Youth Justice

The youth justice program works with young offenders aged between 10-20 years old who will generally be on a Children's Court, or in some cases, adult court order. Youth justice workers work across three main areas: youth justice custodial centres, youth justice units and courts.

Job Description

In a youth custodial centre a youth justice worker is responsible for providing care, supervision, safety and support for young people sentenced or on remand.

In a youth justice unit, a youth justice worker provides care and supervision for young people on community-based orders and advice to courts to assist them to make informed decisions.

Employment settings:

Youth justice centres
- Parkville Youth Residential Centre
- Melbourne Youth Justice Centre
- Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre
Youth justice units
Children's Court

Qualifications

Youth Justice Centres

It is highly desirable to have one of the following qualifications:

Certificate IV in Youth Work (Juvenile Justice/Youth Justice) or
Certificate IV Youth Justice or equivalent

We also welcome people with qualifications in social work, welfare work, psychology and criminal justice.

Youth Justice Community Units

You will need a tertiary qualification in one of the following areas:

Bachelor of Social Work or
Diploma in Welfare Studies
Other tertiary qualifications at Diploma level of above will be considered only if they include units of study in case management/casework practice and supervised practical work placements

Youth Justice workers are required to undergo safety screening, which includes a police check and a working with children check.

Salary

Youth justice centre staff are employed under the Victorian Public Service Agreement 2006 – Youth Justice Worker (YJW) structure.

Entry level salary range - YJW1
More senior roles - YJW2 - YJW6

Youth justice community unit staff and court advice service staff are employed under the Victorian Public Service Agreement 2006 - Child Protection Worker (CPW) structure.