Section 2.2         Roles and responsibilities of community services workers

Each job has a range of responsibilities which must be carried out competently by the worker in order to fulfil the job role.  For example, some of the responsibilities of a person in the role of a disability worker are:

• to give support while they are learning;
• to assist in community integration; and
• to be a key worker.

Another example may be a Drug and Alcohol Education worker for a Department of Health community agency, who may be focused on providing information and support to young people at risk of drug and alcohol abuse.

In thinking about what their responsibilities may include, there is a need to consider the job role as well as any ethical and legal considerations.  In this example, the worker’s responsibilities may include:

• conducting a series of information and education sessions for young people;
• providing individual support to young people at risk of drug and alcohol abuse;
• ensuring that you maintain confidentiality in relation to your clients at all times, except in instances where notification to the Department of Community Services (DoCS) may need to occur (this relates to your responsibilities to children and young people at risk of harm, under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998);
• obtaining informed consent from your client if you are referring them to another service or sharing information about the client with other workers; and
• maintaining a client-centred approach, ie. always being aware that the young person is your primary client, even if other family members or carers are involved and have views about what kind of help your client needs.

2.2.1   Job descriptions

As you can see the types of jobs in the CSI are really varied.  You can gain more specific information about what is required of you in your particular position by looking at your job description (or position specification as it is sometimes known).

Look at the job vacancies in your local newspaper that interest you.  Look at the requirements of the job, the award the position aligns with and any other information that will help you gain a better understanding of such a position.

You will find that they include roles and responsibilities and some practical requirements such as working hours.  They also provide some idea about the line of management (ie. to whom each worker is responsible).

When seeking work in the industry, it is very important that you read the job description thoroughly before accepting a position and once you do accept a position, you follow that description.  By requesting an information package, further information on the job can be obtained.

As a worker in the CSI, you can often feel as though you are pulled in many directions.

• You are accountable to the people who use your organisation.  Service users in the CSI are often in very vulnerable circumstances.  A job description is a way of trying to ensure they receive a professional standard of service.  This, in turn, tries to ensure they will not be taken advantage of and it is therefore a way of protecting their quality of life and empowering them.

• You are accountable to your employer.  A job description lets you know what is expected of you by your employer (your role and responsibilities) and provides a guideline which clarifies those expectations.  Your employer may use this to monitor your work practices.  They may also use it as a basis for negotiating changes to your role and planning for other positions.

• Job descriptions have usually been carefully planned to ensure professional service provision.  Each position has different requirements.  Unless employees adhere to those requirements, the service cannot be sure it is achieving its goals and/or adhering to its liabilities.

• You are accountable to yourself.  There is a high incidence of work-related stress in this industry.  Workers need to find ways of looking after themselves.  A job description is a reminder to you of your limits and provides a way of protecting yourself from exceeding those limits.  A job description can also be a means of protecting you and preventing employers from exploiting you as a worker.  It is also a way of checking that you are in fact fulfilling your responsibilities.

• You are accountable to your colleagues and your profession.  By accepting your job description and working according to it, you are agreeing that it is a reasonable set of expectations for all workers in that position.  Therefore, if you accept an unreasonable description or if you do not comply with a reasonable description, you are letting down your fellow workers.