Residential Social Worker - Military Style Academy at Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children, Manawatu - Wanganui

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

• Palmerston North Location
• 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

Use your expertise to create positive change for rangatahi.

Oranga Tamariki is seeking experienced and passionate Residential Social Workers to join the Military Style Academy (MSA) team in Palmerston North.

The Military Style Academy is an intensive therapeutic intervention for serious and persistent youth offenders. Delivered within a secure youth justice residence, the programme combines educational, vocational, cultural, therapeutic, and physical activities to support sustainable behavioural change and positive long-term outcomes for rangatahi.

As a Residential Social Worker, you'll play a vital role in creating a safe, structured, and therapeutic environment that supports personal growth, behavioural change, and successful outcomes for rangatahi. Working alongside Youth Workers and programme leadership, you'll bring specialist social work expertise that strengthens frontline practice, supports therapeutic interventions, and helps build capability across the team.

Mō te tūnga | About the role

Reporting to the Team Leader Practice, you'll provide day-to-day support, guidance, and therapeutic interventions for rangatahi participating in the programme while also supporting frontline staff through coaching and practice leadership.

Key responsibilities include:

• Building positive, professional, and trusting relationships with rangatahi.
• Supporting rangatahi to develop positive behaviours, resilience, confidence, and life skills.
• Delivering and supporting educational, cultural, vocational, recreational, physical, and therapeutic programme activities.
• Applying therapeutic, strengths-based, trauma-informed, and mana-enhancing approaches in daily practice.
• Providing practice guidance, coaching, and support to Youth Workers and frontline kaimahi.
• Supporting behaviour management, de-escalation, risk assessment, and incident response.
• Contributing specialist advice regarding rangatahi needs, risks, strengths, and progress.
• Supporting engagement with whānau, support networks, and key stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes.

This is a frontline role within a 24/7 residential environment, including shift work, weekends, public holidays, and additional hours as required to support programme delivery.

He kōrero mōu | About you

We're looking for a skilled social worker who is passionate about working with vulnerable young people and supporting meaningful change.

You will bring:

• A Social Work qualification recognised by the New Zealand Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB).
• Current SWRB registration and an Annual Practising Certificate.
• Experience working with children, young people, and whānau in youth justice, residential care, care and protection, mental health, education, or other related settings.
• Sound knowledge of social work practice, trauma, behaviour change, and child and adolescent development.
• Experience supporting young people with complex needs, challenging behaviours, trauma, or offending histories.
• The ability to provide coaching, mentoring, and professional guidance to frontline staff.
• Strong risk assessment, de-escalation, and problem-solving skills.
• A commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and culturally responsive practice.
• A current full New Zealand Driver Licence.

Why join the Military Style Academy?

This is an opportunity to be part of a unique programme that helps rangatahi develop the skills, confidence, and resilience needed to build positive futures.

You'll be part of a team committed to:

• Supporting meaningful behavioural change.
• Creating safe and structured environments for growth.
• Working alongside whānau and communities to achieve better outcomes.
• Delivering therapeutic and culturally responsive interventions.
• Making a real difference in the lives of rangatahi every day.

About Oranga Tamariki

Oranga Tamariki works to ensure all tamariki and rangatahi are in loving whānau and communities where they can be safe, strong, connected and flourish. We are committed to achieving better outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi, particularly Māori, through culturally responsive and evidence-informed practice.

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to Apply

If you're a registered Social Worker who is passionate about supporting rangatahi, strengthening frontline practice, and helping create lasting change, we'd love to hear from you. Apply online with a cover letter and copy of your CV.

If you have any questions about role, please contact Info_recruit@ot.govt.nz

Remuneration for this position starts between $67,644 - $97,557 depending on experience.    

Applications close at midnight on Tuesday the 20th of October 2026. 

We’ll be reviewing applications and scheduling interviews as they come in — so don’t wait, apply now! 

If you are interested, please ensure that you make yourself familiar with our code of conduct as it sets out our expectations for our kaimahi and requires you to present at work free from the influences of both drugs and alcohol.