Permanent Residential Youth Worker - South Auckland Youth Justice Residences

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

Mō te tūnga | About the role

Take a step away from doing work that is the same day in and day out. Join the team at our Korowai Manaaki Youth Justice Residence as a Residential Youth Worker. Take pride in knowing that the work you do every day makes a real difference to the lives of our tamariki.

What is a Youth Justice Residence? It's a place where 13-17-year-olds accused of an offence stay to await court proceedings or serve a sentence. This means they are not free to leave. However, a residence is not a prison, and our Residential Youth Workers are not prison guards!

At all times we prioritise the safety and security of our tamariki and staff on site, however, we are committed to ensuring that the time tamariki spend in our residences will improve their prospects for the future. Our Residential Youth Workers are there to keep our tamariki safe, but they're also mentors, role models and coaches.

We offer a variety of interesting, educational, and fun activity programmes for our young people while they stay with us. A few examples of the activities we offer might include gaming and sports tournaments, vocational and cultural demonstrations, cooking classes, programs with leaders from the local community and much more! Our Residential Youth Workers enrich the lives of our tamariki and maximise learning opportunities and engagement with positive role models. They work alongside our partners to build high-trust relationships and help tamariki develop the skills, behaviours, and attitude they will need to meaningfully contribute to their whānau and their community.

Ngā pūmanawatanga ōu | What you will bring

Our Youth Workers join us with a broad array of experiences, perspectives, and passions! The most important thing that our Youth Worker team all have in common is that they are determined to be there for our tamariki. To succeed in this role, you need to be able to listen without judgement to build trust and respect.

You might have worked with children previously (this could be as part of your job or in your social life i.e., coaching sports, mentoring, tutoring etc) Alternatively, you might have experience in customer service, a trade, healthcare, psychology, education, sports, music, or art.

Our best Youth Workers are those who are passionate about sharing their interests, culture, and what matters to them with our tamariki and being a positive, consistent role model!

This is a rostered role, and you'll need to be willing to work a roster that covers mornings, evenings, weekends, and public holidays. (Talk with us about casual opportunities if you're not able to commit to full time)

• You must be physically willing and able to play sports and interact with our tamariki safely.
• You must be able to pass a Vulnerable Childrens Act check and Police vetting.
• You must be reliable and consistent in your work attendance - our tamariki count on a consistent routine and seeing familiar faces!
• You must be able to present at work free from the influences of drugs and alcohol

Nōu te rourou | What's in it for you

Our Youth Workers receive six weeks of full-time, paid training before they commence rostered work on the floor. We are committed to ensuring that our kaimahi have the best possible preparation and ongoing support to prepare them to work in our unique environment.

We also provide ongoing training and development for our people. Oranga tamariki is an organisation with great career development opportunities, in meaningful lines of work. A lot of our leadership team started with us as Youth Workers themselves!

Oranga tamariki offer an impartial remuneration package, that offers progression annually for experience through tenure. We welcome diversity and are committed to working in an inclusive and respectful way.

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply.

Apply to do a job that makes you proud! We are running a new 6 week long staff induction on our Korowai Manaaki site. It's an exciting time to join our team, we've got a lot planned for this year!

Apply online with your CV and Covering Letter. We'd love to hear about your experience, passions and interests that have attracted you to youth work.

Not sure about your availability to work our roster? No problems! We are also hiring for casual positions. Please indicate that this is your preference in your application.

If you are an Oranga Tamariki employee, please register or log in using your Oranga Tamariki e-mail address. 

If you have any queries, please contact info_recruit@ot.govt.nz

Applications close Wednesday 15th May 2024