• Are you looking for an inclusive and diverse organisation that offers career opportunities and understands the importance of work life balance?
• Would you like to receive a $300 bonus payment in recognition for completing Hope and Healing modules?
• Would you like to receive discounted Private Health Insurance?

Please note: To be considered for and appointed to a position at Life Without Barriers, you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or hold a valid medical exemption certificate.  You will be required to provide evidence of your vaccination status during the recruitment process.

About the Organisation

Every day, Life Without Barriers provides support and care to children and young people, as we work collaboratively with families, carers, and communities, to ensure they have the environment they deserve to grow. With a focus on ensuring safety and respect, this is an opportunity to make a positive and meaningful difference in these young lives and help pave a brighter future.

Life Without Barriers is a leading social purpose organisation of 8,000 employees working in more than 500 communities across Australia. We support children, young people and families, people with disability, older people, and people with mental illness. We work with people who are homeless and refugees and asylum seekers. Join a community of people dedicated to breaking down barriers.

We want to employ people who reflect the diversity of our clients to ensure we can support each client's individual needs and wants. We encourage people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background and people with disability to apply.

Why should you start your career with Life Without Barriers as a Youth Worker?

Life Without Barriers can offer you a wealth of opportunities. In fact, we have had Operations Managers, Program Managers, Child and Family Practitioners and Case Managers who kicked off their careers with LWB as Youth Workers. Not only this, but Youth Work can also be the ideal role for people who are studying and wanting to put theory into practice, or who are seeking to achieve better work/life balance all while making a difference at the same time.

Youth Work is truly what you make of it!

About the Role

Working in line with the CARE model, you will strive to enhance the lives of children and young people in our Child Youth & Family programs incorporating a therapeutic, trauma informed approach. We are seeking candidates who are passionate about supporting young people that display complex and challenging behaviours and helping them realise their potential. In addition to those who are studying, this role would also provide the ideal opportunity for those with experience in nursing, teaching, child protection and youth justice who are seeking a change of scenery.

Our ideal candidate will work closely with other staff to assist young people to heal from their trauma and achieve their potential whilst planning for permanency. To do this, we will need you to be able to confidently navigate complex and delicate situations, along with having the ability to self-reflect. Resilience and a genuine desire to help is a must.

We have multiple casual opportunities available.

 Key Responsibilities  

• Form and maintain professional, nurturing relationships with children and young people by building trust through visible interest and active engagement
• Act as an appropriate adult role model, seeking to engage young people in purposeful activities aimed at developing life skills and self-worth
• Support the involvement of family and where applicable, facilitate family visits/connection and the promotion of positive family relationships with children and young people, to suit individual needs
• Promote and encourage positive relationships with peers and other persons significant to the child/young person
• Assist the child/young person to participate as full as possible in making decisions about the activities undertaken

Skills & Experience

• You must have obtained or be willing to work towards your Certificate IV in Child, Youth and Family Intervention (or similar) If you are unsure if you meet these minimum qualification standards, please visit peakcare.com.au/hopehealing/min-quals-res-care 
• Experience working with young people, ideally in a residential setting is desirable, but successful applicants may have transferable experience from a background working in mental health, teaching/childcare, alcohol and other drugs or youth detention centres.
• The successful applicants will need to be confident in managing risk and assessment and respond well to young people.
• Valid Full Unrestricted Australian Drivers Licence (essential)
• Valid First Aid Certificate and CPR Certification (or willingness to obtain prior to commencement)
• Complete Hope and Healing Framework Foundations prior to starting (we will enrol you in this if successful)

Successful candidates will be required to clear probity checks including National Criminal History Record Check and Working with Children Check (where relevant to the role).

Benefits

• Multiple shifts available to promote work/life flexibility
• A fantastic, positive, and supportive team culture
• Growing organisation with great career opportunities
• Ongoing training and mentorship

How to Apply

Include your resume and covering letter in one document, click ‘Apply Now’ and follow the prompts.

For any enquiries including persons with disability that require adjustments, contact [email protected] using the subject line: Youth Workers - Townsville enquiry via EthicalJobs. Please note that we do not accept applicants to this email address, they must be submitted online.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as applications may be reviewed prior to the closing date; and as such the closing date is subject to change without notice. 

We are dedicated to playing our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and bring continuity of care and support to our clients. If you are successful, we will discuss with you an alternative to a face-to-face interview. 

Life Without Barriers supports the Royal Commission into violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of people with disability. We believe people with disability need to be heard and for these experiences to influence how support services like ours are delivered. View our statement here (https://bit.ly/2GzZGWA)