The Department for Child Protection (DCP) is currently seeking multiple Social Workers, Case Managers, Senior Social Workers or Senior Case Managers to join the DCP Call Centre on a full-time term basis.

You will be responsible for:

• Receiving and assessing allegations of child abuse and neglect via the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) and the online reporting system (eCARL).
• Gathering sensitive information from members of the public and professional mandated notifiers, and accurately documenting it in the department’s approved systems.
• Using your assessment skills to determine whether concerns meet legislative thresholds for intervention, and taking appropriate action in line with departmental policies and procedures.
• Responding to urgent child protection matters and crisis situations during after-hours shifts.

To be successful:

The role requires capturing accurate information, reporting, and demonstrating strong written communication and relationship-building skills. Superior verbal communication skills are essential to support callers in a calm, controlled, and professional manner.

You will bring an exceptional understanding of child development, parenting capacity, and the family and environmental factors that can contribute to child abuse. You’ll use this knowledge to manage critical situations effectively. As this role involves engaging with a diverse range of highly emotive notifiers, your strong communication and comprehension skills including the ability to interpret idiomatic language and local vernacular will be essential.

You’ll need to listen carefully to complex narratives over the phone, document information clearly and accurately, and respond empathetically and professionally to people in distress. Your ability to identify risks and respond to the safety, wellbeing and development needs of children and young people will be key. Strong assessment skills will allow you to quickly evaluate situations, form considered opinions, and determine the most appropriate course of action.

If you’re seeking meaningful work that makes a genuine difference in the lives of children and families, then we encourage you to apply.

Essential:

AHP: A degree level qualification in Social Work which gives eligibility for full membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers.
PO: Appropriate degree qualification in Community Services, Social Sciences, Human Services, Health or related field.

Persons of Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, who have the appropriate background and skills but do not have the essential qualification, may apply for and be engaged/assigned to the role of Social Worker and will be entitled to apply for any Allied Health Professional roles requiring a qualification in Social Work within the Department for Child Protection (DCP).

The DCP Call Centre operates on a 24-hour shift work basis. In some roles you will be required to undertake regular out of hours work, and attendance at nights, evenings and weekends on a rotating shift basis. Appropriate penalties are applied for this arrangement.

To be appointed directly to the AHP2/PO2 level, successful candidates must demonstrate increased professional expertise, competence and experience to perform any standard professional task within the discipline. Candidates will have also attained greater specialised knowledge within the discipline, which enables them to provide professional services to client groups in circumstances requiring increasingly complex practice skills.

To find out more about these roles, including the key selection criteria and special conditions, please click on the attached role descriptions.  

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The Department for Child Protection (DCP) plays a key role in the protection of children, young people and their families within South Australia. The department provides support to vulnerable children and young people to be safe, strong and connected. 

The DCP Call Centre is comprised of 2 key state-wide services, Child Abuse Report Line and DCP After Hours. The Call Centre employs Social Workers who receive information from the community and undertake complex assessments regarding the safety of children.

For workers providing an After Hours service, this also includes responding to urgent child protection matters, as well as crisis situations involving children who are in Out of Home Care.