Child Protection Caseworker - Flexible Hours & Impact

NSW Department of Communities and Justice; Wollongong City Council; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career development

Flexible working conditions

Health & wellbeing programs

Training opportunities

Impactful public service

Job summary

NSW Department of Communities and Justice – Wollongong NSW is seeking experienced JCPRP Caseworkers to assess safety and risk to children and young people within a multi-disciplinary service model.

To succeed you will have frontline experience in statutory child protection, relevant degree, and strong communication and interpersonal skills. A valid Working with Children clearance and a driver’s licence are required. A talent pool may be created for future roles.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years’ frontline experience in statutory child protection or investigations.
• Degree in Social Work, Social Science and Welfare or final semester; must complete before duty.
• Other related degrees considered with relevant knowledge and experience.
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander with strong community connection encouraged to apply.
• Excellent verbal and written communication; ability to build positive relationships.
• Valid driver’s licence (P1 or above) and paid working with children clearance number.

Responsibilities

• Undertake assessments to identify and address safety and risk concerns for children and young people within a multi-disciplinary program.
• Engage in collaborative, child focused practice respecting culture and context of each child and family.
• Source timely information and make evidence-based decisions aligned with safety and welfare.
• Model ethical and curious casework responsive to changing needs of children and families.
• Build relationships within the program and with partner agencies for coordinated services.
• Develop and maintain networks to deliver holistic outcomes for children and families.
• Participate in continuous learning and professional development to keep practice current.
• Maintain accurate client records for reporting and information sharing.
• Have difficult conversations to mitigate risks and enhance safety and wellbeing.
• Initiate action in the Children’s Court to ensure safety when required.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Communication

Attention to detail

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Social Work / Social Science

Job description

Joint Child Protection Response Program (JCPRP) Caseworker - Wollongong

NSW Department of Communities and Justice – Wollongong NSW

We are currently recruiting for vacancies and talent pool inclusions for Wollongong.

JCPRP Caseworkers assess safety and risk to children and young people within a multi-disciplinary service model. We are seeking experienced child protection Caseworkers with excellent analytical, assessment and communication skills.

To be successful in this role, applicants must demonstrate strong attention to detail, highly developed critical thinking and problem solving, and excellent interpersonal and self-management skills.

What you’ll do

While no two days are the same, JCPRP Caseworkers:

Undertake assessments to identify and address safety and risk concerns for children and young people within a multi-disciplinary program

Engage in collaborative, child focused practice that acknowledges and respects the culture and context of each child, young person and their carers/family

Source timely, accurate and comprehensive information and makeevidence based decisions in line with the child/young person’s safety, welfare and wellbeing

Model ethical and curious casework that is responsive to the changing needs of children, young people and families

Build relationships within the Program, practice and legislative frameworks to promote meaningful change in families for better outcomes forchildren/young people and their families

Develop and maintain networks and relationships with JCPRP partner agencies and otherstakeholders to deliver holistic and coordinated services for children, young people and families

Participate and contribute to a culture of continuous learning and professional development to ensure practice knowledge and skills are contemporary

Maintain accurate and objective client records for reporting and information sharing

Have difficult conversations about and with children, young people, family and key stakeholders to mitigate risks and enhance safety and wellbeing

Initiate action in the Children’s Court to ensure safety and wellbeing where required

What we’re looking for

Working with vulnerable children, young people and carers/families within a multi-disciplinary program is never boring, often challenging and always rewarding.

To be a JCPR Caseworker you need to be confident, curious and resilient. The essential requirements include:

Minimum of 2 years' frontline experience in statutory child protection services or within statutory investigation services

Preferred Completed or in your final semester of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Social Work, Social Science and Welfare along with practical experience. (If you are in your final semester of university you will not be able to commence on duty if successful until you have completed your degree)

Other related degrees are considered, if you can demonstrate your knowledge skills and experience working with vulnerable children, young people and families

and/or identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander with a strong connection to community

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to build positive working relationships

A valid driver’s licence (P1 or above)

A paid working with children clearance number

Download the role description.

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To apply directly via the DCJ Careers site click here. Search for the job and click the ‘Apply now’ button.

We focus on hiring people who share our commitment and goals of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, courage and integrity. If you meet the essential requirements and the role resonates with you, please apply – you do not need to meet every desired requirement for us to want to talk to you.

What We Offer

We offer a variety of benefits, including:

A challenging and rewarding career

Flexible working conditions including a 140-hour month

Competitive pay and conditions

Industry leading JCPRP training and ongoing development opportunities

Opportunity to work within a unique and highly visible multi-disciplinary programwith a collective goal of improving safety and wellbeing outcomes for children and young people

Unequalled insight into the operations and culture of the JCPRP partner agencies

Health & Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programs.

Want more information?Visit our website to see more information on Working for us.

We do work that really matters

Working for the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) provides lots of opportunities to make a real difference. We collaborate with other agencies and community partners, to improve lives and realise the potential of children, adults, families and communities. We're focused on breaking, rather than managing, disadvantage. It’s work that really matters.

Apply now and join Australia’s top public sector employer where we will support you and provide an exciting and flexible working environment!

Are you ready to join us?

Click apply, attach an up-to-date résumé (maximum 5 pages) and a cover letter (maximum 3 pages) addressing the targeted question below with a brief outline on how you meet the requirements of the role:

Describe a time when you were required to undertake a safety and risk assessment for a child or young person. What steps did you take to complete this assessment, what were the challenges and what was the outcome?

Applications that have not answered the targeted question will not be reviewed

If you’ve got a question about applying or would benefit from an adjustment in the recruitment process to help you perform at your best (including an alternate method submission of the application), please call Gen Lanuzo on 02 9765 3***or via **********@dcj.nsw.gov.au.

VisitRecruitment adjustmentson the DCJ website to learn more.

Inclusion and Diversity lies at the heart of how we recruit

We continue to hire great people with a wide variety of skills, experience and backgrounds. This includes people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people identifying as LGBTIQ+, culturally and linguistically diverse people, carers and other diversity groups.

To find out what DCJ are doing to build an inclusive and diverse workforce, visit Inclusion and diversity on the DCJ website.

Other Information

A talent pool may be created for future ongoing and temporary roles and is valid for a period of up to 18 months.

For more information visit Applying for DCJ jobs on the DCJ website.

Thank you for your interest in this role. We look forward to receiving your application.

To keep up with recruitment opportunities at DCJ, follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CareersatDCJ/

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