Mother & Child Program Worker

Occupation: Prison and corrective services

Reference: VG/4853OCT2025

At the Department of Justice and Community Safety, we’re looking for people who want to make a difference. People who take pride in their work. People who get things done. People who are committed to making Victoria a safer place.

We embrace diversity and strive to have a workforce that reflects the community we serve. We’re all about recruiting the best people, regardless of gender, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or cultural background. If you think you can do the job and would be a good fit for our department, we’d love to hear from you.

The department is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and recognises that children’s rights need to be respected, their views welcomed and valued, and their concerns taken seriously and acted upon.

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 more information on working with us and our recruitment process, please visit justice.vic.gov.au/careers

We’re proud of the important work we do across Victoria. Want to be part of it?

- Support theMothers and Children program with administration support

- Great opportunity to join a busy and supportive team in an ongoing role within Corrections Victoria

- VPS3 salary: $79,122 to $96,073 plus superannuation

About Us

The Corrections and Justice Services (CJS) group, comprising of Corrections Victoria, Justice Health and Justice Services, plays an integral role in developing safer and more resilient communities and in delivering a trusted justice and community safety system.

Corrections Victoria is responsible for the implementation of policies, programs and services that ensure the safe and secure containment of prisoners, and that seek to rehabilitate offenders by addressing the underlying causes of offending behaviour.

Corrections Victoria also sets strategy, policy and standards for the management of the state's system of correctional facilities whilst also developing programs for the management and rehabilitation of prisoners and the community-based supervision of offenders.

As part of the CJS group, the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC) is a 568-bed medium to maximum-security facility for female offenders located within the West Metropolitan Region, Department of Justice.

About the Role

The Living with Mum (LWM) Program is a full‑time mother and child residential program run by CV which is offered at the DPFC and Tarrengower Prison. Women who are pregnant or who are the primary carer of a child under school age can apply to participate in the Program. The aim of the Program is to encourage and foster the mother–child relationship and reduce the impact of a mother's prison custody on her dependent children.

The Mother & Child Program Worker is therefore responsible for administration of the Program, including preparation of assessments, case planning, program facilitation, program development and regular monitoring of the safety and wellbeing of all children in the Program.

About You

As our ideal candidate, you will possess the following:

- Knowledge of custodial program services, community‑based family services, and/or the criminal justice system more broadly, or the ability to understand these issues quickly.

- Experience in the delivery of programs and the ability to tailor the content to meet the needs of the target audience.

- Strong written communication skills with the ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner.

- The ability to provide general support to prisoners (in the Women's Prisons Region) who are mothers, with children in the community, including facilitation of purposeful interaction between mothers and children to maintain meaningful relationships.

Qualifications

- A relevant tertiary qualification in psychology, social work, early child development or other discipline with a specialisation in child development and wellbeing is required.

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 reference checks, national police checks and misconduct screening. Dependant on the role, other checks may include VicRoads checks, driver's licence checks, medical checks, Working with Children Checks, and Declaration of Private Interests (for executive and responsible officer roles).

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.

Applications close Wednesday 19 November 2025 at 11.59pm

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