Senior Youth Worker

We’re expanding our team and looking for Senior Youth Workers to work across a number of our programs in both South-East and South-West regions.

Position Overview

The Senior Residential Youth Worker is responsible for providing high-quality care and support to children and young people residing in Praxis residential programs. This role provides leadership, guidance, and mentoring to Residential Youth Workers while ensuring a safe, nurturing, and therapeutic environment that promotes the wellbeing, development, and safety of young people.

The position plays a key role in implementing therapeutic and trauma-informed practice, providing direct support, contributing to case planning, and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, organisational policies, and the National Standards for Out-of-Home Care.

Key Responsibilities

Direct care and support

• Build positive, trusting, and professional relationships with children and young people.
• Provide daily care and supervision, ensuring physical, emotional, cultural, and social needs are met.
• Support young people to develop life skills, resilience, and positive coping strategies.
• Implement behaviour support strategies in line with therapeutic care principles.

Leadership and Team Support

• Lead by example, acting as a key reference and contact point, providing direction and support to Residential Youth Workers.
• Mentor and coach staff to build and demonstrate skills in therapeutic and trauma-informed care.
• Support the induction and training of new staff.
• Co-faciliate team meetings and reflective practice.
• Provide immediate support and debriefing to staff where required.
• Provide feedback to management on team performance, risks, and service delivery needs.
• Engage in professional written and verbal communication with care staff, colleagues, management and other key stakeholders.

Casework and Planning

• Support the development, implementation, and monitoring of the house planner, routine and activity structures and provide timely feedback where appropriate.
• Contribute to the development, implementation, and review of individual care plans and progress reports.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation, including incident reports, case notes, and other program documentation as required.

Compliance and Safety

• Ensure adherence to organisational policies, procedures, and child protection legislation.
• Maintain a safe and supportive home environment, including managing risk and responding to incidents.
• Communicate any complaints or feedback promptly and in line with organisational and legislative requirements.
• Uphold Work Health and Safety (WHS) obligations.

Other Duties

• Provide support to additional programs in the absence of other Senior Youth Workers.
• Any other duties as directed or necessary as per program / service requirements.

Requirements

• Proven experience within Non-Family-Based Care and knowledge of Child Protection and out of home care.
• Reasonable level of physical mobility and fitness to undertake household duties and day to day care tasks of children and young people.
• Demonstrated support of, and direction to, staff to achieve desired outcomes for young people.
• Hold or actively working towards minimum qualifications of Certificate IV or higher in a relevant field. 
• Paid Working with Children Check 
• Current National Crime Check 
• Current valid Driver’s License (Green provisional or higher)
• Current First Aid and CPR Certification
• Other relevant licensing requirements.