Family Engagement Worker

**Western Plains Correctional Centre opens mid-2025 and Corrections Victoria are now recruiting key roles.**:

- **Support people to re-establish and/or strengthen relationships with their children and family while in custody.**:

- **2x Ongoing, Full-Time opportunities to work with a high-performing and passionate team in the Victorian Public Service.**:

- **VPS Grade 4: $95,102 - $107,905 plus superannuation.**

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is seeking two Family Engagement Workers to provide a critical role at Western Plains Correctional Centre.

**About the Business Unit**

Western Plains Correctional Centre (Western Plains) is Victoria's newest maximum-security correctional facility, designed to house up to 1,248 people in custody.

Western Plains is a multi-purpose facility that adapts to the evolving needs of Corrections Victoria. It features purpose-built modern amenities including medical wards, a cultural centre and vocational training facilities. It utilises cutting-edge technology to keep the facility secure, allowing staff to focus on supporting the rehabilitation of people in custody.

Western Plains will open mid-2025 and Corrections Victoria are now recruiting key roles to help shape the future operations of the facility.

The Corrections and Justice Services (CJS) group, comprising Corrections Victoria (CV), 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.

CV is responsible for the implementation of policies, programs and services that ensure the safe and secure containment of prisoners, and that seek to rehabilitate people in our care by addressing the underlying causes of offending behaviour.

**About the Role**

Using a whole of family approach, the Family Engagement Worker will undertake welfare assessments, develop family support plans, co-ordinate support services, facilitate family-related programs and services, and provide practical support to prisoners and their families to assist transition to the community. The Family Engagement Worker will liaise with community organisations, including other Government departments, such as the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) Child Protection.

The role will participate in the case management of prisoners, including complex care teams, working collaboratively with case managers and multi-disciplinary teams to ensure an integrated and co-ordinated approach to family and transition planning.

**Some of your duties will include**:

- Assist people in care to re-establish and/or strengthen relationships with their children and other family members while in custody.
- Undertake welfare assessments to identify family needs and develop support plans that engage families in rehabilitation.
- Co-ordinate and facilitate family related programs and services.

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

**About you**

To be successful in this role, you will have:

- Demonstrated experience in case management, including assessing family welfare needs, developing support plans and co-ordinating services.
- Knowledge of community resources and services, and experience in connecting people with services.
- Understanding diverse cultural backgrounds to engage with families from various communities.
- Capacity to demonstrate empathy, patience and understanding to build trust and rapport with Capacity to work within a prison setting
- An understanding of operational procedures within a correctional services environment would be highly regarded.

**How to Apply**

**_FOR INTERNAL VPS EMPLOYEES:_**

**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.