Returning to work | Child Protection Jobs

If you’re a Practitioner returning to work, Child Protection can offer you the flexibility of shorter working weeks and how you manage your hours.

If you’ve previously worked at Child Protection, then you should read the Victorian Government’s ‘Roadmap for Reform.’ It outlines our strategic plan for building a better future for children, young people and families across the state. It adopts a more family-centred approach - to address children’s and parents’ needs - and commits us to focusing on prevention and early intervention.

The Roadmap was supported by a Government investment of $72.2m to employ 450 new Child Protection Practitioners. This was the largest expansion of our Child Protection workforce in Victoria’s history and ensured our teams are well supported as we work with communities towards safer families together.

It isn’t nine to five; it can be worked around your family and personal needs.

As the mother to a 21-year-old son, Angela appreciates the flexibility of a career at Child Protection. “The department are very supportive of maternity leave. I took just under a year, but other colleagues have taken longer. It isn’t nine to five; it can be worked around your family and personal needs.”

Angela has been with Child Protection for over 25 years, having moved up through levels of management to her current role as Practice Leader, Family-led Decision-making Convenor. She works closely with children and their families, as well as various professional services, to safeguard the state’s most vulnerable youngsters. And although the work is often challenging, she’s never considered doing anything else.

Career development has been another big draw for her. “There’s such a broad range of opportunity for professional development, training and education. Today I could be meeting with court, doctors, mental health services, education facilitators, myriad professionals all coming together to talk about the best interests of a child. This gives you an opportunity to see into other areas and to bring your own skills in and expand on them.”