Child Safety Officer

The Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety has permanent Child Safety Officer (CSO) roles available in Cairns, ensuring the protection and welfare of children and youth. Graduates and career changers with experience or interest in being a social worker, youth worker, counsellor, or similar – this role is for you

Based in a Child Safety Service Centre (CSSC), you will work closely with other CSOs reporting to, and supported by, your Senior Team Leader. You will collaborate with Child Safety Support Officers (CSSOs) and Cultural Practice Advisors (CPAs) in your CSSC to ensure children and young people's safety across your region. We have multiple teams across Cairns that service the surrounding communities. This frontline role is rewarding in more ways than one, with a generous starting salary over $101,000 plus great additional benefits.

As a CSO you'll be a voice for the voiceless, a statutory advocate for children and young people's safety and wellbeing under the Child Protection Act 1999. You'll manage complex casework with support from peers including Senior Team Leaders and Cultural Practice Advisors. As a CSO, you will conduct risk assessments and create case plans, setting children and young people up for success. You'll collaborate with families and caregivers, other departments, community organisations, healthcare services, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations. You'll provide culturally respectful and appropriate support to families from diverse backgrounds, including varying races, socio-economic standings, abilities, and gender and sexual orientations. Being a CSO means getting to do work that truly matters. You'll walk with children and families, to keep them safe and help build the better futures they deserve.

To learn more about the CSO role, please click here.

In this vital role you will walk away each day knowing you're making a tangible difference to the safety of children and young people in Queensland. The annual salary is in line with PO3, circa $101,286 - $110,366, plus 12.75% superannuation. You will also receive:

• Flexible leave and TOIL options
• 2 weeks of formal training and ongoing training including one-on-ones with your leader throughout the first year
• Many opportunities for career growth and progression

Working in Cairns, you will receive further benefits including:

• Incentive payment of $2,500 annually
• Fortnightly locality allowance of up to $50.70 (dependent on personal circumstances)
• 25 days recreation leave annually

For more information on the benefits of becoming a CSO, please click here.

CSOs come from diverse backgrounds; some are trained as social workers, youth workers, counsellors, psychologists, support workers, and more. What's most important is your passion for keeping children safe. Help us deliver the best future for children and families, rise to the challenge of ever-changing work, and ensure children's voices are heard across Queensland.

Join us and be part of a team of enthusiastic and dedicated advocates across Queensland. As frontline officers, the role can be challenging and confronting, but it is also incredibly rewarding and necessary.

To join us as a CSO you will need:

• An Australian Driver's License, and the legal right to work in Australia
• A Bachelor Degree in Human Services, Social Work, Psychology, or a related field with further study or work experience
• An understanding of statutory role, including knowledge of the Child Protection Act 1999, and the ability to write case notes while maintaining privacy

Further information about qualification and eligibility requirements is available upon request.

Building and maintaining professional relationships with families and young people is fundamental to this role. You'll need excellent relationship-building skills, high empathy, and the ability to set and maintain professional boundaries.

Far North Queensland is a diverse region known for its natural beauty and vibrant communities, with Cairns offering a tropical lifestyle, accessibility to services, and a welcoming, multicultural environment.

When you join our team, you could have the opportunity to travel to nearby areas to help families or occasionally fly to remote areas across Far North Queensland to provide support to children and families.

Every child needs someone. So does every family. What if it's you? Kick-start your career in Child Safety - click Apply Now