Lead as a Senior Youth Worker providing therapeutic care, guidance and support to young people in residential care, making a real difference.
- Full time permanent position with a shared on call
- Lead and support young people in a safe, stable, family-like residential home
- Mentor Youth Workers while delivering therapeutic care, case planning and behaviour support
About the role:
We are seeking an experienced and compassionate Senior Youth Worker to provide therapeutic care, leadership, and support to young people in a residential care setting. This role is focused on creating a safe, stable, and family-like home environment where young people feel valued, supported, and empowered to build independence, confidence, and life skills. As a senior member of the team, you will play a key role in guiding day-to-day operations within the house, supporting other Youth Workers, and ensuring high-quality care is delivered in line with individual care plans and therapeutic frameworks. You will be a positive role model, advocate, and trusted support for young people while helping drive best practice across the service.
The key responsibilities:
- Support young people with daily routines including cooking, shopping, transport, cleaning, personal care, and household responsibilities
- Create and maintain a safe, stable, and family-like home environment that encourages participation and independence
- Implement individual care plans, behaviour support strategies, and therapeutic interventions to support positive outcomes
- Monitor wellbeing, behaviours, and progress, reporting incidents and concerns to the Program Coordinator, Child Safety and Therapeutic Support Team
- Act as a positive adult role model, providing guidance, advocacy, and emotional support to young people
- Mentor and support Youth Workers through coaching, training, and day-to-day leadership within the house
- Assist with case management, documentation, and compliance requirements to ensure best practice care delivery
- Maintain a clean, respectful, and culturally appropriate living environment while promoting life skills and personal development
This role requires availability to support a shared-on call – alternate weeks and weekends.
About you:
You are a confident and experienced youth support professional with a strong understanding of trauma-informed care, therapeutic crisis intervention, and culturally safe practice, including alignment with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle. You are passionate about creating safe, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate environments that support the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth of young people. You are comfortable working with young people aged 12–17 with complex support needs, encouraging engagement in education, training, and employment pathways. You bring strong leadership, emotional intelligence, and a calm, professional approach when managing complex or challenging situations. You are skilled at building trusting relationships while maintaining clear and appropriate professional boundaries. You lead by example, support and mentor others within the team, and remain focused on delivering positive, meaningful outcomes for young people.
Additionally:
- Minimum Cert IV in Child and Family Intervention (Residential Care) or other recognised qualification
- Completion of Hope and Healing Framework Foundations training
- Significant experience working with young people in residential care, youth services, child protection, or community services
- Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor and support Youth Workers
- Strong understanding of therapeutic care, case management, and individual care planning
- Knowledge of trauma-informed practice, positive behaviour support, and life skills development
- Ability to manage challenging behaviours, incidents, and crisis situations with confidence and professionalism
The benefits of joining the Carinity team
- On call allowance, uniform, laundry and first aid allowances and employee benefits scheme
- Access to an employee assistance program
- At Carinity we acknowledge the need to balance your work and personal life and are genuinely committed to this.
- Legitimate chance to make a real difference to young people’s lives every day.
How do I apply?
Click “Apply” and you will be redirected to Carinity’s website, which will contain more information on Carinity and this position, including the Position Description. We look forward to receiving your application.
Carinity actively encourages and invites applications from people with disabilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for all our positions.