South Sudanese Australian Youth Justice Expert Working Group - Advisory Group

The Youth Justice Strategic Plan 2020-2030 reflects a 10-year vision for the delivery of a leading youth justice system in Victoria. The Strategic Plan has a specific focus on supporting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups in youth justice through prevention and diversion and helping to address the underlying drivers of offending of those already in the system.

The Victorian Government established the Expert Working Group to identify reasons for and solutions to the overrepresentation of South Sudanese Australian children and young people in youth justice. The Expert Working Group will run until 30 June 2025. Dr. Santino A. Deng is the Chair of the Expert Working Group, and Liana Buchanan, Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People (CCYP), is the Deputy Chair of the Expert Working Group.

The Expert Working Group will build trust, connection and strong relationships with the South Sudanese Australian community. It will do this through engagement with community organisations and community members, religious and local networks, parents and carers, and young people with lived experience. Alongside the Expert Working Group, the Department of Justice and Community Safety will support and grow an effective service sector through targeted investment to build capacity and deliver programs and support.

About the Advisory Group

The Advisory Group will support and advise the Expert Working Group. The Chair of the Advisory Group will be appointed by the Minister for Youth Justice and the Advisory Group will include diverse representatives of South Sudanese and African Australian communities, community sector organisations and advocacy bodies and other relevant expertise.

The secretariat work of the Advisory Group will be provided by the Expert Working Group Secretariat. The Advisory Group will meet at least five times during the Advisory Group term (ending June 2025) with any out of session advice/ad hoc meetings to be determined by the Advisory Group chair in consultation with the Expert Working Group.

The Advisory Group will comprise eight (8) members (including the Chair of the Advisory Group), with members possessing diverse experiences and backgrounds including:

• South Sudanese community leaders, including representatives of relevant community organisations
• representatives from community organisations that work with and support South Sudanese children and young people
• representatives from peak organisations and experts (academics).

Candidates are required to identify within their application whether they are applying for the Advisory Group Chair and/or member position.

The Advisory Group Chair will be accountable for the following key deliverables:

• Managing discussions in each meeting to ensure collaboration of members to consider relevant factors contributing to the overrepresentation of South Sudanese Australian children and young people.
• Liaising directly with the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Expert Working Group.
• Work with the Expert Working Group secretariat to provide comprehensive advice to the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Expert Working Group.
• Ensuring each Advisory Group member is provided with accurate and meaningful information prior to each meeting.
• Summarising the Advisory Group’s advice.

The Advisory Group members will be accountable for the following key deliverables:

• Contribute to the development of strategic responses to the overrepresentation of South Sudanese Australian children and young people in the justice system through the representation of diverse relevant experience and expertise on the Advisory Group, and in providing advice on matters relevant to the Expert Working Group as required/requested by the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Expert Working Group.
• Where possible, assist the Expert Working Group in gathering sector specific advice (where that advice may not already be present in the Advisory Group).
• Support the evaluation of the Expert Working Group project deliverables.

Salary

• Chair: $196 - 448 per day
• Members: $169 - 349 per day

Candidates will be required to address within their cover letter competency and/or experience of a combination (not all) of the following key selection criteria:

• Extensive knowledge and understanding of key issues contributing to the overrepresentation of South Sudanese Australian children and young people in Youth Justice.
• Experience using lived experience and/or sector and professional expertise to develop or influence approaches to reducing the overrepresentation of South Sudanese Australian children and young people in Youth Justice.
• An understanding of youth-participatory principles and the ability to work collaboratively with young people with lived experience of Youth Justice.
• Extensive specialist knowledge of relevant community agencies and culturally specific services for young people of South Sudanese background involved with Youth Justice, including mental health, education, training, employment, housing and alcohol and drugs.
• Ability to represent a diverse range of views and experiences in relation to youth contact with the justice system.
• Ability to use evidence and frameworks to provide advice on service systems and practices to enact systemic and cultural change.
• Awareness of the impact of potential structural issues such as financial hardship, labour market access, barriers to services (including education), affordable housing, social supports, language barriers and discrimination on the lives of young South Sudanese Australians and their families.
• Ability to commit to the position until the end of the project (30 June 2025).

Please click the Apply button on this advertisement. Applications should include a resume and covering letter. Attachments can be uploaded in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt or .rtf formats.

All appointments are subject to reference checks, pre-employment misconduct screening and criminal record checks. Some positions may also be subject to a medical check and/or ‘Working with Children Check’.

Applicants with further enquiries may contact Benjamin Russo, Director, Youth Justice on 0438 995 760 or at benjamin.russo@justice.vic.gov.au

Applications close at 11:59pm on Friday 12 May 2023.