Client Service Officer

Job No: FedCourt137

Location: Newcastle

Closing Date: 14 Feb 2019 AEDT

Please note applicants who applied through gazette notice 10739921 which was advertised from 5 December to 21 December 2018 will automatically be considered for these roles unless they advise us otherwise.

Classification: APS level 3
Salary: $57,235 - $61,774 per annum, plus superannuation
Job Type: There are several ongoing/non-ongoing, full-time and part-time positions available. Contract lengths may vary.
Reports to: Registry Services Team Leader

Overview of Agency
The Federal Court of Australia (the Entity) is a non-Corporate listed entity for the purposes of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act) and a statutory agency for the purposes of the Public Service Act 1999. The Entity supports the operations of the Federal Court of Australia (FCA), Family Court of Australia (FCoA), the Federal Circuit Court of Australia (FCC) and the National Native Title Tribunal (NNTT). The FCA, FCoA and FCC are Chapter III Courts under the Australian Constitution and continue to operate as individual judicial jurisdictions.

Court Jurisdictions of position
The Federal Circuit Court of Australia was established by the Federal Circuit Court of Australia Act 1999 (the Act) as an independent federal court under Chapter III of the Australian Constitution. Prior to 12 April 2013, under the Federal Magistrates Act 1999, the Court was known as the Federal Magistrates Court and its judicial officers as federal magistrates. The Court was established to handle less complex matters in the areas of family law and general federal law.

The Court sits in all capital cities, selected major regional centres and circuits to a number of regional locations. The Court is a federal court of record and a court of law and equity.

The Family Court of Australia, through its specialist judges and staff, assists Australians to resolve their most complex legal family disputes. The Family Court is a superior court of record established by Parliament in 1975 under Chapter 3 of the Constitution.

The purpose of the Court, as Australia’s superior court in family law, is to:

• determine cases with the most complex law, facts and parties 
• cover specialised areas in family law, and 
• provide national coverage as the appellate court in family law matters.

The Court maintains registries in all Australian states and territories except Western Australia.

Purpose of position
Client service staff initiate, file and sort documents, for which they also provide quality assurance and archiving functions. They assist in courtroom operations, facilitating flow through the courtroom and provide clients with information about issues such as how to address the Court and where they need to be at what time. Client service staff are aware of client security issues and act to assist and reassure clients in what can be a distressing and emotional time for them.

Client service staff provide case coordination to ensure the best service to clients by managing the effective and efficient progress of cases through the Courts. This assists clients to reach resolution of their family disputes while optimising the use of judicial and other resources.

Client service staff schedule cases, assign priority to cases and ensure they are ready to proceed to the next stage. Staff maintain positive relationships with clients and solicitors, contribute to the early resolution of cases and identify cases that require specialist attention or other intervention. Client service staff are proactive in the coordination of Court events, including liaison with external clients, solicitors, professional staff, and other internal clients. They analyse and report on workflow and performance trends, making recommendations as necessary and perform the 'listing' function.

As part of an initiative of the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court to improve services and the quality of information provided to clients of the Family Law Courts, the National Enquiry Centre (NEC) was established. Client service staff working at the NEC are primarily responsible for answering national phone and email enquiries for the Family Law Courts.

Important Functions of the Position
The person appointed to this position is expected to carry out his or her duties so as to:

• satisfy all relevant statutory obligations
• satisfy the Australian Public Service Values and Code of Conduct
• contribute to and support achievement of the Court’s Strategic and Business Plans
• operate within the Court’s policies and procedural guide lines, and
• support and contribute to the Court’s Service Charter

Key Responsibilities and Duties of Position
This role typically functions under general direction and is required to operate within clear procedures. During a typical day there are a variety of changing priorities and differing situations encountered in the work place. This will require flexibility by the job holder in meeting any changing priorities. Work outcomes are monitored on a regular basis but the job holder is not under constant supervision.

The Client Service Officer may be required to:

• provide information and advice relating to court services, procedures, processes and forms as well as external options to clients in order to provide clarity and understanding to enable clients to take informed and appropriate action in relation to their situation,
• ensure information is available in an accurate and timely fashion to support the best outcome by providing file management, and quality assurance from initiation of matters, data entry and processing through to use in proceedings and archiving,
• enhance community confidence and respect by responding to clients’ emotional needs, managing their expectations and providing a positive experience, especially in their first contact with the courts and understand cultural and special needs such as family violence,
• progress cases by providing administrative services in accordance with court processes, including receiving and reconciling court fees and charges,
• evaluate case load by reporting on trends and exceptions to facilitate improvements in processes and allocation of resources, and
• make best use of court time by facilitating an orderly secure flow of clients, files and exhibits and ensuring the courtroom is ready for proceedings. Activities include but are not limited to providing files and subpoenas, preparing and tidying the courtroom, guiding clients through courtroom hearing processes and protocols, maintaining order in court.

Reporting Relationships
The Client Service Section consists of client service teams. Each team reports to either a judicial services team leader or a registry services team leader depending on the size of the registry.

Eligibility
Employment with the Federal Court of Australia is subject to the requirement of the Public Service Act 1999. The following requirements also apply:

• Australian citizenship – the successful applicant must be an Australian citizenship, unless the Chief Operating Officer waives that requirement.
• National Police Check – the successful applicant must satisfy a Police Records Check, and may also be required to complete security clearances during the course of their employment.
• Health clearance – the successful applicant must be fit for duties and will be required to complete a health declaration and may be required to attend a medical assessment to confirm their fitness for duty.

Interested candidates who have received a redundancy benefit from an Australian Public Service agency are welcome to apply, but note that they cannot be engaged until their redundancy benefit period has expired, unless the Public Service Commissioner agrees.

Selection Criteria

1. A demonstrated record of success in the provision of service to clients involving working directly with the general public and including a demonstrated understanding of and commitment to providing client focused services.
2. Demonstrated working knowledge or clearly demonstrated capability to quickly acquire a sound working knowledge of court procedures, guidelines, policies and practice, including the computerised information systems used by the courts.
3. Demonstrated effective organisational skills with the ability to work under pressure, achieve objectives and manage competing priorities.
4. Demonstrated ability to work well in a team, to act with integrity, use initiative and work unsupervised as required.
5. Demonstrated capacity to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with strong interpersonal skills, including a proven ability to manage stressful and/or conflict situations in a professional manner, on a continual basis.

How to Apply
To be considered you will need to upload a comprehensive statement of claims against the selection criteria and attach an up to date resume by 11:55pm on 13 February 2019.

For more information contact Belinda Morris, Registry Services Team Leader, by phone: 02 4929 0219 or email: Belinda.morris@familycourt.gov.au