Catherine Butler took some time away to have a quick chat to us about what she does at the Neighbourhood Justice Centre located on Wellington Street Collingwood.
(Their information can be found on the "Services" tab above)
A huge thank you to Catherine for giving us a couple of minutes, find out about what she does below!

Name: Catherine Butler
 
Agency: New Hope Foundation at the Neighbourhood Justice Centre
 
Role/ Position: Community Settlement Social Worker

Length of time in the position: 8 months
 
What does a typical day for you look like:

There is no ‘typical day’ in this job; the role is very diverse, so no two days ever look the same. My role involves:

• casework appointments with clients (either in the office or on a home visit)
• advocating on behalf of clients to other agencies or services
• attending planning meetings for future projects or network meetings with other local agencies
• attending community events.

Some days are spent almost entirely out of the office, while others are spent almost entirely on the phone or using the computer.
 
What services do you/ your organization/ agency provide:
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New Hope provides settlement services to newly-arrived refugees and family-visa holders in their first five years in Australia. My role is evenly divided between casework and community development.

The casework component involves working with newly-arrived individuals or families from refugee or migrant backgrounds. Casework often focuses on practical support, and assistance with issues such as accessing:

• housing
• Centrelink
• health care services
• legal services
• migration agents
• counselling
• English classes
• material aid
• managing household finances.

The community development component is often done in partnership with other local agencies, and involves working with various communities on a wide range of projects. Such projects can include facilitating groups such as women’s groups, running information sessions on relevant topics, and assisting with the organisation and running of community events. These projects have a strong involvement from community members.

Do you need a referral to use your service?:
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No. Clients can either be formally referred from another service, or can refer themselves.

There are two eligibility criteria for accessing New Hope’s services:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1)     <!--[endif]-->Clients must have been in Australia for less than five years.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2)     <!--[endif]-->Clients must hold a refugee or family migration visa (examples of family migration visas are spouse visa, aged parent visa, etc).

What are your opening hours:

9:00am until 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.

I am based at the Neighbourhood Justice Centre on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Is child care available?:
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Child care can be arranged for my appointments at the NJC, if there is enough notice to organise it. However, if it is very difficult for someone to attend an appointment at one of my offices, I can sometimes do home visits.

Could you help with me with an interpreter?:

Yes.
 
How do I contact you/ your agency?:

I work at three offices in the local area:

• Monday – Wednesday

Neighbourhood Justice Centre

241 Wellington St, Collingwood

Phone: 9948 8777

• Thursday

Ecumenical Migration Centre

95-97 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

Phone: 9416 0044

• Friday

New Hope Foundation Head Office

40 Grattan St, Prahran

Phone: 9510 5877

I can be contacted at any of these offices; it is better to call me to make an appointment, as I may not be available for a drop-in appointment.

You may also contact my colleague, Mary, who also works in the local area:

• Monday – Wednesday

North Richmond Community Health Centre

23 Lennox St, North Richmond

Phone: 9429 5477

• Thursday – Friday

Neighbourhood Justice Centre

241 Wellington St, Collingwood

Phone: 9948 8777

Visit our website for more information: www.neighbourhoodjustice.vic.gov.au