Child Protection Practitioner

About the Role

As a Child Protection Practitioner, you'll play a vital role in guiding and supporting schools and directorates on child protection issues, helping to create safe, nurturing environments for all students.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• acting as a key advisor to schools and other directorates on child protection issues (ROSH)
• assisting schools assess and respond to non reportable allegations
• managing all reportable allegations, including notification to relevant agencies and communication with staff
• conducting thorough investigations by undertaking factual enquiries, gathering and documenting evidence, preparing detailed reports, ensuring appropriate support for involved parties, and upholding strict confidentiality throughout the process
• managing habitual absences of students where court applications are required
• responding to incidents of student problematic sexualised behaviour in schools
• conducting risk assessments of high risk or violent student behaviour
• overseeing and responding to historical child protection matters, including searching organisational records, databases and archives
• keeping up to date with child protection legislation and relevant state wide practices
• ensuring Sydney Catholic Schools child protection policies are compliant and easily understood throughout the system
• developing training material and delivering child protection training
• other duties as required.

About You

The successful candidate will also possess the following:

• a relevant tertiary qualification (e.g. child protection, law enforcement, social work, education, legal studies, industrial relations) accompanied by a minimum of five years post-qualification experience
• experience conducting investigations
• a proven capacity to perform effectively in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, meeting tight deadlines while managing multiple priorities
• a demonstrated ability to work with sensitive and confronting information
• a strong knowledge of child protection legislation and reporting requirements relevant to NSW
• exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with a keen eye for detail
• strong customer service orientation and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and collaborate with diverse stakeholders
• a willingness to respect, support and uphold the mission, ethos and teachings of the Catholic Church and the values of Sydney Catholic Schools.
• a current driver’s license and access to a car.

Why Work for Sydney Catholic Schools

Joining Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) means being part of NSW’s largest Catholic education community, with over 145 schools and 74,000 students. We offer job mobility, career diversity, and extensive professional development programs. We offer:

• a competitive annual salary
• salary packaging of up to $15,900 annually
• up to 25% discount on school fees for parents of SCS students
• ongoing training and development opportunities
• discounts on gym classes and memberships, activewear, healthy meals, and wellbeing products
• ex-gratia leave between Christmas and New Year
• generous Employee Referral Program.

Application Process

Click ‘Apply’ to submit your application, including:

• current CV
• cover letter highlighting the criteria above.

For internal employees, apply via the 'Careers' tile in Employee Self Service.

If you encounter technical issues or for any general enquiries please contact the People & Culture Services team on (02) 9568 8297 (8am-5pm, Mon-Fri).

Statement of Commitment to Child Safety
Click here to access SCS' Statement of Commitment to Child Safety and join us in creating a culture of child safety and wellbeing.

Working With Children Check (WWCC)
This role is classified as child-related work and therefore requires a WWCC clearance prior to commencement of employment.

SCS welcomes and encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and candidates with diverse backgrounds.