What's great about Community Correctional Services (CCS)

Community Correctional Services (CCS) staff value the purpose, support and work-life balance they get in their roles.

A job well done

Our goal is to help offenders complete their court orders or parole and avoid returning to the criminal justice system.

We know that progress can take time and is not always guaranteed. By maintaining persistence, dedication and compassion, we believe we can help transform the lives of the people we work with.

Sometimes, the changes we help offenders make might seem small, but they make a big impact. We feel a sense of pride hearing success stories such as an offender:

• getting a new job after a period of unemployment
• seeing a psychologist and addressing their offending behaviour
• being honest with themselves about substance abuse
• successfully completing their order.

We support you

CCS has refined its structure and processes through years of experience.

Our staff are confident in their roles and equipped with the necessary training, guidelines and support they need to succeed. You will be backed by a supportive network of colleagues who believe in the work we do. You will also develop strong bonds with your team and provide valuable advice and guidance.

There are many ways the department supports us in our work, whilst allowing us to flourish in life outside of work.

Work-life balance and flexible working arrangements

We typically work only on weekdays and are encouraged to finish by 5 pm. We also offer partial work from home arrangements whenever possible.

Mental wellbeing support

Our mental wellbeing is supported through regular supervision, discussions, debriefs and employee wellbeing services.

Training and development

We are given paid training to ensure we come to our first day of work with the skills we need.

Personalised professional development plans help us achieve our goals and grow professionally. There are also many opportunities for promotion and career progression.

The qualities we need to thrive

We draw on many personal qualities every day in our work.

Interpersonal skills

We need to be great listeners and observers to understand a person or a situation. We may need to be compassionate, encouraging or assertive to communicate in different scenarios.

Empathy

Empathy is understanding the lives of people from varied backgrounds. We must avoid becoming emotionally caught up in these situations. It can diminish our ability to work objectively and practically.

A pragmatic approach to solving problems

Every day, we encounter situations that require a practical and positive response. We need to be able to think on our feet and address complex issues within the guidelines of processes, policy and legislation.

Patience

It can take a long time to achieve desired outcomes with offenders, for a variety of reasons. The ability to keep the faith in what we are doing is essential.

Resilience

There can be people, conversations and situations that challenge us in our work. While there is support available through setbacks, we need personal resilience to recover and do the job required.