Disability Advocate/Individual Advocate

ABOUT SUFY

Speaking Up For You Inc. (SUFY) is an independent Individual Social Advocacy Organisation for people with disability who live in Brisbane and Moreton Bay regions. SUFY defends the human rights of the most marginalised and vulnerable people with disability through advocacy to address injustices and make a positive difference to their lives.

Its key principles are:

1. Human rights: SUFY will promote, protect and defend the lives and the human rights of each person with disability whom we support in an advocacy relationship.
2. Social Justice: SUFY will operate in ways that support the achievement of rights, equity, access, participation and equality in our advocacy work with each person.
3. Inclusion in Community Life: SUFY will operate in ways that value and support the inclusion of people with disability, including children and young people,  to live a good life with choice in their diverse communities.
4. Priority of the most vulnerable and marginalised: In all its work SUFY will prioritise those who are most at risk and least able to speak up for themselves.

SUFY is a small special-purpose organisation – although its income and staff numbers fluctuate over time, it generally has a financial turnover of $2m and a staff team of 15-20.

We are an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion within our workplace.  We encourage people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people from diverse backgrounds to apply and to request reasonable adjustments if required to assist the application and recruitment process.

THE ROLE

This position is a targeted role for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Identified applicants only.

SUFY is seeking a full-time Disability Advocate/Individual Advocate to work with and on behalf of vulnerable people with disability in the Moreton Bay area.  A part-time option may be considered. The main role of the Individual Advocate is to advocate for the rights of individuals with disability in a wide range of situations. This challenging position requires an understanding of social advocacy, with demonstration of a strong sense of human rights and social justice, and a commitment to people with disability being included and living decent lives free from abuse, neglect and isolation. Applications close at 5:00PM on Friday, 13 September 2024, and the position will commence as soon as possible.

The following outlines these roles in more detail:

Individual Advocacy

The primary role of the Individual Advocate is to provide individual advocacy for high-need persons with disability, to ensure that they are treated in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act and other legislation.  This role includes:

• Working with the team to assess the needs of people requesting advocacy and prioritise those with the greatest need.
• Working with people requesting advocacy to identify their needs and priorities and develop advocacy strategies.
• Advocating on behalf of people with disability to a wide range of organisations including:
  • The National Disability Insurance Agency and its contractors.
  • Specialist disability service providers.
  • Mainstream service providers including, but not limited to, those providing services in the fields of health, education, housing and transport.
  • Legal bodies such as the Office of the Adult Guardian or Public Trustee.
• Representing and/or supporting people with disability in formal tribunal hearings and negotiations with service providers or oversight/accountability bodies.
• Where appropriate, working with family members and other close supporters of people with disability to advocate on behalf of the person, especially where people with disability have limited decision-making or communication capacity.

Self-Advocacy Support and Resources

As SUFY does not have the resources to directly advocate on behalf of everyone who seeks assistance, it also seeks to support people with disability to advocate on their own behalf.  Individual Advocates support this by:

• Providing information and advice to people with disability and their family members or supporters about their rights and about advocacy strategies.
• Assisting with the development and review of written self-advocacy resources.

Information and Referral

Part of the role of the Individual Advocate is to link people with disability with other supports that can help them achieve their goals.  This is the case where the situation is outside the professional competence of the Advocate, or where the support required is not within the advocacy role.  This can include, but is not limited to:

• Referral to support services such as supports coordination or direct support provision.
• Referral to Advocates with particular specialised knowledge or skills, such as specialist NDIS Appeals Advocates or tenancy advocates.
• Referral to qualified legal practitioners where legal representation is required.

This aspect of the role also requires Individual Advocates to contribute to the knowledge within the SUFY team of potential referral agencies and their roles and capabilities.

Supporting Team Members

SUFY Advocates and other staff work as a team and support one another.  While each Advocate will carry primary responsibility for a number of active cases, Advocates will also support one another in various ways, such as (but not limited to):

• Attending meetings or appointments to support fellow team members in situations where this will make advocacy more effective or where there are concerns about the safety of staff or people with disability.
• Attending meetings or responding to person with disability’s needs in place of a team member where that team member is not available for some reason (e.g. sickness, leave, competing priorities etc.).
• Assisting colleagues by reviewing their work, providing feedback or otherwise assisting them with complex issues.

