▷ Immediate Start: Senior Disability Support Officer, Prison Disability Support Initiative

Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs

Reference: VG/10046-SEP25

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/u2019t 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?

- Better support, better outcomes: help people in custody with disabilities get the care they need.
- The best of both worlds: new ongoing full time role leading a team of disability support officers while also maintaining a small caseload of complex service users.
- Hybrid role: work from home, CBD-based head office with attendance at metropolitan and regional prisons in Victoria as required.
- VPS Grade 5: $113,022 - $136,747 plus superannuation.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is seeking a Senior Disability Support Officer to provide a critical role within the Prison Disability Support Initiative unit.

About us

The Prison Disability Support Initiative (PDSI) is a state-wide rehabilitation service that assists people in custody with cognitive impairments and complex disability needs. The PDSI is a unit within Corrections Victoria, which is part of the Department of Justice and Community Safety.

The PDSI aims to:

- Identify people in our care with cognitive disabilities
- Assess disability needs to inform decisions on placement, case management and rehabilitation.
- Educate corrections staff on how to better understand and support the people in their care.
- Link individuals with appropriate disability support services.

What you will do

The Senior Disability Support Officer is a leader within PDSI, managing a team of prison-based Disability Support Officers.

You will:

- offer expert guidance on supporting people in our care with complex disabilities. You will draw on your knowledge of justice support pathways and community-based services.
- train and guide prison staff on disability awareness and best practices.
- oversee processes and risk management to maintain high-quality support.
- identify and implement system-wide improvements to enhance rehabilitation for people with disabilities in custody.

About you

As our ideal candidate, you will have:

- demonstrated experience working with and implementing supports for people who demonstrate cognitive impairments utilising effective communication strategies with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
- demonstrated experience leading case co-ordination, support pathway planning, advocacy and providing supportive services to people who demonstrate cognitive impairments.
- understanding of and commitment to the application of the Risk Needs Responsivity model.
- a minimum of three years/' experience working in the field of disability and/ or criminal justice settings and an understanding of the challenges involved in working within a forensic environment.

To learn more about this role before applying, please read the attached position description.

Qualifications

- Relevant tertiary qualification or experience in the field of allied health or the disability sector is highly desirable for this role.
- Experience working with forensic and/or correctional environments is highly desirable.
- A valid Victorian driver/'s licence is required for this role.

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 a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) 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/u2019t 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 Sunday 5 October 2025 at 11.59pm

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