When disasters strike, children are always the most vulnerable. That's why Save the Children stands ready to deploy, providing immediate support and staying as long as it takes to help children and families recover from their losses, restore their lives and build their resilience for years to come.

Our new Bushfire Recovery Project works with community partners to deliver services to address social recovery and resilience needs of children, young people and families experiencing ongoing trauma from the 2019/20 bushfires. Our services are led by local practitioners who are professionally trained in managing trauma. We need you to support the wellbeing of children, young people and families and give them an experience of quality recovery services.

Save the Children is no ordinary not-for-profit.

We're ambitious, creative and outspoken. We stand up for children's rights. We want all children to be educated, healthy and live a life free from violence. We've been working with families and communities in New South Wales as a trusted support for children for nearly 70 years.

Where you come in:

In this full time, fixed term position (through to February 2024), you'll work with children, young people and families across the Mobile Youth Outreach and Journey of Hope services, as components of the Bushfire Recovery Project. You will deliver mobile programs that provide school based psychosocial support, assertive outreach, after school programming and community events in the MidCoast region.

Reporting to the Team Leader, you'll utilise group facilitation skills and a variety of creative digital technologies from the Mobile Youth Van to meet young people where they're at.

You will make an impact by:

• Delivering Mobile Youth Outreach afterschool programming and community events, and Journey of Hope sessions to pre-school, primary and secondary school-aged children in the allotted geographical area, as well as running sessions with caregivers
• Providing community-based groupwork and casework support with families
• Building meaningful, respectful connections with children, young people and families, including those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds
• Ensuring quality service delivery in-line with program guidelines, contractual requirements and stakeholder expectations
• Ensuring young people are connected with appropriate support services as needed
• Consulting regularly with local communities, professionals, service providers and referral services to ensure our services are meeting local needs

Does this sound like you?

You are truly passionate about standing up for children and young people. You respond calmly to crisis situations, and your background is ideally in Youth Work, Social Work or a similar field.

Your thorough understanding of the impacts of trauma, coupled with your communication and relationship building skills, will enable you to build connections to support children and young people to lead a brighter future. You're proactive and creative and comfortable working with children of all ages. Finally, you're an independent self-starter who is happy to work remotely when not delivering programs.

This role requires:

• Demonstrated experience in working with children and families who have experienced trauma
• Demonstrated experience in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families
• Diploma in Youth Work, Social Work or equivalent qualification, or significant relevant experience
• Experience in facilitating training and/or group-based service delivery
• High level of communication and organisational skills
• Driver's licence and willingness to drive a van
• Strong data collection and case noting skills
• Strong creative digital media skills highly desirable e.g., film, audio recording, digital story-telling, photography, technological learning

Working at Save the Children is more than just a job.

It's the feeling of knowing that your work is contributing to making the world a better place for children and working with others who feel the same. In addition to a connection to social causes, you will have access to:

• Award rate salary (SCHADS Level 4.1) plus full salary packaging benefits
• Festive leave in addition to regular leave benefits
• Individual learning plans to assist in your career development
• Friendly and flexible work environment
• Internal employment and development opportunities

For more information regarding our employee benefits, please follow this link.

Sound interesting?

We'd love to hear from you. Submit your cover letter and resume by clicking Apply Now and following the prompts.

Position Description - Youth Specialist, Bushfire Recovery Project

For more information on the programs in our Bushfire Recovery Project, see our Project Profile.

Save the Children is committed to providing and maintaining a safe working environment for its employees and client groups, consistent with our obligations under OH&S legislation. Successful applicants are required to provide evidence of vaccination against COVID-19, or proof of medical exemption.

We have tested our application process with diverse groups in mind, with the intent to ensure it's straightforward and accessible for all to apply. Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our culture and improve our ability to reach our most vulnerable client groups. But we also know there is no one-size fits-all when it comes to recruitment - so if we didn't quite hit the mark for you, please let us know! We're dedicated to ensuring Save the Children Australia is a workplace suitable for all people and can modify our processes to suit you - no matter your race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexuality, neurodiversity, culture and beliefs.

Save the Children Australia is a child-safe organisation. All employees are required to undergo a National Police Check, a Working with Children Check where necessary, and sign our Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct. We also support the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. You can read about the Scheme and our commitment to Safeguarding here.