Women & Family Centre Coordinator
The Spinifex people, including those residents at Tjuntjuntjara Community, are represented by the Pila
Nguru Aboriginal Corporation, the Native Title Representative Body in the Spinifex Native Title area.
Within this area, Paupiyala Tjarutja Aboriginal Corporation (PTAC) is an Aboriginal corporation with
responsibility for managing the essential and community services in the community. This includes, but
is not limited to, the Community Store, Community Resource Centre, a Women’s Centre, Indigenous
Sport and Recreation program, an Environmental Health program, municipal services (airstrip, tip,
road maintenance, water, power, sewerage), mechanics workshop, the Community Development
Program and Spinifex Health Service’s (including Youth and Home and Community Care programs).
Tjuntjuntjara is the main population Centre for the Spinifex Lands, over 55,000 sq. kms of Native Title
area in the Great Victoria Desert region of Western Australia. PTAC operate a primary health care
service that includes youth, aged care and home and community care services trading as Spinifex
Health Service. An Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) which also
operates an office and accommodation facility in Kalgoorlie and delivers onsite 24/7 clinical services
as well as a comprehensive range specialist clinical and allied health programs on a fly in fly out basis.
Position Overview
The primary purpose of the Tjuntjuntjara Community Women and Family Centre is to provide a safe
and welcoming space for women and families to gather, meet and participate in a range of activities,
discussions and programs related to health, social issues, child welfare, arts and crafts and cultural.
Further, to support children’s learning from early childhood to Year 12 through School and community
partnerships and empowering parents and carers to engage in their children’s education, including
planning and decision making.
The Women’s & Family Centre Coordinator’s role is to identify, develop and coordinate education
opportunities/activities for young people and their parents / guardians to develop their skills to
maximise opportunities to prevent the cycle of poverty and welfare dependency. Particular focus will
be on those parents who have children that are at risk of becoming disengaged from mainstream
schooling in Tjuntjuntjara or are already disengaged from schooling. Further, parents who are
struggling to cope and manage the basic requirements due to lack of social support, drugs and
alcohol, family and domestic violence, lack of education, poverty, or other factors.
Key Responsibilities
• Work closely with the women, Education Committee, TRCS, Family
Education Coordinator, Youth Worker and CRC to design activities that
focus on improving levels of education and increase indigenous
employment in the community.
• Encourage women to use the Women’s & Family Centre as a base
from which they can gather, discuss, formulate and develop solutions to
problems, influencing those decisions made in the community which
affect them and their families.
• Facilitate and support PTAC Indigenous Engagement Officers to conduct
a minimum of five activities per week at the Tjuntjuntjara RCS or
externally to encourage parental engagement in the school.
• Work with program staff and the Youth Worker to facilitate parent and
carer sessions to support Youth in their education aspirations.
• In collaboration with program staff including the Indigenous Engagement
Officers, the Youth Worker and families as necessary, promote school
attendance of resident community children and those visiting from other
communities.
• Provide education and information on food storage, preparation of
suitable nutritious meals and snacks and home hygiene to individuals
and groups.
• Provide a space for arts and crafts activities, including coordinating
and organising bush trips with senior women to collect materials and
plants for food, arts and crafts, and for making traditional medicines.
• Facilitate further development of program links with other community and
non-community bodies relevant to the Centre’s operations such as the
NPY Women’s Council and other similar organisations
• Provide an ongoing focus on nutrition to support women, children and
families, and where necessary, work closely with families identified as
having children with nutrition related growth and development issues.
The Spinifex Health Service (SHS), and the Tjuntjuntjara School will
provide support to ensure that cases are managed adequately and
effectively.
• Liaise with the Clinic, School and Youth Worker (as required) about any
children they have concerns about.
• Work with program staff to support LLN education with Adults and
students.
• Support the Tjuntjuntjara school by facilitating the involvement of
families with the Education Committee.
• Coordinate the Centre’s activities, meetings, art and craft activities, and
liaise with the health service, School and Program Manager with regard
to developing and scheduling in other activities. Ensure that a broad
range of programs are available that support women and families in
healthy homes, nutrition, sewing, childcare, health and cultural activities
(basket making, wood carvings, traditional song and storytelling), and
traditional medicine making.
• Ensure the Centre is maintained securely and that the building is kept
clean, tidy and safe for all.
• Administer the requirements of all projects/program, reporting to and
working under the Programs Manager on grant administration of the
centre. Ensure that PTAC Administrative and grant funding processes
are maintained and reported on and filed onto the corporation server (Y
Drive).
• Supervise indigenous employees and volunteers in a culturally
appropriate way. Empower the women to participate in and take
responsibility for activities operating from the Centre.
• Identify and coordinate training and professional development
opportunities for indigenous employees and volunteers. Further, provide
and support community capacity building through education and support.
Undertake training as may be required.
• Demonstrate Leadership when undertaking the duties of the Coordinator
by challenging obstacles, enabling others to act, inspiring a shared vision
and modelling the way ahead.
• Encouraging and supporting more women to undertake leadership,
representative and management roles by involving women in the
development of programs that operate out of the Centre.
• Consulting with women on issues related to the Women’s & Family
Centre and supporting and encouraging women to take leadership roles
in governance.
• Maintain the Women’s Committee to coordinate clear information
exchange and to inform you on program development, activities and
projects. Take minutes of meetings and follow-up on meeting decisions
and directions.
• Facilitate the Family & Domestic Violence Committee Meetings – 4-6
meetings per year. Take minutes of meetings and follow-up on meeting
decisions and directions.
• Perform any other duties that are reasonable and directed by the Chief
Executive Officer
