Southern Region Command, Custodial Operations Division is responsible for the delivery of custodial services across Queensland. People in custody are supervised in either high or low security correctional centres. High security centres provide for the management of adult prisoners held in secure custody correctional centres across Queensland.

Job details

In this role, you will support women in custody and their children to maintain or re-establish family connections. The Family Support Coordinator will apply a culturally safe, trauma-informed, and gender-responsive approach to coordinate family engagement and referrals. This includes liaising with other government agencies such as the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety (DFSDSCS)- to develop strategies to assist women transitioning from custody to their family and kinship network in the community.

The Family Support Coordinator will work collaboratively with custodial, sentence and case management, offender development, service delivery support and community corrections staff, as well as external service providers, to ensure women are well supported both during incarceration and throughout their transition to community life.

The primary accountabilities of the Family Support Coordinator include:

• Assist women to re-establish and/or strengthen relationships with their children and other family members while in custody.
• Act as a point of contact with agencies such as DFSDSCS and actively work to overcome barriers by facilitating requests for family group meetings, meeting with DFSDSCS officers, requests for visits with children and ensuring women receive copies of orders and case plans.
• Liaise with centre-based staff and provide input into goal setting during all stages of imprisonment to encourage and support women and their families' engagement during all types of contact.
• Supporting pregnant women based on their identified needs, including coordination of individualised birth and escort plans, coordinating post-natal care including breastfeeding support and liaising with relevant centre-based Queensland Health staff including the Nurse Navigator and Child Health Nurse.
• Aid women whose children are residing with them in custody, by completing child accommodation assessments, coordinating child placement activities, engaging with specialised programs and services available for mothers with children in their care, and overseeing playgroup administration.
• Actively collaborate with Sentence and Case Management Services and QCS contracted service providers to ensure women and their families receive integrated support while in custody and upon return to the community.
• Assist with referral to parenting programs in custody and in community.
• Coordinate practical assistance and advice to family members of women in prison to support their understanding of visit processes and help maintain relationships. This includes offering guidance on available supports, transition planning, initiating referrals to relevant community services, and contributing to the delivery of centre-led, family-focused events.
• Demonstrated understanding of the complex and intersecting needs of women in custody, including experience working with vulnerable, marginalised and hard to engage clients
• Experience in or exposure to a criminal justice environment or similar human services area, with a strong understanding of the systemic and social factors impacting women and children involved in the justice system.
• Proven ability to build rapport and establish respectful, trust-based relationships with women in custody and their families.
• Strong negotiation and conflict resolution skills, with the capacity to engage effectively with internal and external stakeholders across all levels, including government and community organisations.
• Demonstrated understanding of relevant legislative frameworks, policies, and procedures governing child safety, domestic and family violence, and broader human services systems, including their intersection with corrective services.

Further information

We are committed to building inclusive cultures in the Queensland public sector that respect and promote human rights and diversity.

Please ensure you download all attachments and follow the instructions on how to apply.

Documents

Before applying for this vacancy please ensure you read the documents below.

• 687422-26-Role Description (PDF, 277KB)
  Role Description
  
  687422-26-Applicant information guide (PDF, 957KB)
  Information Package for Applicants