Youth & Family Caseworker – Reconnect: Penrith

Details

Wesley Reconnect

• Covering Nepean, Hawkesbury & Blue Mountains LGA

• Permanent full-time role

• SCHADS Level 5 + Vehicle + Super + Salary Packaging

The Reconnect Program is a community based early intervention program to support young people between 12-18 (12-21 for newly arrived young people) who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Through early intervention the Reconnect Program aims to stabilise and improve young people’s housing situation and engagement with education, training, and employment. This is achieved through trauma informed wholistic casework, family mediation, group work and practical life skills coaching.

What you’ll do

We are looking for an outstanding Youth & Family Caseworker who is conscientious, reliable, and motivated about making a difference. This position will cover the Nepean, Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains LGA with an expectation of working out of the Katoomba office for part of the week. Key aspects of the Youth & Family Caseworker role include:

• Support young people and their families

• Engaging Families in evidence-based parenting programs

• Building locally tailored partnerships and networks.

Your team

All staff at Child, Youth & Family work hard to develop and maintain harmonious working relationships in an autonomous-supportive work environment where they are all trained to be the best in their field. Wesley Mission provides regular supervision, support, and training for all staff.

Essential criteria

• University qualifications in social work, counselling, psychology or related fields with a commitment to continued training and learning opportunities to improve your practice

• Experience working within a community services and / or child and family social work environment

• Strengths based case management experience with the ability to engage young people and families at the point of initial contact and build collaborative working relationships

• Experience developing case summaries & child protection reports

• Ability to work one-on-one, or in groups, with clients in a variety of settings

• Ability to liaise, develop and maintain professional relationships with government & NGO agencies

• Cultural competence and experience working alongside Culturally and Linguistically Diverse people and First Nations families

• Current NSW or National driver’s license and Working with Children Check

• Wesley Mission is a Christian organisation requiring all staff to affirm its values and Code of Conduct.

Desirable criteria

• Working knowledge of the local child and family support sector.

• Clear understanding of the complex needs and challenges young people who are at risk of homelessness, social isolation and school disengagement face.

• Experience facilitating groups and programs.

Your benefits

You will have the opportunity to access a range of benefits, including:

• Professional development opportunities

• Salary packaging (reduce the tax you pay and increase your take home pay)

• Fitness passport – wellbeing discounts (e.g. gyms, pools)

• Blue Light Card – staff discounts and benefits

• Study assistance program (including reimbursement of tuition fees and access to study leave)

• Employee Assistance Program (access to independent counselling and support services)

• Employee referral scheme (be gifted when you refer someone you know to work at Wesley Mission)

• Chaplaincy support.

Recruitment process

1. telephone interview

2. online aptitude testing and a behavioural questionnaire

3. face-to-face interview

4. reference & probity checks.

Closing date: 1 December 2025

Apply now 

Review the attached position description and if you are interested in this opportunity, please submit the following:

1.    an expression of interest in the role

2.    a current and up to date CV

3.    a response to the following questions:

a.    Can you share an example of a time you supported a child or young person who had experienced complex trauma and came from a diverse background—such as CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) communities, living with a disability, or identifying as LGBTQIA+? What approaches did you use to build trust and ensure your support was culturally responsive and trauma-informed?

b.    Tell us about a time you facilitated a group or community event involving young people. How did you ensure the space was inclusive, safe, and engaging—particularly for participants with diverse needs and backgrounds?

c.     Describe one of your strengths and one of your areas of development and how you would adapt yourself in the Reconnect role?   

Only applications with all the above will be considered.

Wesley Mission is a Christian organisation requiring all staff to affirm its values and Worker code of conduct. We are committed to providing an environment in which children can feel safe and valued.

The suitable applicant will be subject to the relevant pre-employment checks for appointment to positions within Wesley Mission (including provision of a valid Working with Children Check clearance number).

Wesley Child, Youth and Family team is committed to ensuring our workforce reflects the communities we work within. Whilst not a requirement, we strongly encourage people from the following background/s to apply:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

• People who Identify as LGBTQIA+

• People of colour (e.g. identifying as cultural, religious and/or ethnically diverse)