Reconnect Youth Worker

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Reconnect Youth Worker (SEQ)

Status: Classification: Date of Review:

Location: 38 Hours per week Social, Community, Homecare and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award

Contract to 30 June 2026 Brisbane

Primary Purpose of Position

The Reconnect Youth Worker is responsible for providing practical support and counselling to young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, whose mother is in prison in SEQ. Eligible participants are young people aged between 12 and 18 years, including 17-18 year old young women with lived prison experience.

The worker is part of a 2 person Sisters Inside Youth Team, who's funding is provided under the Reconnect Program through the Commonwealth Department of Families and Community Services. The worker is expected to work closely with other SIS workers in accordance with the Mission, Values & Vision , model of service , policies and procedures of SIS.

The program will provide intensive support to help young people to engage and/or reengage with family and community; enhance their confidence and independence; and address barriers to participation in education, training, employment and community life

In all their duties, the Worker is expected to work in accordance with the Mission; Values & Vision1; model of service2; and policies and procedures3 of Sisters Inside (SIS).

Key responsibilities of this position

· Model SIS values in practice, including engaging warmly with criminalised women, girls and their children

· Use a customised, culturally informed, empowering approach with each young person according to their perception of the nature and complexity of their needs

· Support young people to address trauma arising from their own experience of imprisonment, losing their mother to imprisonment or other significant life events

· Facilitate reconciliation, wherever practicable, between young people and their family.

· Support young people to access safe, affordable, secure housing.

· Work with Centrelink, young people and their parents to ensure that income support at the away-from-home rate (where appropriate) is available to entitled young people.

· Assist young people to engage with employment, education, training and other community opportunities.

· Contribute toward improving the coordination of services delivered by government and the community sector to young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

· Apply Reconnect Good Practice Principles in practice.

· Fulfil all data entry and reporting requirements of SIS and Reconnect an accurate and timely manner.

· Participate in professional supervision and SIS team meetings, Inclusive Support meetings, planning workshops and Management Committee meetings as required.

· Undertake other duties as required by the Program Manager (SEQ).

Organisational Environment

Sisters Inside is an organisation developed and driven by formerly incarcerated women. It exists to advocate for the human rights of criminalised and imprisoned women and girls, and their children, and provides services in response to their unmet needs.

SIS is a particularly values-driven organisation. We are committed to involving criminalised women in all facets of the organisation. We are also committed to being culturally appropriate, employing Aboriginal workers and Torres Strait Islander workers whenever possible and maintaining strong linkages with First Nations Elders, organisations and communities.

As at June 2025 in addition to the CEO, SIS had 38 positions based in our Brisbane office and 17 positions based in Townsville. Our services are funded through various State, Commonwealth and Philanthropic funding programs. Sisters Inside is a versatile, powerful organisation. We both strategically advocate for the collective interests of women and girls in the legal system and provide services to address their more immediate needs. These roles function in a complementary manner - our service provision informs our social change work. The CEO, guided by the SIS Management Committee, is responsible for the systemic advocacy work of the organisation at a local, state, national and international level.

Reporting Relationships

· Position title of direct supervisor - The position reports directly to the Program Manager (SEQ) or her delegate. The Youth Worker will be required to take the advice of the Senior Indigenous Practitioner on matters related to working with Aboriginal women and children and Torres Strait Islander women and children.

· Titles of position that report to this position - None

· Other significant internal relationships -

The Reconnect Team (2 positions) will work together with the other Youth Program Yangah (2 positions) and will form the SIS Youth Team. This position also works closely with, and maintains working relationships with, other SEQ SIS workers, student internees, volunteers and administrative staff, particularly other workers who provide post-release support:

Key Selection Criteria

KSC1

Understanding of SIS's Values & Vision and a commitment to working within the organisation's mission, values, model of service, policies and procedures

KSC2

Understanding the role of gender and race within the Youth Justice System, and its impact on criminalised and at-risk girls and their families

KSC3

Understanding the impact on a child when their mother is imprisoned, and relevant experience supporting children who have a mother in prison

KSC4

Substantial experience working alongside Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people, and an understanding of the issues and needs of criminalised Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people

KSC5

Understanding and experience of statutory systems affecting marginalised young people, and their impact on their access to housing, employment, education and training

KSC6

Experience in youth work, including family support, group work and one-to-one counselling

KSC7

Ability to communicate effectively with a range of people (including criminalised girls, their mothers/ dependents/families, non-government service providers and government authorities)

Essential Attributes

· A strong sense of commitment

· Enthusiastic and receptive in interaction with women, girls and children

· Able to balance working within funding constraints, whilst remaining young people-focused

· Able to work equally effectively as a cooperative team member and independently (with minimal supervision)

· Advocacy, mediation, negotiation and conflict resolution skills

· Sound problem solving skills (e.g. knowing when to seek direction and able to critically reflect on practice)

· Good time management skills (e.g. able to prioritise, plan, organise and manage competing demands)

· Good verbal and written communication skills

· Sound word processing, email and data entry skills

Essential Requirements

· Significant lived experience relevant to working with criminalised young people; experience working with criminalised or other highly disadvantaged and marginalised young people; and/or tertiary qualifications in the social or behavioural sciences.

· Holder of a current Queensland Class C Driver's License

· Suitability Card from the Queensland Commission for Children and Young People (Blue Card)

Additional Information

This is a fixed term position which ends on 30 June 2026. It is hoped that SIS will continue to be funded to provide this service, however employment following the end of the current contract cannot be guaranteed.