Child Protection Caseworker (Helpline & After Hours)

NSW Department of Communities and Justice; Liverpool; On-site; AUD 93,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

A challenging and rewarding career

Flexible, autonomous work environment

Competitive pay and conditions

Training and development opportunities

Health & Wellbeing and Employee Helps

Job summary

NSW Department of Communities and Justice seeks a Child Protection Caseworker for the After-Hours Response & Helpline in Liverpool, NSW. You will support at-risk children and families and assist with safety planning and short-term interventions.

Required: degree in Social Work or Social Science/Welfare, valid driver’s licence, Working with Children clearance, and willingness to work shifts on site. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Social Work, Social Science or Welfare.
• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander connection with at least two years’ experience working with Aboriginal families, children and/or communities.
• Valid driver’s license (P1 or above).
• Paid Working with Children clearance number.
• Ability to undertake shift work and be on-site in Liverpool, NSW.

Responsibilities

• Work in accordance with legislative and policy requirements.
• Work sensitively and respectfully with children or young people, parents and families.
• Collaborate with other agencies and engage in complex problem solving.
• Assist families in meeting immediate needs, addressing safety and wellbeing concerns, and provide assistance through home visits.
• Develop safety plans and complete risk assessments.
• Manage short-term interventions for high-need and high-risk clients and families.
• Participate in individual and group supervision.
• Take reports of child abuse and/or neglect from the public and mandatory reporters.
• Build relationships with stakeholders to support and strengthen families.
• Respond to general enquiries from the public and professionals.
• Undertake initial assessments before referring reports to a CSC for further review and response.

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Social Work, Social Science and Welfare

Job description

Child Protection Caseworker After Hours Response & Helpline

Location: Liverpool

Employment type: Ongoing

Salary: $92,632 - $120,478 pa plus superannuation and annual leave loading

We are recruiting for current vacancies and Talent Pool inclusions in our Child Protection Helpline and After-Hours Response team. This is a targeted recruitment. While all applicants are welcome, preference will be given to candidates who meet the established standards of the role and are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait islander descent. This is because the Department acknowledges this lived experience contributes a perspective valuable to our work with this community.

What you’ll do

As a member of the AHRT you will:

• Work in accordance with legislative and policy requirements
• work sensitively and respectfully with children or young people, parents, family members.
• work collaboratively with other agencies and engage in complex problem solving.
• Assist families in meeting their immediate needs, addressing safety and well-being concerns, and providing appropriate assistance through home visits.
• develop safety plans and complete risk assessments.
• manage short term intervention including situations that involve working with high needs and high-risk clients and their families.
• participate in individual and group supervision.

As a member of the Child Protection Helpline, you will:

• Take reports of child abuse and/or neglect from members of the public and mandatory reporters such as police, education professionals, health workers, and/or childcare providers.
• Build relationships with key stakeholders to support and strengthen families,
• Respond to general enquires from the public, community partners and child and family protection professionals.
• Undertake initial assessments before referring reports to a Community Services Centre (CSC) for further review and response.

What we’re looking for

• Completed Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Social Work, Social Science and Welfare. Other related degrees are considered, if you can demonstrate your knowledge skills and experience working with vulnerable children, young people and families
• As an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Caseworker, you will need to have a connection to, and at least two years’ experience working with Aboriginal families, children, and/or communities.
• Relevant experience in child protection, Out of Home Care, or provision of casework in another setting.
• 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.
• Ability to undertake shift work during the hours of operation. On site in attendance in Liverpool, NSW is required. Being a Helpline Caseworker requires resilience, tenacity and compassion to support children and families living in varied and challenging circumstances. Undertaking initial assessments of significant child protection concerns and potential risks can be confronting; however, the rewards for ensuring the best outcomes for a child can be limitless.

What We Offer

• A challenging and rewarding career
• Flexible, autonomous work environment
• Competitive pay and conditions
• Training and development opportunities to build and maintain capabilities
• Health & Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programs.

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.

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. For more information and advice on applying for roles at DCJ, visit Careers for Aboriginal people.

Contact

For more information about the role or what it’s like to work for DCJ, please contact the hiring manager Joanne Dobry on 0428 943 973 or at [e-mail].