Aso8 - Principal Advocate

Description:

About the Role:

This is an ongoing, full-time opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and young people.

The Principal Advocate plays a critical leadership role in supporting the Guardian and their ex-officio responsibilities through the management of visiting programs and related activities, in line with statutory mandates. These include:

• The Guardian’s Monitoring role under s.26(1)(c) of the Children and Young People (Oversight and Advocacy Bodies) Act 2016
• Visiting pursuant to s.14(1)(a) of the Youth Justice Administration Act 2016
• The Child and Young Person’s Visitor role for children and young people living in out-of-home care under Chapter 9 of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017, and
• The Youth Treatment Orders Visitor role established under Part 7A of the Controlled Substances Act 1984.

Depending on your area of responsibility, you will:

• Lead activities aligned with section 26 of the Children and Young People (Oversight and Advocacy Bodies) Act 2016.
• Provide specialist advocacy for individual children and young people, particularly in relation to their care and youth detention experiences.
• Manage the delivery of visiting programs and ensure compliance with relevant mandates.
• Contribute to inquiries, investigations, and advocacy focused on both individual and systemic issues and reforms.
• Build respectful, trust-based relationships with children, young people, and key stakeholders.
• Model organisational values and contribute to a positive and inclusive workplace culture.
• Supervise staff and oversee the development and implementation of relevant policies and operational guidelines.
• Ensure delivery against key objectives and performance measures in alignment with strategic priorities.
  
  

Essential Qualifications:

• Tertiary qualification in an appropriate discipline e.g. youth justice, social work, education, public health, psychology, social sciences, or public policy, or relevant experience.
  
  

About the Guardian:

The Guardian for Children and Young People (the Guardian) is an independent statutory officer that has multiple mandates, functions and powers as set out in section 26 of the Children and Young People (Oversight and Advocacy Bodies) Act 2016. The Guardian is responsible for:

• Promoting and advocating for the rights and best interests of children and young people who are under the guardianship, or in the custody, of the Chief Executive of the Department for Child Protection (DCP).
• Fulfilling the responsibility of the Child and Young Person’s Visitor (CYPV), a role that encompasses regular visiting and inspection of residential care facilities to monitor the safety and wellbeing of children and young people, in accordance with the functions set out in section 118 of the Child and Young Person (Safety) Act 2017.

Undertaking the role of the Training Centre Visitor (TCV) under the Youth Justice Administration Act 2016 in relation to children and young people detained in Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre (KTYJC) and exercises similar functions in respect of that role.

Special Conditions:

The successful applicant is required to gain a Department for Human Services (DHS) working with children check (WWCC) prior to being employed which is required to be renewed every five years before expiry. The incumbent will be required to undertake RRHAN –EC (Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect - Education Care) Facilitator Lead (Masterclass) extended course or the online (Fundamentals) course which will be required to be updated every three years.

For all other Special Conditions please refer to the attached Position Description.

Remuneration:

ASO8 $121,107 - $125,679 per annum (1.0 FTE), plus superannuation (11.5%) and leave loading.

Enquiries:

Enquiries can be directed to Sue Macdonald, Director, Operational Oversight, via Tel: (08) 8226 8570 or Email: sue.macdonald@sa.gov.au .

Application Instructions:

Applications should be made through the IWorkForSA website.

Applicants are required to submit a CV, Employment Declaration, and a cover letter of no more than two pages addressing the key competencies in the attached position description.

People of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and/or those who have a disability are strongly encouraged to apply.

Additional Note :

This is a full-time (1.0 FTE) ongoing role.

Flexibility Statement
The South Australian public sector promotes diversity and flexible ways of working including part-time. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the flexible working arrangements for this role.