Residential Youth Worker
What the work is
Provides care and supervision for children and young people living in residential facilities, such as group homes.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Plans and implements programs of supervision and support for children in residential care
- Supervises and arranges activities to enhance the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of children in residential care
- Wakes children and ensures they are washed, dressed, fed and ready for educational and recreational activities
- Supervises children during domestic activities
- Assesses individual needs, and plans and develops support programs
- Prepares reports and maintains client records
- Interviews individuals and assesses the nature and extent of abilities
- Maintains discipline and reinforces appropriate behaviour standards
- Monitors and reports on the progress of individuals
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a youth drop-in centre in a regional town, open after school and on weekends. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A young person who used to sit in the corner now helps run the games night
- Someone you have supported for a year tells you about the course they have enrolled in
- The centre is loud, messy and full of kids who feel at home there
Hard days
- A young person you were making progress with stops turning up
- Setting a firm limit with someone who is already having a rough day
- Finishing a shift knowing some of the kids are going back to a hard evening
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 411731, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.