Principal Practitioner

State Government of Victoria, Australia; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) Victoria seeks a Principal Practitioner in Melbourne to strengthen child protection practice, integrate evidence-based approaches, and support families and carers through specialist assessments and case reviews.

The role requires leadership in continuous improvement, secondary consultation, and live supervision, with travel including in-country regions and occasional overnight work to ensure child wellbeing.

Qualifications

• Experience leading child protection practice and mentoring teams.
• Ability to analyse complex family contexts and make risk-informed decisions.
• Demonstrated commitment to Aboriginal child placement principles and reconciliation.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-level expertise and provide secondary consultation and live supervision to practitioners.
• Facilitate staff mentoring and practice development across teams.
• Drive continuous improvement using evidence-based frameworks in programs and practice.
• Travel as required, including in-country regions, with willingness to work flexible hours to support child wellbeing.

Skills

Risk assessment

Case management

Clinical leadership

Aboriginal cultural understanding

Education

Bachelor of Social Work

Registration/eligibility for social work

Tools

Case management software

Job description

Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs

Reference: VG/DFFH/COPL/00573304

The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) works hard to create equal opportunities for all Victorians to live a
safe, respected and valued life.
Our areas of focus are child protection, housing, disability, the prevention of family violence, multicultural affairs, LGBTIQA+
equality, veterans, women and youth. The work we do benefits thousands of Victorians, particularly those who are
disadvantaged and vulnerable.
We work in a variety of community-based settings, including people's homes, residential facilities and secure settings across
metropolitan, rural and regional Victoria.
We are committed to developing and supporting a workforce that is well equipped and highly motivated. All jobs can be
worked flexibly, and we encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from diverse
backgrounds and abilities.
If you're having any trouble viewing this ad and would like it or any attachments in an accessible format (such as large
print), please don't hesitate to get in touch with the contact person listed
on the ad.
For more information on working with us and our recruitment process, please visit Department of Families, Fairness and
Housing Victoria | Jobs (www.dffh.vic.gov.au/jobs)

THE ROLE

The aim of the Principal Practitioner is to strengthen the skills and knowledge of child protection practitioners and build a child-focussed family-centred practice culture that integrates evidence from research and critical reflection. The Principal Practitioner will undertake specialist assessments and interventions, case reviews, appeals and maintain case records, visit children, their parents, families and carers, and other professionals involved with clients of Child Protection.

The Principal Practitioner will provide high level expertise and offer secondary consultation and live supervision; facilitate staff mentoring and practice development; and provide leadership in the implementation of continuous improvement strategies based on clinical best practice.

The transportation of children is a requirement of this role, as such a valid driver's licence and willingness to travel, including in country regions is essential. There may be the requirement to work overnight and, travel in evenings and early mornings. On occasions, additional hours may be required to ensure the wellbeing of children.

You will possess an understanding of Aboriginal culture and demonstrate an understanding of the legislative, policy and practice requirements relating to Aboriginal children, families, and communities, including the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle and the programs and initiatives that support its implementation in child protection practice.

ACCOUNTABILITIES INCLUDE

Risk assessment and analysis: proactively identifies and analyses patterns associated with risk assessment and articulates this expert analysis to support and extends practitioner skills

Case planning review and case management: effectively makes decisions in context of review and appeals and analyzes case management across the team

Critical inquiry: implements strategies for continuous improvement in using evidence-based frameworks across teams, programs and practice; displays broad thinking, drawing on research and literature to support evidence-informed practice

Please open the position description to read more.

This role requires a Working with Children Check.
Further advice on obtaining this check can be found here: https://www.vic.gov.au/working-with-children-check
For more information on what this means, and all other requirements, please see the Position Description.

Applications close Wednesday 23 September 2026 at 11.59pm