Youth Worker

We are more committed than ever to providing proactive and comprehensive care to young people. Our teams are focused on significantly improving the life experiences and outcomes of rangatahi. We want our teams to inspire sustained change by providing a therapeutic and mana enhancing experience, that ultimately reduces re-offending.

To ensure we can deliver on our commitments, we are searching for experienced and passionate Youth Workers based in Christchurch. You will join our Intensive Case Management team and support our upcoming work. Our Intensive Case Management teams will comprise both experienced youth justice and care and protection social workers, working alongside a youth worker. These teams will provide specialised and therapeutic care to serious and persistent young offenders

Our Youth Workers are critical in helping to guide and shape our ways of working. Our Youth Workers are positive role models with a passion for supporting and empowering rangatahi. They are passionate about contributing to better life outcomes for rangatahi, and care about the impact they have as roles models.



Mō mātou | About us

Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children has a commitment to putting tamariki and rangatahi at the heart of what we do.

Our vision is to ensure New Zealand is the best place in the world to be a child. We are also committed to ensuring Oranga Tamariki partners with hapū, iwi and Māori organisations to find appropriate solutions for tamariki in need.

Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children has a commitment of putting tamariki first, we believe aroha is vital, we respect the mana of people, we are tika and pono, we value whakapapa and we recognise that oranga is a journey.



Mō te tūnga | About the role

We're looking for experienced and passionate youth workers who want to make a real difference by putting rangatahi at the heart of everything we do.

You will be part of a small but dedicated team, where you will work in partnership with rangatahi, their whānau, police, and community support services to address the underlying factors that contribute to the risk of offending, to reduce the potential for lifelong offending.

You will work directly with our young people to develop and deliver activities and programmes that give them opportunities to create and work towards positive goals. You'll be a champion for them, helping them recognise and realise their own potential, and give them hope to lead positive lives.

Our youth workers have many responsibilities, including:

• Building high-trust and positive relationships with rangatahi
• Supporting young offenders in their personal growth and rehabilitation with a focus on health, education, training and employment
• Working with rangatahi to help them build and strengthen relationships with their whānau and communities and encouraging them to act on referrals to services

Ngā pūmanawatanga ōu | What you will bring

We are looking for youth workers who are passionate, caring and focussed on the growth and development of rangatahi.

You will have a sound knowledge and understanding of all systems that affect day to day care and support of rangatahi, and will be open minded about new, exciting and innovative approaches.

To be successful in this role you must bring:

• A passion for wanting to make a positive difference in the lives of rangatahi
• The ability to build and maintain strong relationships with a wide range of people
• Good communication skills with the ability to work with others and contribute to a supportive and inclusive team
• Knowledge ot Te Ao Māori and tikanga is an advantage - Oranga Tamariki is committed to developing our kaimahi to develop this important capability
• Willingness to work across a roster that covers mornings and evenings. From time to time, there may be a requirement to work weekends and public holidays too.

Nōu te rourou | What's in it for you

• Full training, supervision and career development opportunities
• The ability to make long lasting relationships with the community
• The opportunity to work as part of a team that truly want to make a real difference by putting rangatahi at the heart of everything we do

If you care about providing rangatahi with the aroha and support they need early on in life, you'll get immense satisfaction from being able to turn lives around and seeing the difference your mahi makes to our young Kiwi's. So, will you join us?

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



Me pēhea te tuku tono | 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



Application close date: Sunday 5 January 2024



Oranga Tamariki is committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities and welcome applications from everyone who can meet the requirements of the role. We also support flexible working arrangements.

If you are interested in any of our vacancies, 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.