Interested in working in child protection? This page offers all the information you need to know before you apply and provides an overview of the assessment process.
Recruitment journey
Read the steps below.
What you need to know
- Positions are advertised on Careers.Vic as vacancies become available for the various office locations.
- You must apply online to ensure your application is received and all the necessary information is obtained. You will be required to respond to questions relating to eligibility, safety screening, diversity and location preference.
- As part of your application, please attach an up-to-date resume summarising your relevant knowledge, skills, work experience and qualifications.
- Please ensure you upload your relevant qualifications including Official Academic Transcript or Unique Student Identifier Statement for diplomas awarded post 2015.
- You are also required to attach a short cover letter (no more than 1 page) outlining your motivation to work in child protection and supplementing the details contained in your resume about your relevant knowledge, skills, work experience and qualifications.
- The key selection criteria (KSC) detailed in the position description will outline the knowledge, skills and personal qualities of the role in which you are applying for and while you are not required to address each KSC, you may wish to select a few and focus on these in your cover letter.
- The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (the department) will perform a Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) – an online visa check for all applicants who are not Australian citizens to assess your work rights.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants can contact the Aboriginal Employment unit (see DFFH | careers contacts) for advice and support with any stage of the recruitment process.
- If you experience any challenges with the application, you can contact the child protection recruitment team at childprotectionjobs@dffh.vic.gov.au.
What you need to do
Before applying, ensure you have read the position description contained on the job advertisement to gain an understanding of the responsibilities and tasks associated with the role.
Complete an online application through our jobs portal and attach the following documents:
- your current resume (in Word or PDF)
- a current cover letter (in Word or PDF)
- a copy of your relevant diploma or degree certificate, if unsure please visit the requirements and eligibility page
- official academic transcript which includes the conferral date and lists all units of study, or
- Unique Student Identifier (USI) statement for all diplomas awarded after 2015
- a copy of your visa and coloured copy of your passport (in PDF), if applicable.
Where there is a need to review your units of study and the department cannot source the information online, we will either come back and ask you for more information. We will endeavour to keep you up to date if there is any delay in this step of your application.
To ensure your application can be accepted, please ensure you apply before the specified closing date as late application cannot be accepted, and that you have provided all the necessary attachments. Incomplete applications may be rejected.
What you need to know
Once your application has been received, it will be reviewed to ensure it meets the minimum mandatory qualifications, relevant knowledge, skills and experience required for the role.
If your application is assessed at this stage as being unsuitable, you will be advised in writing. Due to the high number of applications received, individual responses may not always be possible at this stage.
Psychometric Assessments
These online assessments are used to determine a candidate's suitability for the role noting the sometimes-challenging nature of the work of child protection.
- CPP3 and CPP4 applicants are required to undertake psychometric online assessments before progressing. Psychometric assessments are an online series of fair and objective tests used to measure a candidate’s suitability for a role based on verbal reasoning and comprehension, situation judgement and personality traits. These typically take 45 minutes to an hour to complete, and instructions are emailed directly to the candidate.
- After completing the psychometric online assessments, the results will be collated and used to assist in further shortlisting.
If you have progressed to this stage in the process, you will be invited to attend either a panel interview (CPP5 and CPP6) or in the case of a CPP2, CPP3 or CPP4 application, you may be invited to an online assessment centre.
It’s important you update us of any change to your email address during the application stage so critical communications are not missed.
What you need to do
Prepare for the interview or assessment centre by reviewing your skills and experience against the key selection criteria of the job description, anticipate questions and research the job environment and context.
Let your referees know you have been invited to attend an interview or assessment centre and provide them with a copy of the position description.
Panel interview
- The interview panel will generally comprise of three people all with expert knowledge of the child protection role.
- The interview may be in person or online and will take between 45 minutes and an hour, including question time for the candidate.
- Prior to the interview, you may wish to prepare examples of times when you have demonstrated the key selection criteria, skills or experience using the STAR (Situation, Task Action, Response) format.
Assessment centres
- Exercises for our assessment centres have been designed to provide a realistic insight into the work of a Child Protection Practitioner. They have been developed by Senior Child Protection Practitioners and are based on real scenarios.
- Assessment centres typically involve a case review where you will be required to review a case scenario and respond to a series of multiple-choice questions followed by a group activity. For our advanced roles, you will also be required to complete a short written task. You will be guided on the day by an experienced facilitator.
- All activities are aimed to assess your interpersonal, communication and problem-solving skills aligned to our values and competencies, and to offer a further insight into the work of child protection.
- If you are invited to attend an assessment centre, all the relevant information will be emailed to you before the day, please ensure you read through this carefully.
- Assessment centres are delivered online (unless specified otherwise) and usually run for 2 hours.
- Assessment centres run to tight timeframes, so please make sure that you RSVP to the invitation to secure your spot.
- Prior to the assessment centre check your IT is working and be ready to join at the specified time.
What you need to know
The department has a commitment to employing people who are able to provide quality services and a safe environment for our vulnerable clients, as well as uphold our values. Pre-employment screening is a mandatory aspect of the department’s recruitment processes and maximises the likelihood of recruiting the right person with the right skills and attitude to the role.
Pre-employment screening for child protection includes:
- referee checks
- national criminal history records (police) checks
- international police checks, where applicants have lived overseas for 12 months or longer in one country in the last 10 years
- Working with Children Check (WwCC)
- misconduct checks.
For further information about pre-employment screening, please visit Department of Families Fairness and Housing Victoria | Application process.
If you are offered employment with the department, you will receive the formal offer of employment in writing. This will include details of your employment including salary, location and commencement date.
You will be required to sign and return the letter of offer to indicate your acceptance.
Upon commencement into child protection, all practitioners will be required to complete the mandatory practice induction program. This program is delivered both online and in person in Melbourne.
For more information on the practice induction program, plus other supports and training offered, please view the supporting our workforce page.
Child protection jobs - requirements and eligibility
To work in child protection you need the right mix of qualifications, experience and attitude.
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