Behaviour Support Specialist (Cherry Creek) | Melbourne - Western Metro

Job Description

• Join Victoria's Youth Justice Precinct at Cherry Creek.
• Make a positive difference in improving the outcomes of young people's futures and keeping our community safe.
• Ongoing, Full Time Opportunity with a rotating roster including weekends.

Make our community safer by helping children and young people build better futures for themselves at Cherry Creek Youth Justice Precinct.   

Create Change from the Inside Out   

The young people we work with can make remarkable changes in their lives. For many, those changes will begin at the new state-of-the-art Cherry Creek Youth Justice Precinct (Cherry Creek).   

The facility will offer innovative services aimed at reducing reoffending and giving young people the skills to make the most of their lives when they return to the community.    

Doing this work well will make our state a safer place to live.    

Be part of the change you want to see, join the workforce at Cherry Creek.  

The opportunity 

• Two ongoing, full-time positions available.
• VPS 4 role, earning $97,955 - $111,142 per year plus superannuation.
• Work in a multi-disciplinary team to develop individualised strategies, interventions and plans that are responsive to the needs of young people and assist in reducing the occurrence and impact of behaviours of concern.
• Deliver individual interventions to support the management of a young person's behaviour in custody and reintegration into the community.
• Facilitate individual and group-based psychosocial programs to young people in custody.

Working within a multi-disciplinary team, this position will work to achieve sustained change in a young person's behaviour through observation, assessment, consultation and interaction with young people in the units as well as structured programs. The Behaviour Support Specialists will also work closely with unit-based staff to develop their capacity and understanding on how to effectively manage complex behaviours in the units and to reflect on various strategies to responding to incidents that may occur.

This position works on a roster, allowing additional staff benefits such as penalties, an additional week of annual leave if ten Sundays are worked across the year, and much more.

To be successful in this role you will have experience undertaking functional behavioural assessments with complex young people. You will also have an understanding of the impact of trauma and/or disability on a young person's behaviour, and have the ability to identify appropriate positive behaviour strategies based on individual needs.

A qualification in psychology, social work, counselling or behavioural therapy and experience in delivering therapeutic interventions to youth who have engaged in offending behaviour is desirable.

You will be required to obtain a Working with Children Check (WWCC) to be maintained by the employee for the period of employment.

To learn more about the type of skills you will need to thrive in this role, please read the position description.

About the Cherry Creek Youth Justice Facility

Cherry Creek is a 140 bed youth justice facility to the west of Werribee in the vicinity of Cherry Creek. The facility accommodates children and young people who are males between 15-18 years of age both sentenced and on remand.

Cherry Creek employs leading, fit for purpose design and construction; and the team will deliver best practice culture, processes and operations. This is how we will ensure Cherry Creek will enhance the outcomes we achieve for the young people in our care and the community.

What's in it for you?

You will be working for the Department of Justice and Community Safety, which is one arm of the Victorian State Government, a recognised top employer of choice nationally. All our staff work to the vision of a safe, just, innovative and thriving Victoria.

There are many advantages in working for the department, including:

• Job stability – position as a member of the Victorian Public Service (VPS).
• A fair salary– enjoy great work conditions and salary sacrificing options.
• Transparent performance framework– approach your work with confidence in how you're tracking, working to professional development plans agreed on by you and your manager.
• Generous leave entitlements– provisions for many forms of leave; including personal, parental, carers, study, cultural, compassionate, and sick leave.
• Employee Assistance Program support – you are encouraged to use this short-term, confidential counselling service if you're experiencing emotional stress, relationship problems, conflict with others or personal issues. It is also available for financial counselling and retirement planning.

If you have any queries, please contact Katie Dietrich on 0467 738 605 or Katie.Dietrich@justice.vic.gov.au.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applicants are welcome to utilise support from the Aboriginal Recruitment Team throughout the recruitment process. Aboriginal candidates are encouraged to contact Aboriginalrecruitment@justice.vic.gov.au if they would like cultural support and guidance through the application process.

For Aboriginal Designated and Prioritised positions, a Certificate of Aboriginality (CoA) will be required prior to an offer of employment being made

We want to make sure all Victorians feel represented by the department's work. One of the ways we do this is by recruiting a diverse workforce – we welcome people of any gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability and cultural background. We are also committed to the Victorian Government's promise to increase the number of veterans working in the public sector.

We're proud of our individual differences. We're proud of the many languages we speak and the stories we can share with each other. We hope you will share your story too.

If this sounds like a compelling job that you believe your skills would be a great match for, please APPLY NOW. Applications close 11.59pm, Wednesday 11 Jun 2025.

How to apply

Please click the Apply button on this advertisement. Applications should include a resume and covering letter. Attachments can be uploaded in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt or .rtf formats.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo pre-employment checks which may include national police checks and misconduct screening.

If you require adjustments to the recruitment and selection process, or require an alternative format to any of the application material, please don't hesitate to get in touch with the contact person listed on this ad.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

CHILD SAFE STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT:

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. We seek to prevent harm of any kind impacting children and young people and have zero tolerance for racism, child abuse and inequality. Children and young people's rights, relationships, identity, and culture must be recognised and respected, their voices heard, and their concerns acted upon. We aim to foster a culturally safe, child safe and child friendly environment for all children and young people we have contact with, deliver services to, or are impacted by our work.