Child Protection Counsellor

**Make a difference with Hunter CPCS - support vulnerable families through trauma-informed care, outreach, and therapeutic counselling**

**Remuneration**:**$77,358 - $113,226 per annum (dependent on qualifications) + superannuation + salary packaging
**Location**: Wallsend Campus
**Employment Type**:Temporary Full Time - Until December 2025
**Position Classification**:Clinical Psychologist., Psychologist., Social Worker Level 3
**Requisition ID**:REQ582337
**Applications Close**:Sunday 29th June 2025

At Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD), enjoy a career where you're challenged by interesting work and surrounded by spectacular locations. Join the team enriching health in millions of ways every day:

- Sustainable Healthcare: Together towards zero
- Proximity to shopping and other services
- ADO's each month (for full time employees)
- Salary packaging options
- Fitness Passport
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for staff and family members
- Opportunity to work and collaborate with a range of non-clinical and clinical professionals

**About the role**:
Are you looking for a job where you can work autonomously yet be heavily supported by a close knit team? Join the Hunter Child Protection Counselling Service (CPCS) to make an impact in the lives of vulnerable families.

Due to one of our valued team members taking a secondment, we have a short-term opportunity for someone who is interested in gaining some therapeutic skills and experience in Violence Abuse and Neglect (VAN). In this role, you'll work alongside a dedicated team of Child Protection Counsellors and an Aboriginal Health and Family Worker, providing therapy, care coordination, and advocacy for families facing child protection concerns. Our focus is on enhancing safety and parenting capacity, with an emphasis on placement stability, restoration, and family preservation. You will be valued for your expertise, knowledge and experience in assessment, formulation, collaboration and skills in therapeutic work.

As an outreach service, you'll engage with families in their communities - we aim to work with families in the community where they live, working to keep children safe and to help families heal from trauma.

**Where you'll be working**:
At the CPCS, part of the VAN stream within the Children, Young People, and Families network, you'll be based at the Harker Building within the Wallsend Health Campus - at the end of the Hunter Expressway. You’ll benefit from a blend of formal orientation and hands-on learning, working closely with a dedicated team to enhance your skills. Our connections with Child Protection Counsellors throughout the District ensure continuous professional development, with access to training through ECAV and both individual and group supervision.

We pride ourselves on fostering a team culture that values knowledge sharing, mutual support, and maintaining a focus on fun and family-centred care. You’ll benefit from a blend of formal orientation and hands-on learning, working closely with a dedicated team to enhance your skills. Our connections with Child Protection Counsellors throughout the District ensure continuous professional development, with access to training through ECAV and both individual and group supervision.

**About you**:

- You possess strong therapeutic skills for working with families
- You are an enthusiastic team player dedicated to supporting vulnerable families who have faced trauma.
- You have an understanding of child protection, domestic and family violence, and trauma, with a strong desire to expand and deepen this knowledge. You will have a strong commitment to Closing the Gap and enjoy working Aboriginal families and communities.

**Benefits**:

- You will never be bored We do different work each day, all families are different.
- You will receive support from the team leader, and link closely with other VAN services, and other services located at Wallsend.
- High value of ongoing education and training including monthly group supervision, and regular training and support to access external and relevant areas of interest and benefiting from ongoing professional development, clinical review, and evidence-based training.
- Work closely and even directly with the Aboriginal Family Health worker.
- Enjoy free onsite parking.
- Flexibility in work practices to benefit staff and the families we work with.

**Requirements**:

- Must hold Level 3 tertiary qualifications and relevant experience in Social Work, Psychology or Clinical Psychology which provides eligibility or membership with the relevant professional association and/or holds general registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
- Eligibility to drive in NSW and willingness and ability to travel for work purposes.

**Additional information**:

- We strongly encourage applicants who identify as being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander to apply.
- An eligibility list will be created for future perm