New Graduate Social Worker

Classification: Health Professional Level 1

Salary: $79,070 - $93,473 plus superannuation

Position No: OUT

Directorate: Canberra Health Services

Advertised (Gazettal date): 18 November 2025

Contact Officer: Karen Dell on

What can we offer you:

• City living without the traffic – click here to see why you should live in Canberra.
• Competitive pay rates and excellent working conditions within a tertiary hospital.
• Salary Packaging with many options that provide full fringe benefits tax concessions.
• Flexible working conditions.
• Reimbursement of relocation expenses for interstate candidates (subject to review and approval).

To find out more on what a career at CHS can give you, the benefits of working with us and why Canberra is Australia's happiest city click here: Benefits of working with us - Canberra Health Services )

About the Role:

Exciting opportunity for a new graduate social worker to join a supportive, talented and growing team of social workers who share a commitment to social justice and transforming patient care through expert support and collaboration. This is a fixed term contract running from 16 February 2026 to 12 February 2027. To fulfil this short term role, you have ideally completed a hospital-based placement.

The North Canberra Hospital (NCH) Social Work and Psychology Department is a contemporary evidence-based service including around 17 FTE social workers providing high quality inpatient and outpatient care. The Department provides care and support to patients and families across critical and acute inpatient areas and specialised outpatients settings, including medical and surgical areas, intensive care unit, the emergency department, maternity, special care nursery and hospital in the home.

Social Workers provide assessment and therapeutic intervention for a range of client populations throughout their patient journey. The successful applicant will have an understanding of issues related to health and wellbeing and the impact on the person and their family/carer, including adjustment to change in their health. Social Workers promote improved client outcomes through working in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team to provide high quality clinical services across a range of service speciality areas.

The successful applicant will be part of a large network of Social Workers and will also receive education and support through the CHS Allied Health interprofessional graduate program. The CHS Allied Health interprofessional graduate program is specifically designed to support new graduates to launch their careers in healthcare and develop their professional identity. The program provides graduates with individual support to optimise learning and career opportunities. New graduates will have onsite access to a clinical supervisor who will work with them and support them to grow their clinical and professional skills. New graduates will also be matched with a peer from the previous cohort of new graduates to provide them with additional mentoring and support. The program also offers an Allied Health Interdisciplinary education program facilitated by the Allied Health Clinical Education Unit.

The successful applicants will be employed as a full-time Health Professional Level 1 Social Worker and be afforded opportunities to rotate caseloads within NCH to enhance individual learning and experiences. This position may be required for weekend and after-hours work, overtime, on call and/or rotation rosters.

For more information regarding the position duties click here for the Position Description.

Please note prior to commencement successful candidates will be required to:

• Undergo a pre-employment National Police Check.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
• Comply with CHS credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for allied health professionals.

Note: This is a temporary position available for a period of 11 months with the possibility of extension up to less than 12 months and/or permanency. This is a fixed term contract running from 16 February 2026 to 12 February 2027. To fulfil this short-term role, you have ideally completed a hospital-based placement.

A merit pool may be established from this recruitment process and will be used for the next 12 months to fill various positions both on a temporary and permanent basis with full-time and part-time opportunities available.

Only applications that have both the resume and the two-page pitch with the required document naming submitted online via the E-Recruitment system will be accepted.

Applications submitted via an agency will not be accepted for this position.

For more information on this position and how to apply "click here"

Canberra Health Services (CHS) is focussed on the delivery of high quality, effective, person centred care. It provides acute, sub-acute, primary and community‐based health services, to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and surrounding region. More information can be found on the CHS website.

Our Vision: creating exceptional health care together

Our Role: to be a health service that is trusted by our community

Our Values: Reliable, Progressive, Respectful and Kind

CHS is committed to workforce diversity and to creating an inclusive workplace. As part of this commitment, we welcome applications from all diversity groups. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability and people who identify as LGBTQIA+ are particularly encouraged to apply.

The new state-of-the-art Building 5 is now officially open at Canberra Hospital. This 44,000sqm, nine-storey facility, the largest healthcare infrastructure project in the Territory's history, delivers cutting-edge acute clinical services. Building 5 seamlessly integrates with existing campus buildings, ensuring smooth public access, patient transportation, and efficient logistics.

This is a temporary position available for a period of 11 months with the possibility of extension up to less than 12 months and/or permanency.

Healthcare, Medical and Allied Services