This is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander designated position, classified under Section 12 Special Measures of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010.

Please note: This opportunity is only available to Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS)

Location: Preston, VIC | Full-Time | Fixed Term until June 2027

Salary: $115,065 – 119,871.96 + Super + Salary Packaging

Application Closing Date: 5 September 2025

About VALS

The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) has been advocating for and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people since 1973. Our holistic services span criminal, family, civil and human rights law, youth legal services, 24/7 custody notification, housing, family violence programs, and much more. At VALS, we are committed to self-determination, equality, diversity, and inclusion and we are always evolving to meet community needs.

About the Role: Aboriginal Youth, Family Centered Specialist

VALS is committed to recruiting to the roles in the proposed project at a high level to ensure success. An exceptional standard of service begins with exceptional staff.

As specialist family practitioners delivering a culturally holistic therapeutic model of case management to Aboriginal young people and their families, VALS will ensure that the below considerations for skills, cultural knowledge, subject matter experience, qualities and resourcing are put forward in the co-design process as position descriptions are developed and recruitment commences. We will employ Aboriginal people in the roles, meaning that young people will receive a service from people they can trust, and understand them in ways that non-Aboriginal people cannot.

We understand the need for flexible program delivery for Aboriginal young people and their families with complex needs. This is why we believe that delivery of the service outside of standard business hours would achieve better outcomes.

This is your opportunity to be part of something new, meaningful, and impactful. As part of the brand-new Aboriginal Youth, Family Centred Program, you’ll work closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and their families who have had contact with the justice system — supporting them to reconnect with education, training, employment, and community.
These therapeutic specialists roles will sit at the intersection of existing services across family services, family violence, youth justice, and providing therapeutic support.

As a proud Aboriginal organisation, culture is our foundation, and we will work therapeutically and holistically walking with the children/young people and their families as a defined Aboriginal way of working in Nargneit Birrang. This does not mean that we can remediate every issue a family may face, however; we will work closely with other programs to ensure we can balance the needs of families with over-servicing and duplication of efforts. This will be specifically managed by mindful and practical goal setting with families and taking a lead role in providing case management, which includes taking responsibility for facilitating care team meetings. Further, our program will always seek to amplify the voices of the Aboriginal young people and their families to ensure they are receiving adequate and timely support, and utilise flexible brokerage as required to meet gaps in the service system.

For example, in practice to best meet the families needs, working hours could be 11am – 7pm, negotiated with the successful applicants.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities

Build individualised plans with young people to overcome barriers

Deliver life skills support

Help build confidence, self-esteem, and coping strategies

Support and nurture healthy relationships within family settings

Connect participants to cultural and community networks

Coordinate brokerage for specialist services and support pathways into education

Support young people during court processes when needed

Personal accountability

Compliance with all VALS values, code of conduct, policies and procedures and relevant government legislation and standards where relevant.

Demonstrate a commitment to the principles of social justice and aim to ensure every individual is treated with dignity and respect regardless of their background, ability, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation or religion.

Ensure appropriate use of resources.

Actively participate in initiatives to maintain, build upon and promote a positive and collaborative workplace.

Take reasonable care for your own health & safety, and health and safety of others (to extent required)

Maintain own self-care and wellbeing with support of line management.

Promptly respond to and report health and safety hazards, incidents and near misses to management.

Attend mandatory training sessions (ie. equal employment opportunity, health and safety, cultural safety) and mandatory training specific to position.

Key Selection Criteria

Skills and Experience

Practitioners hold therapeutic qualifications at a bachelor degree equivalency, or relevant professional experience

Practitioners have demonstrated experience working with young people with complex needs and are equipped to provide flexible and assertive outreach to participants.

Practitioners have demonstrated experience navigating complex service systems so they can ensure participants have wrap around support.

Practitioners can demonstrate working from a cultural holistic, individual and whole of family approach

Practitioners have demonstrated experience working with children and young people

Qualities

Practitioners have experience working effectively with Aboriginal communities.

Practitioners have strong communication skills and can quickly and effectively develop rapport with others.

Practitioners can demonstrate initiative, ability to work independently and as part of a team, can manage conflict and deescalate tense situations effectively.

Practitioners have an awareness of intergenerational trauma, the ongoing impacts of colonisation, and present-day structural inequalities for Aboriginal people.

Support

Practitioners have access to quality supervision and support internally and engage in this process authentically and are open to feedback and professional growth.

Practitioners have access to secondary consultation from a therapeutically qualified Aboriginal person in the organisation to provide expert advice where required.

Practitioners engage with tailored professional development opportunities which build their practice skills, approaches grounded in Aboriginal ways of working, and cultural responsiveness.

Practitioners have access to peer support opportunities with colleagues across the project, both internally and externally i.e., Community of Practice to build a shared body of knowledge and practice wisdom.

Practitioners have access to additional therapeutic support by the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service which could encompass clinical supervision and/or reflective practice.

Resourcing

Practitioners are renumerated competitively at a SCHADS 7 band

Practitioners are afforded the organisational benefits of our EBA agreement, which includes one extra week of leave per year and a 35-hour work week.

Mandatory Requirements

Tertiary qualifications in a relevant therapeutic discipline at a bachelor degree equivalency, or relevant professional experience.

A current Employee Working with Children Check card

A valid Victorian Driver’s license

A National Criminal History Check

Proof of work rights in Australia, such as an Australian passport, birth certificate, or valid visa documentation

Aboriginal Youth, Family Centred Program.

The Aboriginal Youth, Family Centred Program This is a brand-new program within Community Justice Programs, and VALS - and you'll help shape it from the ground up. This Program has been created to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people who've had contact with the criminal justice system. The challenge: Many young people fall through the cracks of a traditional education system, often carrying deep shame about literacy, numeracy, or being "behind." They face barriers reconnecting with school, training, or work. This program aims to work with the young person (10-14 years old) and their family to break down barriers, and increase social and whole of family support. This program is aimed at working intensively with young people and their families, to bring together a support network to strengthen the whole family unit, with the young person at the centre of the practice.

VALS recognises that there is a service delivery gap for this cohort of young people and their family with a holistic and therapeutic lens, these challenges are not currently met within the existing ACCO service system in Northern Metropolitan region within a single service. While programs exist to support young people to prevent further offending in Youth Justice programs, eligibility criteria mean that the program comes too late for young people whose trajectory is already in decline. There is a growing suite of services within the Community services sector which work directly with young people and holistically with families, with recent attention given to adolescents who use family violence in the home.

Why Join VALS?

We offer a supportive, flexible, and culturally safe working environment with a range of attractive benefits, including:

17.5% Leave Loading

5 additional days of annual leave on top of the standard 20 days

Time in Lieu (TOIL) system for any hours worked beyond your contracted 21 hours per week

Access to company vehicles for work-related travel

Generous salary packaging up to $15,900 via Maxxia

Opportunity to work alongside a passionate team committed to delivering culturally appropriate legal and support services for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities

Ongoing professional development and training opportunities

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How to Apply

To apply, please provide:

A covering letter introducing yourself and explaining your suitability for the role

A statement addressing each of the Key Selection Criteria (please note: applications without this will not be considered)

Your current resume, including education, professional experience, and two referees

Submit your application to [email protected] using the subject line:
‘Application for Aboriginal Youth, Family Centered Specialist Position at VALS’

VALS actively encourages and supports Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people to apply. This designated position provides a culturally safe, supportive, and inclusive environment where your knowledge and lived experience are highly valued.

Please note: We do not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies. No fees will be paid to agencies submitting candidates without a valid written agreement.