Youth Worker - Residential Care

Here’s the thing….. We’re not looking for a perfect resume

We’re looking for people who genuinely care. People who show up. People who can sit with a young person on a hard night and make them feel less alone. If that sounds like you, keep reading…

Who We Are?

Enabling Pathways is a Townsville not-for-profit delivering trauma-informed residential care and outreach services to young people in Townsville Region.

Our Circle Care program gives young people a real home , a safe, structured, and full of people who genuinely give a damn.

We’re growing, and we want to grow with the right people. That means we’re investing in entry-level workers who have heart, grit, and a willingness to learn. The skills? We’ll teach you. The character? That’s all you.

What does a Youth Worker actually do?

Every shift looks a little different and that’s honestly one of the best parts. You might be cooking dinner together, driving a young person to an appointment, helping with homework, or simply being a calm, steady presence when things get hard.

You’ll be supported every step of the way by an experienced team.

Your Day to Day

• Support young people with daily routines (meals, activities, appointments, and just life in general)
• Help create a home environment that feels safe, warm, and consistent
• Build real relationships with young people (The kind that actually make a difference)
• Respond to tough moments calmly and with care (we’ll train you exactly how to do this)
• Write up your shift report and any incident documentation before you knock off
• Be part of a team that genuinely has each other’s backs.
• Attend team meetings, training sessions, and regular supervision.

The Training Is Legit — Here’s What You’ll Learn

✓ Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) — practical, evidence-based tools for responding safely when things escalate

✓ Trauma-informed care — understanding why young people behave the way they do, and how to respond with empathy instead of frustration

✓ Positive Behaviour Support — real strategies to help young people regulate, connect, and grow

✓ Hope and Healing

✓ Incident reporting and shift documentation — how to write clear, professional records

✓ Managing High Risk Behaviours — keeping everyone safe

✓ Water Safety Awareness and plenty more…

We’ll also support you to complete your Certificate IV in Child, Youth and Family Intervention — a minimum requirement of the role.

• Don’t have it yet? That’s okay. We’ll guide you through the process and support you every step of the way. Think of it as a career, not just a job.

What You Bring to the Table

Forget about ticking every box. Here’s what we actually need from you:

• You genuinely care about young people — this isn’t just a job to you

• You’re reliable. Young people depend on consistency, and so does your team.

• You can stay calm when things get hard — or you’re committed to learning how

• You communicate well — with young people, with colleagues, and in writing

• You’re open to feedback and ready to keep growing

• Current Queensland Blue Card (or you’re willing to apply — we’ll help)

• Current Police Clearance

• Open Driver Licence

• Australian working rights

• Current Frist Aid and CPR Certificate

Bonus Points (Genuinely Optional)

• Any experience with young people — coaching, tutoring, mentoring, babysitting, community work, volunteering. It all counts.
• First Aid and CPR certification
• Awareness of cultural protocols when working with First Nations and CALD communities
• Any study in community services, psychology, social work, education, or similar

Skills can be taught. Character can’t.

The people who thrive in this role — the ones who genuinely change young lives — tend to share a few things in common.

See yourself here?

Resilience. This work is meaningful and it is challenging. You don’t fall apart when things get hard, you find your footing, debrief, and come back ready. You know how to look after yourself so you can genuinely look after others.

Willingness to learn. You don’t need to have all the answers on day one — you just need to be genuinely curious and open. You take feedback well, ask good questions, and understand that in this field, growth never stops.

Steadiness. When the environment gets chaotic, you get calmer. Young people in care have often had very little consistency in their lives — your ability to be the steady, predictable presence in the room is one of the most powerful things you can offer.

Genuine warmth. Young people know instantly whether you’re for real. You don’t need to be perfect — you just need to actually care. That warmth and authenticity builds the trust that everything else in this work is built on.

Integrity. You do the right thing when no one is watching. You show up fully, document honestly, and hold the trust placed in you — by your team, by the young people, and by their families — with both hands.

Curiosity before judgment. When a young person does something difficult, your first instinct is to wonder what’s driving it — not to react to what’s on the surface. That shift from judgment to curiosity is at the heart of trauma-informed care, and it’s something you can build on.

Why Enabling Pathways?

• You won’t be thrown in the deep end — ever. Real support from day one.
• Flexible shifts that actually work around your life
• A team culture that values you as a person, not just a shift filler
• Regular supervision, reflective practice, and genuine investment in your growth
• A career pathway in child and youth services with real progression opportunities
• The kind of work you’ll still be proud of in ten years
• Salary Packaging options – You’ll pay less tax.

We review applications as they come in, so don’t sit on it. Apply today — we’d love to have a conversation.

Role Type

• On-site
• Temporary
• Casual
• Entry Level