Position Description – Coordinator – Asylum Seeker Support
Team –May 2015
12 Month Locum Position
Job Title
Level
Award
Hours
Location
Team
Reporting to
Main Purpose of
Position
Key Effectiveness
Areas
Team
Number of Direct
Reports
Cost Centre
Specific
Effectiveness Areas
Coordinator – Asylum Seeker Support Team
Level 6 ($71,592.56 - $73,495.76). Salary Sacrifice applies
Social , Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry
Award 2010
Full time locum (12 month) position
Based at Woolloongabba however some travel is required
Management Team
Director
To lead and co-ordinate the activities of the Asylum Seeker Support
Team in order to ensure the delivery of quality services.
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Together with other key staff develop a comprehensive plan for
the delivery of counselling and support activities to people
seeking asylum.
 Co-ordinate and manage the day to day functions of the Asylum
Seeker Support Team.
 Provide line supervision for staff.
 Ensure optimal service provision by the team.
 Coordinate team resources to enable the most effective and
efficient services.
 Ensure required data is collected, check and prepare relevant
documentation and reports
 Participate in relevant meetings and contribute to the activities
and functions of the QPASTT Management Team.
 Contribute to the ongoing development of quality services.
 Develop and maintain relationships with key partners and
stakeholders
 Represent the organisation in external forums and participate in
community engagement and development strategies as well as
capacity building activities with mainstream services.
The Asylum Seeker Support Team is responsible for leading the
agency’s responses to people seeking asylum.
6 to 8
Department of Immigration Border Protection
 Co-ordinate and manage counselling and assessment services to
clients in detention and those seeking asylum.
 Together with the Director and Managers, support national and
state stakeholder relationships and planning for service delivery
 Co-ordinate the service provision functions of the team including
referral networks, liaison, advocacy, provision of education and
training.
 Oversee the quality of QPASTT’s work with asylum seekers.
 Provide professional leadership, guidance, and performance
evaluation of the delivery of services to clients.
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Key Relationships
Oversee the writing of psychosocial reports
Contribute to the collaborative management structure of
QPASTT
 Represent the organisation in external forums.
 Negotiate with and prepare reports to funding bodies and
relevant stakeholders
 Provide day to day co-ordination of staff in the team
 Develop and maintain relationships with key partners and
stakeholders
 Provide education and training to mainstream services
 In consultation with the Clinical Services Manager ensure the
development of systems and/or models of intervention which
are appropriate and effective in this area of work
 Contribute to the creation of a positive and safe work
environment
 Contribute to the development of the professional development
agenda of the agency
 Seek out issues for research in order to continually improve
services
 Promote a learning culture within QPASTT
Internal
 Director
 Managers and Team Coordinators
 Asylum Seeker Support Team Members
 Other QPASTT staff and teams
External
 Refugee Communities and Leaders
 Relevant Funding Bodies
 Government and non-government services responding to the
needs of asylum seekers.
Key Selection
Criteria
Essential
1. Tertiary qualifications in psychology, social work or related
discipline. Eligibility for membership/registration of
appropriate professional association.
2. Experience in both the management of client services and in
the management of staff including supporting staff under
pressure
3. Extensive experience in counselling and the ability to
undertake comprehensive assessments
4. Well-developed knowledge, or the ability to quickly acquire
knowledge, of issues facing people seeking asylum.
5. Well-developed knowledge and understanding of people
who have suffered trauma/torture.
6. Well-developed skills of leadership, participatory planning,
and implementation and evaluation practices in service
delivery.
7. High level communication skills and interpersonal skills,
including written and oral skills, consultation, negotiation,
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advocacy, presentation and liaison
Position Requirements
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Possession of a Blue Card or ability to acquire one
Ability to Travel
Current Queensland Drivers Licence
In addition to the duties listed above all QPASTT staff are expected
to:
 Respect and abide by the vision, mission and values of the
organisation.
 Ensure that their conduct is consistent with provisions of the
QPASTT Code of Conduct.
 Comply with the provisions of relevant QPASTT policies and
procedures.
