The role of the Caseworker is to deliver culturally appropriate casework and counselling services that promote the safety and wellbeing of young people in detention, facilitate their positive progression through the stages of their period in custody and assist their avoidance of further offending and successful re-integration with families and the community.

As Caseworker, you will specifically:

Demonstrate cultural capability and/or a commitment to developing cultural capability to ensure an inclusive culture that aligns with the Human Rights Act 2019 and supports departmental programs and community partnerships aimed at preserving cultural connections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Work effectively within a statutory and secure youth detention environment, undertaking direct interaction with young people, including those with complex, high-risk and high-profile needs. This includes conducting dynamic security assessments, maintaining regular contact, and supporting adherence to centre safety and security requirements.
Deliver best practice statutory casework services to young people to reduce re-offending using culturally appropriate, collaborative and evidence-based assessment and intervention skills, including implementation of standardised risk assessment tools, restorative practice principles, and programs such as ART and CHART, in accordance with legislation, policies and contemporary best practice.
Identify individual case needs, appropriate programs and services, and manage ongoing cases to ensure young people have maximum opportunities to address offending behaviour while supporting positive self-development in line with relevant legislation, policies, practices and procedures.
Develop, coordinate and manage all aspects of an individualised case plan for each young person, ensuring integration of suicide risk assessments and case management issues into a single comprehensive case plan, and supporting effective transition planning.
Prepare complex written reports, detailed risk assessments and other documentation for high-risk young people and actively participate in and complete suicide risk assessment processes.
Participate and contribute effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team to develop, coordinate and monitor the involvement of staff and external agencies in delivering welfare, behavioural management, assessment and case management services.
Act as a point of contact and liaise with internal and external stakeholders, including Child Safety Service Centres, Youth Justice Service Centres, courts, legal representatives, police, families, community agencies and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, to support case planning, reviews, legal processes, stakeholder meetings, high-risk offender panels and post-detention arrangements.
Foster an environment that enables external involvement and access and supports, as far as possible, normalised living and working environments within the centre.
Undertake record keeping and information management tasks, including maintaining case records (daily case notes), preparing reports, performance reporting and data entry, to ensure accountability.
Actively participate in training, supervision and professional development to maintain and enhance knowledge and capability in line with contemporary evidence-based practice and organisational objectives, and support the team leader with induction, mentoring, coaching and training of new caseworkers.

Applications to remain current for 12 months.

Job Ad Reference: QLD/690794/26

Closing Date: Wednesday, 17th June 2026<space>This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License.