Systems Advocacy

Systems advocacy is focussed on influencing and changing systems – including the legislative, policy and practice aspects of systems – to improve the way these systems relate to people with disability.  This work arises out of and complements SUFY’s individual advocacy.  The Manager is responsible for leading SUFY’s Systems Advocacy work.  Individual Advocates will support this work by:

• Assisting the Manager and team to identify systems advocacy priorities arising from individual advocacy work.
• Assisting with the preparation of written documents such as submissions and policy papers.
• Where appropriate, representing SUFY in public forums on systems advocacy issues.
• Contributing to wider sector campaigns and actions.

Data and Record-keeping

Individual Advocates are responsible for maintaining up-to-date records of individual advocacy activities and data about advocacy work.  This assists with formal funding accountability and also with continuity and legal and insurance protection where SUFY’s work is a shared by more than one team member or is called into question via a complaint.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

SUFY employees are employed under the conditions of an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement.  The Individual Advocate’s role is full-time with the possibility of part-time. This position is a fixed-term contract until 30 June 2025 with the possibility of extension.  All SUFY positions have a funding contingent continuing employment provision that employment will continue only if funding for the position is available. Pay and conditions are equivalent to Level 5 of the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Industry Award. The role will be based around the Caboolture/Moreton Bay region. The Advocate will primarily work from home with some requirement to attend the office in West End 4101 and the office in the Moreton Bay region.

This position is a targeted role for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Identified applicants only. This is a position to improve the under-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Disability Advocacy and is an equal opportunity measure under section 105 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991. This is an affirmative measure (special measure) under subsection 8(1) of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth).

CLOSING DATE

5:00pm on Friday, 13 September 2024

How to Apply

Applicants are to include the following in their application:

• Cover Letter – A brief letter/note stating the position, your name, postal address, telephone number and email address
• Selection Criteria – It is imperative that EACH of the Selection Criteria (detailed below) is addressed
• Resume – A current resume including the names, positions and telephone numbers of at least two referees who can comment on your competency regarding the selection criteria

Applications are to be addressed to The Manager, Speaking Up For You at:

• sufy@sufy.org.au; or
• The Manager, SUFY, PO Box 5649, West End QLD 4101.

SELECTION CRITERIA – It is imperative that EACH of the Selection Criteria is addressed

Values

Individual Advocates are expected to have a strong values base including:

• An unswerving commitment to a vision for people with a disability that they achieve valued inclusive lives within their communities.
• Commitment to SUFY’s principles, including the principle of independent advocacy.

 

Advocacy Knowledge and Skills

Candidates for this role are expected to have a high level of advocacy skills and knowledge gained either in the disability field or in other related fields, including:

• An understanding of human rights frameworks as they apply to people with disability and/or others experiencing disadvantage in our community.
• An ability to quickly gain an understanding of a wide range of legislation and policy that impacts on people with disability and to navigate the systems which impact on people’s lives.
• An ability to negotiate with people in positions of power and to professionally and appropriately present the case
• An ability to present coherent and persuasive written documents presenting the case of the person on whose behalf they are advocating.
• High-level problem solving and negotiation skills, including the ability to think creatively and laterally about situations faced by people with disability and about policies and legislative frameworks.

 

Communication Skills

Individual Advocates are expected to have high-level and highly versatile communication skills.  These include:

• The ability to communicate with people from all walks of life and with varying levels of education, including those whose disability may involve communication challenges.
• The ability to produce high quality written work aimed at a variety of audiences.
• The ability to communicate confidently with people in positions of authority and to cogently and appropriately present the case of the person on whose behalf they are advocating.

 

Teamwork Skills

Individual Advocates are expected to work well within a team context including:

• Good relationship skills and a willingness to both support and learn from fellow team members.
• An ability to manage their own time and priorities within the context of team decisions.
• An ability to contribute to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation through the development of systems and processes that contribute to high quality work.
• Capacity to contribute to the creation of an open, collaborative team environment that values and celebrates diversity, especially the full inclusion of people with disability.

 

Knowledge of Disability

While prior experience in the disability field is not essential, candidates are expected to have an understanding of the capabilities and challenges faced by people with disability and the way these can impact on their human rights.

 

Clearance Checks

The Disability Services Act 2006 requires clearance checks for all people engaged by a funded non‐government service provider.    All staff are required to complete and achieve the Disability Worker Screening (Yellow Card) & Working With Children Check (Blue Card). Ongoing employment is dependent upon the person’s ability to renew the Blue Card and the Yellow Card.

 

Apply for this Job

Name *

Email *

Message *

Upload resumé (pdf, doc, docx, zip, txt, rtf)

Upload cover letter (pdf, doc, docx, zip, txt, rtf)

Is fire “hot” or “cold”? *