Why choose a career in child protection

If you’re a person who is passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of children, then a career in child protection is for you. As an essential worker, you’ll have an opportunity to make real change in communities, keeping children safe and families strong. You’ll find it challenging, rewarding and always changing. You will draw on your personal skills including thinking analytically, coming up with creative solutions, working well under pressure and collaborating with a diverse group of people towards a common goal. 

Careers in child protection can range from case practice support workers through to expert practice leaders. Your career will benefit from professional development, education and on the job training. You will be well supported as you work with others to make decisions that benefit the lives of children and families.

We’re building a better future for children, young people and families across the state. Our Roadmap for Reform: Strong families, safe children commits us to focusing on prevention and early intervention, adopting a more family-centred approach that addresses children’s and parents’ needs.

Child protection practitioners work for the Victorian Government to investigate the safety and wellbeing of children at risk. As essential front line workers, they receive and assess reports of alleged child abuse and neglect from the community. In more serious circumstances, practitioners may be involved in court action. To be an effective child protection practitioner, you will have a strong sense of social justice and understand that families are complex, with their own unique histories. Importantly, you will be able to build relationships with children, young people and their families. The work is interesting, challenging, busy and fulfilling and involves therapeutic and analytical skills.

As a Victorian Government employee, you’ll also have a broad range of benefits and entitlements. These include professional development through training programs and study leave. We support work-life balance with flexible working hours, generous leave entitlements and paid parental leave. Child protection practitioners receive an additional five days of paid annual leave after 12 months of service.

Benefits and entitlements include:

• Flexible work arrangements such as flexible start and finish times, condensed working arrangements, part time options and the ability to purchase additional leave. Some leave/arrangements will be subject to business needs
• Salary packaging/sacrificing options such as vehicle novated leases, private health insurance and superannuation
• Generous leave provisions, tat is 20 days of annual leave, 15 days of personal/ carer’s leave, an extra 5 days of annual leave after 12 months of service. Some leave will be pro-rata based on part time hours
• Four annual wage increases of 3 per cent over the life of the Victorian Public Service Enterprise Agreement 2024
• Up to 38 hours per year paid professional development leave (pro-rate for part time employees)
• Retention allowance of $15,000 paid over three years for eligible CPP3 – CPP6 Child Protection Practitioners that substantively work and primarily live in the following regional locations Outer Gippsland, Inner Gippsland, Mallee, Wimmera South West, Ovens Murray, and Goulburn
• Annual clothing allowance paid on 1 July of $650, pro rata for part time employees
• Entitlement to access long service leave after 7 years of service
• Dedicated and free wellbeing and support program specifically designed to support the mental health and wellbeing of child protection practitioners
• Wellbeing and support program for employees and their immediate families, a free confidential service that provides a range of supports services, tools, and strategies to address a range of work-related and personal issues such as employee assist, career assist, legal assist, money assist, nutrition, and lifestyle assist. Some services may not extend to immediate families
• Career supports for immediate family members (members of an immediate family have access to career development and job change supports such as job identification, job application assistance and interview skills)
• Other incentives and benefits i.e. flu vaccinations, rural after hours stand-by allowance, study assistance, reimbursements towards the cost of prescription glasses, reimbursements for damaged clothing, discounted gym memberships
• Employer superannuation contributions of 11.5%