Residential Youth Worker - Permanent opportunities across Canterbury Group Homes at Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children, Canterbury

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

Permanent Residential Youth Worker opportunities in our Supervised Group Homes in Heathcote, Rolleston and St Albans - Canterbury.

Our Residential Youth Workers have an important role to play. They provide care and support to the rangatahi in our care and encourage and motivate them to make positive choices. This is a real opportunity to positively influence rangatahi, help them grow and successfully transition back into the community.
Are you passionate in making a real and positive difference to New Zealand's tamariki and rangatahi? We work to keep our rangatahi connected to the positive influences in their lives - mentors, whānau, work and community-based programmes.

This is not a 9 to 5 job, our rangatahi require wrap around support from us which is why our Residential Youth Workers do rostered shifts as we provide 24-hour, 7-days per week care (including weekends and public holidays).

We have permanent opportunities based in Heathcote, Rolleston and St Albans - Canterbury.

What you will do?
• Coach rangatahi through our structured day and through all life necessities
• Participate in physical activity with our rangatahi by playing sports and taking part in gym activities
• Support our rangatahi by helping them with their studies, teaching them life skills such as cooking, art, music and cultural programmes and mentor them to make positive life choices
• Build rapport with rangatahi who have experienced trauma and assist with redirecting behaviour

We are also looking to fill Residential Night Attendant opportunities across these same locations, and this can be found on our careers site https://mahi.orangatamariki.govt.nz/ - Reference #11812 - Residential Night Attendant - Permanent opportunities across Canterbury Group Homes

What you will bring?
• A full, clean, valid driver's licence - ability to drive a manual vehicle is highly desirable
• Meet the Children's Act safety checking and our vetting requirements
• New Zealand citizenship or residency
• Resilience, initiative and a proactive approach with a positive outlook
• Empathy, patience and ability to see past what someone may be struggling with
• A tertiary education within psychology, social sciences, social work, sports, music, arts or teaching would be an advantage
• Flexibility to work different shifts - mornings, evenings, weekends and public holidays
• Experience working with rangatahi and tamariki
• Sound judgement with the ability to manage risk and make tough decisions
• Life experience and understanding of what rangatahi may be going through
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to adapt to your audience
• Understanding and confidence in tikanga Māori and te reo Māori would be a definite advantage


Who are we?
Our tamariki and rangatahi deserve to feel safe, have their voices heard, and be surrounded by loving whānau. At Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children, we're on a journey to ensure that it happens. We are a leading social work practice that is child-centred, trauma-informed, and effective for all cultures. We are a Ministry with a commitment to putting tamariki and rangatahi at the heart of everything we do and say.

Oranga Tamariki offer an impartial remuneration package, that offers progression annually for experience through tenure. Annual remuneration for this position starts between $58,967 and $71,200, inclusive of penal rate, dependant on experience. We offer a vibrant, supportive team and a genuine commitment to wellbeing. We offer significant training and professional development so that you can thrive and grow. We welcome diversity and are committed to working in an inclusive and respectful way. This is your opportunity to apply your skills and experience to the wellbeing of tamariki and rangatahi.

To see all the benefits of working for Oranga Tamariki, please visit https://mahi.orangatamariki.govt.nz/working-with-us/employee-benefits/


How to apply?

Apply online with your CV and Covering Letter. If you are an Oranga Tamariki employee already, please ensure you apply with a log in using your Oranga Tamariki email address.

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

Applications close: 2nd April 2023