Prenatal Caseworker

Prenatal Caseworker - Identified

Division: Northern CPPYJ Location:

Mt Druitt, NSW, AU, 2770 St Marys, NSW, AU, 2760

Req ID: 62637

Prenatal Caseworker - Aboriginal

Location: Western Sydney Nepean Blue Mountains - St Marys and Mt Druitt

Employment Type: Ongoing

$ 79,032 to 109,194

This position is open to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people only.

Internal candidates are welcome to apply

Your role

As a prenatal Caseworker you will be part of the Brighter Beginnings initiative. The role works with expectant parents to reduce the likelihood that the parent's child, when born, will need to be placed in out-of-home-care.

Brighter Beginnings is a whole-of-government initiative to give children the best start in life. It aims to:

provide families with the information they need, when they need it to make their decisions – a customer centric approach to empower families with clear, reliable, and timely information improve universal services that lift the standard of opportunity for all – facilitating full participation in universal health, education, and family services target support and services for families that need it most – improve existing services and deliver evidence-based supports for families with additional needs The primary focus of decision making for a caseworker is in assessing/investigating and supporting expectant parents during pregnancy to reduce risks and help parents build skills and prepare them to keep their baby safely in their care. Planning next steps for families in connecting them with appropriate support services and developing supportive networks prior to the birth of their baby. A critical role of the prenatal caseworker is to ensure clear discharge planning, consider parallel planning and assessment as required.

What you'll do

Undertake assessment/investigation and ongoing family work with expectant parents to identify and address safety and risk concerns for children following their birth Advocate for and support families to engage with services and participate in meetings such as Pregnancy Family Conferences or hospital complex case meetings Develop and maintain networks and relationships with key stakeholders, in particular NSW Health staff such as Pregnancy Family Conference facilitators, birthing hospital staff and hospital social workers Work in collaboration with NSW Health in the promotion and implementation of the Pregnancy Family Conferencing Model The primary focus of decision making for a caseworker is in assessing/investigating and supporting expectant parents during pregnancy to reduce risks and help parents build skills and prepare them to keep their baby safely in their care. Planning next steps for families in connecting them with appropriate support services and developing supportive networks prior to the birth of their baby. A critical role of the prenatal caseworker is to ensure clear discharge planning, consider parallel planning and assessment as required

What we're looking for

To be a Prenatal Caseworker you need to be confident, curious and resilient.

The essential requirements include:

Identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Experience in child protection assessment and case planning. Able to engage with families to support participation in Pregnancy Family Conferencing to develop achievable family action planning Experience engaging with and supporting change in voluntary clients while navigating complex vulnerabilities and service systems Able to build relationships and stakeholder engagement- particularly with NSW Health and preservation services. Experience working with prenatal cases is preferred but not essential A valid driver's licence A paid working with children clearance number

Note: In accordance with Clause 26 of the NSW Government Sector Employment (General) Rules 2014 and in accordance with Sections 14 and 21 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 the Department of Communities and Justice considers that being of Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent is a genuine occupational qualification for this role and preference will be given to candidates who meet the pre-established standards:

Documented verification of Aboriginality.

The Department will accept proof of Aboriginality confirming the following:

1. You are an Aboriginal person of Aboriginal descent;

2. You identify as being Aboriginal; and
An acceptable form of documented verification is a "Confirmation of Aboriginality" letter, provided to you by a local Aboriginal organisation that includes a common seal from that organisation.

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We focus on hiring people who share our commitment and goals of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, courage and integrity. If you meet the essential requirements and the role resonates with you, please apply – you do not need to meet every desired requirement for us to want to talk to you.

We do work that really matters

Working for the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) provides lots of opportunities to make a real difference. We collaborate with other agencies and community partners, to improve lives and realise the potential of children, adults, families and communities. We're focused on breaking, rather than managing, disadvantage. It's work that really matters.

Apply now and join where we will support you and provide an exciting and flexible working environment

Are you ready to join us?

Click apply and attach the following:

a statement of claim (of no more than 2 pages) that outlines why you are interested in the prenatal caseworker role and what skills and attributes you would bring. An up-to-date brief resume which clearly details your skills and experience as relevant to this role and a cover letter (maximum 3 pages) addressing the 2 targeted questions below with a brief outline on how you meet the requirements of the role Name and contact details for your current supervisor, who will be contacted as your referee.

Target Questions:

As a Prenatal Caseworker you will use your strong knowledge of child protection and out of home care practice and processes to work with expectant parents in potentially challenging situations. Since engaging with DCJ is voluntary before the birth of a child, the work will focus on bridging relationships and engaging positively to reduce risks to the child after their birth. Please describe an example of when you worked with a family to maintain the family's engagement with the child protection or OOHC process to achieve the best outcomes for their children as possible. Describe the strategies you used and a brief overview of the outcomes of this work

Applications close: 17th of September 2023 at 11.59pm AEST

Got a question?

If you've got a question about applying or require an adjustment in the recruitment process, please, contact Crystal Richardson on

For more information about the role or what it's like to work for DCJ, please contact the hiring manager Belinda Gardner or Lisa Matheson on

Inclusion and Diversity lies at the heart of how we recruit

We continue to hire great people with a wide variety of skills, experience and backgrounds. This includes people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people identifying as LGBTIQ+, culturally and linguistically diverse people, carers and other diversity groups.

To find out what DCJ are doing to build an inclusive and diverse workforce, visit

Other Information

A may be created for future ongoing and temporary roles and is valid for a period of up to 18 months.

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic some interviews and assessments may be performed using alternative methods. For more information visit .

Job Segment: Home Care, Healthcare

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