‘Shaping Lives, Building Futures’

March 27, 2019 – Oberstown Children Detention Campus is seeking to recruit 25 residential social care workers to provide the best possible care to young people in detention.

The recruitment drive is the first large-scale recruitment campaign since the inception of the new Oberstown campus – Ireland’s only detention campus for young people – in 2016. The new campus is a state-of-the-art facility with a wide range of services and supports in place for staff and young people who are placed in the campus by the courts.

The residential social care worker’s primary purpose is to work directly with the young people on campus in the provision of services to support their care and development, and re-integration into the community.

In this role, they promote positive outcomes for young people as part of the Oberstown model of care – care, education, health, offending behaviour and prep for leaving (CEHOP). CEHOP is the core of Oberstown’s work with young people, and involves individualised care plans for young people, delivered by an on-site multidisciplinary team. Oberstown aims to build young people’s responsibilities and address the factors associated with their offending behaviour.

Pat Bergin, Director said: “Our people are at the heart of our organisation and we are looking for passionate, committed, professionals who want to deliver a care model that strives to uphold the very best standards for young people in detention. We are looking for people who want to contribute and make a difference in a young person’s life.”

He added: “Young people in the youth justice system often have a history of trauma and can at times display challenging behaviour. That’s why staff in Oberstown who work with young people must be fully qualified residential social care workers with three years experience.”

Bernadette Raleigh, HR Manager at Oberstown, said: “We are asking social care workers to come and work on the frontline with young people and help to make a difference in their lives. Working at Oberstown is not without its challenges but is also very rewarding, multi-faceted and there are many dimensions to working with the young people on campus. Comprehensive training and procedures equip the team to work safely and effectively with young people and Oberstown has a wide range of on-site support services available to staff, including a peer support network.”

She continued: “In addition, we believe it is important to make sure opportunities for personal development and, where possible, career progression allows staff to realise their full potential. Employees are provided with access to learning, guidance and assistance to ensure they are encouraged to increase their knowledge, skills and experience.”

Closing date for applications is April 17 and interested parties should log onto Oberstown.com to apply.

ENDS