit the diverse needs and preferences of clients and their circumstances
  • High level of skill and in-depth understanding of marketing and communications
  • Creative flair, versatility, conceptual/visual ability and originality

Knowledge and Experience (Desirable)

  • An understanding of and experience working with people with disability, older people, or people experiencing mental ill-health
  • Experience in connecting and creating referral networks in the community
  • Knowledge of and commitment to workplace diversity, workplace health and safety, and consultative work practices
  • Ability to communicate in a second language

Qualifications (Desirable)

  • Tertiary qualifications in communications or in community/social work or relevant discipline

Candidate Information Pack

Further information about ADACAS, our employment policies and the recruitment process is outlined in our Candidate Information Pack here.

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