Student placements
Looking for a purposeful career?
Our people tell us there’s no more rewarding place to apply your skills and knowledge than right here, with us. What’s more, you’ll gain incredible experience you simply won’t get elsewhere. All while helping children get a chance at the future they deserve.
Audio description: The screen is navy blue and an Acknowledgement to Country appears on the screen: ‘We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this country and recognise their connection to land, wind, water and community. We pay our respects to them, their cultures, and to Elders past, present and emerging.’ Instrumental music fades in, playing softly in the background.
The screen cuts a group of CSOs having a team meeting. A statement appears overlaid: ‘A job with Child Safety isn’t the easy option. Our frontline teams know that best. Yet they still choose this path.’
The screen changes to navy blue with a statement appearing on the screen: ‘We asked Kristy and Bhavna, two of our Child Safety Officers why..’
The screen cuts to Kristy and Bhavna speaking directly to the camera.
Kristy: I really think that this job is the most important job in the whole wide world.
Bhavna: I wanted to be part of that organisation, where I could advocate for young people and assist them along their journey.
Kristy: If we can help little people during their formative years, we can really make some positive change, we can change their life trajectory. I think that’s what keeps me coming back.
Nobody wants Child Safety to come knocking on their door, but sometimes when I’m about to finish with a family, they say to me: “What was the worst day in my life has turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.
Audio description: The screen changes to navy blue with a statement appearing on the screen: ‘What does teamwork look like at the department?’
The screen cuts back to Kristy and Bhavna speaking directly to the camera.
Kristy: Teamwork at the department – we all lift each other up. We know that we’re there to do a very important job.
Bhavna: Everybody is ready to support you. There’s always so much to learn, my team leader has been very supportive. There’s a lot of collaboration.
Audio description: The screen changes to navy blue with a statement appearing on the screen: ‘How have you grown as a Child Safety Officer?’
The screen cuts back to Kristy and Bhavna speaking directly to the camera.
Bhavna: I’ve actually grown as a person because I’ve improved my skills in communication, being resilient and having empathy, and just having hope that we can make a change.
Kristy: Yeah. Best job in the world.
Audio description: The screen cuts to Kristy and Bhavna walking together in the office hallway.
The screen changes to navy blue with a statement: ‘Every child needs someone. So does every family. What if it’s you?’
The screen changes to white and a Queensland Government logo graphic appears, with a URL underneath it. This reads: dcssds.qld.gov.au/careers. A hashtag appears underneath: #WhatIfItsYou. Instrumental music fades out.
So, if you’re currently studying, interested in working in the sector and meet the below eligibility checks, we want to hear from you! Find out how we can help you build an incredible career that will set you up for life.
Just ask Chrissie, who started with us as a Child Safety Officer and has since progressed to become Indigenous Regional Practice Leader
I kid you not, when I first started as a Child Safety Officer, I thought ‘Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into? This is a lot bigger than what I anticipated!’ But, at the end of the day, if you just take a breather and slow down, the bigger picture just forms in front of you and you think ‘This is why I’m doing this.’
Student Placement Program
Each year, we offer university students the opportunity to gain valuable experience working in one of our child safety service centres as part of our Student Placement Program.
You'll meet our people, learn firsthand what it takes to be a Child Safety Officer and get the chance to put all you've studied over the past few years into practice.
It's a great way to see what life's like on the frontline and how we work with children, families and professionals from other sectors in the community, such as education, health and mental health, domestic and family violence, police, youth and criminal justice.
Our Student Placement Program is designed to set you up for a rewarding career in child safety. You’ll get exposure to areas such as case planning, complex case management, risk and safety assessment, investigation and assessment, and court work.
You’ll also find many opportunities within the department to progress beyond Child Safety Officer roles in the future if you wish. Whether that’s moving into a Senior Practitioner role, Child Safety Service Centre Manager or even Child and Family Regional Director.
If you like the idea of learning from our experienced Child Safety Officers, talk to your university field education coordinator to register your interest.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence