Youth Mentor - Staying on Track program

Bridges Health & Community Care; Hervey Bay; On-site; AUD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Bridges Health & Community Care Ltd is delivering the Staying on Track program for youth aged 10–17, with mentoring support based in Hervey Bay or Maryborough. The role operates within a trauma-informed, culturally safe framework, emphasizing continuity from detention through 12 months post-release and close collaboration with a multidisciplinary team.

Mentors provide consistent contact, risk management, and reflective supervision, while contributing to referrals, reporting, and program quality

Qualifications

• Experience in mentoring at-risk youth or similar settings.
• Trauma-informed practice and cultural safety training a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide consistent mentoring support to youth aged 10–17 in the Staying on Track program.
• Work within a multidisciplinary team to coordinate referrals, supervision, reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
• Deliver wraparound services focused on family, education, and community connection, guided by the Service Response Plan (SRP).

Skills

Youth mentoring

Trauma-informed approach

Job description

Bridges Health & Community Care – Hervey Bay QLD

Bridges Health & Community Care Ltd is proud to deliver the Staying on Track (SoT) program, part of the Queensland Government’s Making Queensland Safe plan funded by the Qld Department of Youth Justice and Victim Support. Bridge’s Staying on Track catchment area includes the Sunshine Coast (Gympie) and the Central Qld region (Hervey Bay, Maryborough and Bundaberg with outreach to the North Burnett).

Staying on Track supports young people aged 10–17, leaving detention to successfully return to their families and communities.

The program will offer up to 12 months of support with at least 6 months of intensive supervision to help youth offenders turn their lives away from crime. Staying on Track is for young people aged 10- 17 who are remanded or sentenced by a court in a youth detention centre (YDC), or, by exception, held in a watchhouse. This includes young people who are released on bail, those subject to ongoing statutory community-based orders, and those who have completed a sentence.

The Position

Bridges is seeking to employ an experienced youth mentorto assist in the delivery of the Staying on Track program for youth ages 10 – 17, this role will be based at our Hervey Bay or Maryborough office. This position is currently funded until 30 June 2027, ongoing employment past that point is not guaranteed

The Team

Bridges Health & Community Care Ltd (Bridges) Staying on Track (SoT) service model is grounded in strong local partnerships, cultural leadership, and decades of experience supporting young people within regional Queensland. We respond to intersecting challenges—such as trauma, disrupted education, co-occurring mental health and substance use, and early justice involvement—through sustained, tailored wraparound support. All team members receive trauma-informed training, cultural and general supervision, and reflective practice to ensure safe, strengths-based support for high-risk young people.

Service delivery is coordinated by a multi-disciplinary team that includes Program Lead, Team Leader, Family Practitioners, Youth/Cultural Mentors and operational support staff. This team is responsible for referral management, mentoring supervision, reporting, stakeholder engagement, and quality assurance.

Mentors are the primary point of contact for young people, but their work is embedded within a team structure that ensures continuity, safety, and accountability. Mentors receive regular supervision, participate in reflective practice, and are supported by staff in managing risk and delivering services aligned with the individual’s Service Response Plan (SRP).

Central to our SoT model is a sustained mentoring relationship. Each young person is supported by a dedicated mentor who provides continuity from detention through to 12 months post-release. Mentors, many with lived experience of justice involvement, cultural disconnection, or recovery, provide continuity, cultural safety, and relational support that underpins every aspect of service delivery. Change becomes possible when a young person feels seen, heard and respected. This relationship becomes especially critical during high-risk periods such as the first 72 hours post-release.

We target dynamic risk factors—such as family dysfunction, school disengagement, and substance use—by strengthening protective elements such as cultural identity, trusted relationships, motivation, and community connection. Our culturally safe, trauma-informed, and gender-responsive approach supports young people with dignity and respect, providing the scaffolding for long-term desistance from offending.