Principal Practice Officer

Department of Youth Justice and Victim Support

The department is committed to keeping Queensland communities safe. Everyone deserves a life free from violence and fear. We are actively tackling the complex causes of youth crime and addressing serious repeat offenders and ensuring our systems and services not only meet but anticipate the needs of victims. We do this by:

• Providing early intervention, statutory Youth Justice, and detention services to ensure that young people are held accountable for their offending behaviour. We help support them to become responsible members of the community.
• Providing trauma-informed support and resources to victims to ensure they can recover and heal, whilst ensuring the voices and experiences of victims are heard and respected.

Our programs and community partnerships preserve cultural connections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to achieve positive life outcomes.

We employ an inclusive culture that respects and promotes human rights and diversity. We respectfully journey together to aspire to be the most culturally capable youth justice and victim support agency in the nation. We are an inclusive, equal employment opportunity employer and place value on our diverse workforce. We encourage applicants representing all genders, ethnicities, ages, languages, sexual orientations, and people with disability or family responsibilities to apply.

More information about Youth Justice and Victim Support is available from Queensland Government, Department of Youth Justice.

The Team

The Disability Practice Team is dedicated to improving outcomes for young people in youth justice with known or suspected disability. By providing targeted advice and support, the team ensures youth justice responses are evidence-based, inclusive, and grounded in the principles of Risk, Needs, Responsivity.

Key functions of the team include:

• Project management: Supporting the implementation of new initiatives that address disability-related challenges within Youth Justice Services. This includes driving innovation and ensuring initiatives align with best-practice principles.
• Practice Support: Offering targeted advice for complex case support to regional staff working directly with young people with disabilities. This includes equipping frontline staff with the practice tools, knowledge, and strategies required to navigate disability-related complex cases effectively.
• Program design, adaption and Implementation: Providing guidance on program adaptions required to ensure young people with disabilities have equitable access to youth justice service responses and programs.
• Interagency coordination and systems improvement: The team collaborates extensively with other government agencies, non-government organisations, and community stakeholders to address systemic barriers. This integrated approach ensures cohesive service delivery and the identification of opportunities for sector-wide improvements.

The team is committed to being culturally responsive. We acknowledge the impacts of a history of systemic racism that continues to need to be addressed. We actively engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, Elders, and community to incorporate culturally informed perspectives into service delivery.

Through reflection, listening, learning, and partnership, we aim to improve outcomes for First Nations young people and their families in all that we do.

Through a commitment to centering the voices of young people and families with disabilities, along with a focus on innovation and collaboration, the Disability Practice Team plays an important role in fostering inclusive practices, promoting equitable outcomes, and driving systemic changes within youth justice and the broader service system.

Applications to remain current for 12 months.

Job Ad Reference: QLD/670333/25

Closing Date: Friday, 28th November 2025