Behaviour Support Specialist | Melbourne - Northern Metro

Job Description

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

Help children and young people build better futures for themselves at the Parkville 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 Parkville Youth Justice Precinct (Parkville).

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 Parkville.  

The opportunity

• Ongoing, full-time position available.
• VPS 4 role, earning $95,102 - $107,905 per year plus superannuation.
• Work closely with clinical and unit-based staff across all rostered shifts to deliver evidence-based psychosocial programs to support a young person's rehabilitation and reintegration back into the community and reduce their risk of reoffending.
• Attend community meetings with staff and young people and use skills in training and group facilitation to further support and guide staff in engaging and intervening with young people to address their behaviour.

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.

To be successful in this role, you will have experience undertaking functional behaviour assessments with complex young people. You are comfortable and find enjoyment spending time with an adolescent population and understand the impact of the trauma and/or disability on a young person's behaviour.

A qualification in psychology, social work, counselling or behavioural therapy is desirable. Behaviour support experience from a disability sector is advantageous.

A current employee Working with Children Check (WWCC) card is required and will need to be provided prior to commencement of employment by the applicant. Currency will need to be maintained by the employee for the period of employment.

For more information on the skills and experience that we are looking for in our new team members, please read the job description document attached.

About the Parkville Youth Justice Facility

Parkville is a 136-bed youth justice facility located in the inner northern Melbourne suburb of Parkville. The facility accommodates boys and young men and girls and young women aged 10-17 years on remand and when sentenced. Since January 2024, the facility also accommodates young people on the Dual Track system, aged 18 -21 years old.

Parkville is a safe and secure place where young people can work on getting their lives back on track, supported by evidence-based programs and services. We want young people to return home with the confidence that they can thrive in their own communities.

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

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 Elise Robinson at yjrecruitment@justice.vic.gov.au.  

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

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.

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

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is continually working towards increasing our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) workforce. The Aboriginal Employment Team aims to attract, recruit and retain Aboriginal staff across all our roles. This support includes a culturally appropriate attraction and recruitment process. To learn more, email aboriginal.employment@justice.vic.gov.au

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, Sunday 3 November 2024.

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.

FOR INTERNAL VPS EMPLOYEES:

In accordance with the Jobs and Skills Exchange Recruitment Policy, only Victorian Public Service employees are eligible to apply for this position. People on labour hire contracts, such as agency staff and external contractors, are not eligible to apply.

For all VPS employees, due to the new Jobs Skills Exchange (JSE) policy, please apply through the JSE to be eligible to be considered for this position in the first round.

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.