• Lead Child Safe Standards and quality improvement initiatives
• Coordinate NAS and Rainbow Tick accreditation activities
• Salary packaging, professional growth and meaningful impact

• Full Time | 12-month Fixed Term (strong potential for renewal)
• Preston, VIC
• $92,820 to $98,024 + Super + Salary Packaging
• Hybrid working available
• 35-hour work week!

Help create safer services for Aboriginal children, young people and families

This is an opportunity to lead meaningful change by strengthening child safety and quality across a purpose-driven organisation. As the Child Safety and Quality Officer, you will play a key role in embedding the Victorian Child Safe Standards, driving continuous improvement, and supporting accreditation activities that ensure services remain safe, culturally responsive, and accountable.

Working within the Safety, Quality and Risk team, you'll collaborate with leaders and staff across the organisation to build capability, strengthen compliance, and promote a culture where the safety and wellbeing of children is everyone's responsibility.

About the organisation

Victoria Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) and the state's only specialist legal and support service dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Since 1973, VALS has provided culturally safe legal advice, representation and community support across criminal, family, civil and human rights law, youth justice, and specialist litigation. We also deliver a range of community programs including a 24/7 Custody Notification Service, family violence programs, transitional housing, client support services, and community legal education.

Our Corporate Services team provides the governance, systems and operational support that enables our legal and community teams to deliver high-quality services across Victoria.

About the role

Reporting to the Safety, Quality and Risk Manager, you will lead the implementation and ongoing monitoring of VALS' child safety framework while supporting organisation-wide quality assurance and accreditation activities.

This is a diverse role that combines compliance, policy development, stakeholder engagement, training, risk management, continuous improvement and project coordination.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading implementation of the Victorian Child Safe Standards across the organisation
• Developing and maintaining child safety policies, procedures and resources
• Delivering child safety, mandatory reporting and awareness training
• Conducting child safety risk assessments and supporting incident management processes
• Monitoring compliance and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement
• Coordinating accreditation activities, including the National Accreditation Scheme (NAS) and Rainbow Tick
• Supporting audits, evidence collection and quality improvement initiatives
• Building strong relationships with internal teams, regulators and external stakeholders
• Providing advice on legislative and regulatory child safety requirements

About you

You are passionate about creating safe environments for children and young people and enjoy working collaboratively to improve organisational practice.

You'll bring:

• Qualifications in social work, child protection, human services, law, quality management or a related discipline (or equivalent experience)
• Experience implementing child safety frameworks, compliance programs, quality systems or accreditation activities
• Strong knowledge of the Victorian Child Safe Standards and mandatory reporting obligations
• Understanding of trauma-informed practice and culturally safe service delivery
• Excellent organisational, communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Experience coordinating projects and working across multiple teams
• A commitment to Aboriginal self-determination and community-controlled service delivery

Experience within an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation, legal service, justice or community services environment will be highly regarded.

What we offer

• Salary packaging to increase your take-home pay
• A supportive and values-driven workplace
• Opportunities for professional development and learning
• A collaborative Corporate Services team
• The opportunity to make a genuine impact on child safety and service quality
• Employee wellbeing initiatives
• A culturally safe and inclusive workplace

Mandatory requirements

Successful applicants will require:

• Current Employee Working with Children Check
• Victorian Driver Licence
• National Criminal History Check
• Australian work rights

Our commitment to inclusion

VALS is committed to creating an inclusive, culturally safe and diverse workplace.

We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from diverse cultural backgrounds, people with disability, and members of LGBTQIASB+ communities. We welcome requests for reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Apply now

If you're passionate about improving child safety, strengthening organisational quality, and contributing to better outcomes for Aboriginal communities, we'd love to hear from you.