Staff sought for Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre in Illawarra

Illawarra Mercury – Natalie Croxon

People who want to work at the Australian-first Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre are asked to signal their interest, as the organisation leading the project looks ahead to recruitment.

The Illawarra Women’s Health Centre has advertised an expressions of interest process for staff for the centre, which will provide multidisciplinary, wrap-around care for victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence.

Health professionals, social and wellbeing practitioners, client support workers and administrative staff are sought.

Sally Stevenson, executive director of the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre, said the organisation was planning its recruitment strategy for the coming months.

“We just don’t want to miss any great practitioners who might be in the process of shifting [jobs] when we’re in the process of recruiting in the next three to four months,” Ms Stevenson said.

She said she was looking forward to receiving interesting expressions of interest from experienced practitioners.

The centre is due to open at an interim site in Shellharbour early next year and about 25 to 30 staff are needed for that time.

Ms Stevenson said the fit-out of the interim site was tracking well and was due for completion by the end of the year, but the organisation was looking to open early in 2024 so there was a margin for any delays, and to account for the holiday period.

Meanwhile, she said the organisation had had discussions with Health Infrastructure NSW and the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District about a permanent site for the centre.

Ms Stevenson said they would be lodging a formal proposal with Health Infrastructure to confirm their preferred site.

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Earlier this year, the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre and the federal government signed a grant agreement for funding of $25 million over five years to operate the centre.

For more information or to submit an expression of interest, email operations manager Emma Rodrigues at emmar@womenshealthcentre.com.au.