Family Engagement Worker

at  Department of Justice and Community Safety

JOB DESCRIPTION

Location: Melbourne | Western Metropolitan
Job type: Full time / 30/6/2026
Organisation: Department of Justice and Community Safety
Salary: $92,332 - $104,762
Occupation: Prison and Corrective Services
Reference: VG/8552-8553-AUG24
At the Department of Justice and Community Safety, we’re looking for people who want to make a difference. People who take pride in their work. People who get things done. People who are committed to making Victoria a safer place.
We embrace diversity and strive to have a workforce that reflects the community we serve. We’re all about recruiting the best people, regardless of gender, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or cultural background. If you think you can do the job and would be a good fit for our department, we’d love to hear from you.
The department is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and recognises that children’s rights need to be respected, their views welcomed and valued, and their concerns taken seriously and acted upon.
If you require adjustments to the recruitment and selection process, or require an alternative format to any of the application material, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the contact person listed on this ad.
For more information on working with us and our recruitment process, please visit justice.vic.gov.au/careers

We’re proud of the important work we do across Victoria. Want to be part of it?

• Support women to re-establish and/or strengthen relationships with their children and family while in custody.
• 2 x Fixed, Full-Time opportunities to work with a high-performing and passionate team in the Victorian Public Service
• VPS Grade 4: $92,332 - $104,762 plus superannuation.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is seeking Family Engagement Workers to provide a critical role at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Family Engagement Worker is an integral part of a new Family Engagement Service offered at both prisons and will be responsible for assisting women prisoners and their families to maintain relationships or re-establish contact with family. Using a whole of family approach, the Family Engagement Worker will identify, assess, and coordinate family engagement planning and referrals for women and their families. This will include liaison with other Government departments, such as the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) Child Protection and working on strategies to assist women to transition to the family unit and the community in general.
The Family Engagement Worker will also work closely with other prison staff and service providers to ensure activities that support women, and their families operate in a collaborative, integrated, and coordinated manner.

Some of your duties will include:

• Assist women to re-establish and/or strengthen relationships with their children and other family members while in custody.
• Act as a point of contact with agencies such as DFFH Child Protection, including where women identify a desire to maintain/re-establish contact with their children who may be in out-of-home care arrangements.
• Coordinate and involve women in goal setting during all stages of imprisonment to encourage and support women and their families’ engagement during all types of contact.

To learn more about this role before applying, please read the attached position description.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Demonstrated knowledge of complexities associated with women in custody, including transition and reintegration issues and needs of women prisoners.
• Experience working with women and their families
• Experience in working with difficult to engage clients
• Capacity to work within a prison setting
• Experience delivering parenting programs (desirable