Bring your passion and help us to make a genuine difference in the lives of young people! When you join Mercy Community, you are joining a team that is united by our desire to make a difference. We learn and experience something new every day and are supported by the professionalism and spirit of our colleagues and our organisation.

The Role

Our Residential Care Workers are responsible for working with children and/or young people placed within Mercy Residential Care and Transitions Services (RCaTS), providing high-quality out-of-home care and support to children, young people and their families. This role is pivotal to meeting the daily care needs of children and young people to assist them to reach their full potential.

Working to structured plans, you will build long-term relationships with children and young people who often have complex behaviours, providing security, stability and consistency while building their capacity to form positive relationships with others. These roles involve shift work, including sleepovers, weekends and public holidays.

Our Residential Care and Transition Services team currently have multiple vacancies for Residential Care Workers to join the Mercy Community in our General Residence and Intensive Therapeutic Intervention Services (ITIS) programs across the Brisbane Region.

We currently have availability for casual and fixed term part time contracts, with the opportunity to take on additional shifts to increase your hours. Please note that fixed term part time contracts may be extended, depending on ongoing funding.

About You

• To be eligible to apply for this role, you must hold or be enrolled in and working towards a relevant qualification that meets the Minimum Qualification Standard for Residential Care Staff in Queensland – a Certificate IV (or higher) in Community Services or related discipline (For a full list of recognised qualifications, visit: https://peakcare.com.au/hopehealing/min-quals-res-care/)
• You are resilient, mature, patient and confident working with challenging behaviours such as verbal and physical aggression.
• Previous experience working with children/young people affected by trauma and disrupted attachment will be an advantage.
• You will be a problem-solver who works well in a crisis.
• You will have excellent communication skills (both written and verbal), with intermediate level computer skills.
• You must hold or be prepared to obtain a First Aid Certificate.
• Ability to do shift work, including sleepovers, and work weekends and Public Holidays.
• The ability to maintain extreme confidentiality is essential when providing service to clients and external stakeholders from culturally diverse backgrounds.
• You must hold a current Queensland Provisional Green or above Driver Licence and be able to obtain positive notice in the Working with Children Check (Blue Card), positive Police Check and any other legislatively required personal history screening as required.
• An understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures and societies and the issues which impact upon them in contemporary society together with a commitment to culturally appropriate engagement and practice is highly desirable.
• You will be required to complete the online Hope and Healing Framework Foundations Training modules as part of your induction.

Key Selection Criteria:

• Demonstrated ability to work unsupervised with vulnerable children/young people, providing guidance, supervision and support within the Mercy Community framework.
• Demonstrated ability to be a positive role model with children/young people, including engaging with children and young people and building appropriate relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and within a multi-disciplinary team to achieve maximum positive outcomes for clients.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills and the ability to produce clear, accurate and concise written case notes and reports, meeting pre-set timeframes.
• Willing and able to work within a Christian context and Mercy Community’s mission, purpose and values.

We’ll Offer You

• The chance to make a genuine difference in people’s lives
• The opportunity to increase your take-home pay by salary sacrificing
• Continued professional development opportunities and training including; Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Training (TCI), Sanctuary, Model of Practice, Shadow Shifts, etc
• Flexibility and work life balance through shift work
• Regular supervision
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program (confidential counselling service)
• Career pathways for those wishing to grow within the organisation
• A friendly and supportive work place

Currently the position offers a competitive casual rate of $38.11 per hour or part time rate of $30.49 gross per hour (excluding loadings), in line with level 3 of our Enterprise Agreement plus other benefits in line with our Agreement including salary sacrificing.

About Us

Mercy Community is a not-for-profit organisation, focused on the provision of innovative and responsive services in the areas of child protection, multicultural community support, family mental health, community and residential based aged care and disability support services. We are a strongly committed team that works hard and truly lives our values – Mercy, Acceptance, Excellence, Dignity, Empowerment and Integrity.

We encourage and welcome candidates from all cultural backgrounds and recommend you visit our website at www.mercycs.org.au to find out more about Mercy Community.