 Comply with the provisions of QPASTT’s Workplace Health
and Safety Framework including policies, procedures and
safe work systems that relate to their role and QPASTT as a
whole.
 Carry out general administrative functions related to their
role and to the effective and efficient functioning of QPASTT
as a whole. This includes the use of computer-based
information and data systems.
 Be flexible and able to adapt to the changing environment in
which QPASTT operates.
 Undertake other relevant duties as required.
Key Responsibilities
Lead, coordinate
and develop the
relevant service
delivery programs
and team
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Be responsible and accountable for ensuring optimal service
provision for QPASTT and communities with which we work.
Develop plans for how the team will conduct its work, work
together and co-ordinate resources to enable the most effective
and efficient services to clients.
Participate in the Referral meeting and process incoming
referrals.
Ensure that the design of the services delivered meets the needs
of the client groups in consultation with the relevant line
manager.
Oversight the systems and processes that assist in a smooth work
flow and ensure funding body accountability requirements are
met such as data collection and management, administrative
systems
Contribute to reports as required.
Participate in program evaluation
Collect information about gaps in service provision and feedback
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Manage staff
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Form Relationships
with Key
Stakeholders
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Education and
Training
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through the Management Team
Actively participate in the Coordinators and Management Teams
Prepare correspondence, compliance and funding submissions
and other related matters as required by agency
Contribute to the effective planning of services and the
development of agency policies
Implement and oversee programs to ensure objectives are met
Provide line supervision for staff
Prioritise work, allocate work to staff, and conduct regular work
reviews and workload monitoring and management
Ensure regular team meetings are held as required
Liaise with the relevant line manager and Clinical Services
Manager about support issues relevant to the individual staff
duties and team functioning
Be available for staff about day-to-day issues that arise in the
implementation of services
Assist staff with problem solving and other solution focussed
activities with cases and their work
Supervise students on placement where relevant
Identify training and support needs of staff
Contribute to the creation of a positive and safe working
environment
Develop sustainable relationships with refugee communities and
their leaders
Represent QPASTT at relevant conferences, seminars, network
meetings and other forums
Participate in and maintain networks and relationships
Nurture a range of community development initiatives in refugee
communities to facilitate community support
Provide education and training to mainstream services providers
on working with torture and trauma survivors
Seek out issues for research in order to continually improve
services
Values
Survivors of torture and trauma
come first
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We value our people and
encourage teamwork through
mutual respect and trust
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Key Behaviours
Client focused Orientation
Provide a high standard of service and support to
our clients and their families that is culturally
relevant
Use appropriate communication to accurately
determine the needs of our clients
Maintain positive and professional relationships
Ask clients to actively participate in all aspects of
service delivery
Respect the human rights of the client, their family
and the community
Teamwork
Contribute opinions, encourage others to
contribute their opinions and build on them
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We insist on openness and
accountability
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We adhere to the strongest
ethical standards in both practice
and research
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Our work is supported by
reflective practice and innovation 
to achieve quality client outcomes
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Involve others to achieve outcomes
Engage in collaborative practice with colleagues
Work to achieve common goals
Accept responsibility for achieving shared goals
Establish mutual respect and trust
Communicate genuinely around topics of mutual
interest
Build trust through managing and delivering on
expectations
Communicate to others that they are valued &
important
Seek to build rapport with people
Communication
Exchange ideas by using suitable language
Demonstrate a clear, concise, open manner
appropriate for the audience
Listen when others are communicating
Demonstrate approachable and open body
language
Accountable
Provide regular information to the community and
other stakeholders outlining our work
Ensure that our service can be accessed by all
survivors and that equitable service is received
We will consult regularly with survivors, their
families and the community about what needs
changing in our service
Ethics
Adopt an ethics based approach to all aspects of
our work
Ensure the highest standards are achieved in
relation to privacy of information and
confidentiality
Respect the right of client to disclose whatever
level of information they feel comfortable with and
how the information is to be used
Outcomes
Focus on delivery of appropriate outcomes for
clients
Innovation
Embrace and contribute to new approaches
dealing with work and service delivery problems or
innovations
Reflective Practice
We regularly review our practice and make
changes with a view to providing a quality service.
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