Youth Worker. Full-TIme - Mackay

• Car and licence required | Working across Mackay 
• Work within the CARE framework | Foster care and Residential settings
• Feel secure in your role - we have 2 x Permanent Full-Time roles available
• Starting rate $36 per hour + super + annual leave + sick leave + penalties rates 
• Prior experience with Trauma based behaviours essential

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.

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 currently seeking experienced candidates to support young people that display complex and challenging behaviours as well as children with dual mental health and disability diagnosis. Please be aware that you will often be working on your own during shifts and as such you will need be confident and have relevant experience to draw on.

Our Child, Youth and Family program in Mackay supports children and young people within a Residential service (aged between 12-16) who present with high complex needs; including high medical needs, mental health, disability, emotional and complex behavioural issues. 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. 

You will be supporting young people with such things as school pick up, meal prep, community access, in home support and working closely in line with their goals.

This role is offered as Permanent Full time, 38 hours per week. You must be flexible with your availability, as you will be required to work shift work: day shift, night shift, sleep overs and weekends.
  
 
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 https://peakcare.com.au/hopehealing/min-quals-res-care/ 
• It is essential that you have experience working with young people, ideally in a residential setting, but successful applicants may have transferable experience from a background working in mental health, 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

• Permanent full time positions available 
• A fantastic, positive and supportive team culture
• Salary packaging tax benefits, meal entertainment benefit, novated leasing and more
• Growing organisation with great career opportunities
• Ongoing training and mentorship

How to Apply

Include your resume and covering letter in one document, click ‘Apply’ and follow the prompts. For any enquiries including persons with disability that require adjustments, contact Joelene at recruitment@lwb.org.au with the subject heading “ PFT YW Mackay”. 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. Current application closing date is Monday midnight 4th March 2024.

We are dedicated to playing our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and bring continuity of care and support to our clients. With this in mind, 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)