Protecting and supporting our most vulnerable children and young people is one of the most important jobs you can do.

Working in Children, Youth and Families in the Community Services Directorate gives you the chance to:

• Make a difference in the lives of children and young people at risk of abuse and neglect
• Provide a positive influence on young people and help them find their place in our community
• Build relationships across the ACT’s community service sector to support children, young people and their families.

Our Child, Youth and Family Safety team have responsibility for the ACT’s statutory child protection response. Our Youth Justice and Adolescent Services team supports young people at risk of engagement with the justice system. We also run our youth detention centre Bimberi, and support young people when they leave custody.

We are looking for practitioners who:

• Can work alongside families and multi-disciplinary teams to support children and young people
• Know how to develop and maintain professional relationships with community partners
• Want to work with families across the child protection and youth justice continuum, from early support, through to court work and out-of-home-care
• Have proactive, trauma-informed, and solution-driven case management skills to support children and young people to develop and grow
• Have strong written and verbal communication and engagement skills.
• Want to apply their experience and qualifications in social work, psychology, criminology, law, social science, or related disciplines

The Community Services Directorate is committed to addressing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection and youth justice systems and is committed to meeting the cultural needs of young people we work with.

The Community Services Directorate acknowledges the significant contribution that individuals with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage and experience bring to improving outcomes for young people.

We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have the appropriate background, experience, and capability, but may not hold the essential tertiary qualification to consider applying for these roles.

If you would like a better understanding on the work Children Youth and Families do, we will be running an information session Wednesday 12th February and Wednesday 19th February  5:30pm online if you would like to attend this session please email [email protected] using the subject line: Practitioner - Children, Youth and Families, Level 2 enquiry via EthicalJobsfor further details.

We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people with diverse thoughts, lived experience, and perspectives can thrive and contribute their unique talents to the ACTPS and ACT community. We encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, veterans, younger and older workers, and people with diverse genders, sexes and sexualities to apply.

Eligibility/Other Requirements:

• Relevant tertiary qualifications in Social Work, Psychology, Social Welfare, Social Science or related discipline. Please note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who do not have these qualifications but who have appropriate and relevant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage and experience are eligible to apply. For Youth Justice positions, a relevant qualification in Criminology or Law may be considered.
• One (1) year of experience working with children, youth and/or families in a social work/case management role.
• Driver’s license (C class) is essential.
• This position does require a Working with Vulnerable People Check.
• Prior to commencing in this role, a current registration issued under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 will be required. For further information on Working with Vulnerable people registrations, refer to Access Canberra.
• Prior to commencement, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a pre-employment National Police Check.
• As this role is likely to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and young people, cultural awareness, and capacity to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is highly desirable.

Notes: A merit pool or merit list may be established from this selection process and will be used to fill vacancies over the next 12 months.

How to Apply:

Click Apply Now to submit your application. 

A position description is attached.