Provide community work placements

About CCS

CCS is part of the Justice Services group in the Department of Justice and Community Safety.

Justice Services runs Victoria's community corrections and adult parole systems.

We engage community work participants in valuable work that helps the community. It aims to build a positive work ethic, skills and job pathways.

Our goal is to meet the community's standards for safety and reparation through supervised community work programs. We also encourage participants to adopt a law-abiding lifestyle.

Who we partner with

Unpaid community work can be performed:

for charitable and non-profit organisations

for community groups

on publicly owned, leased or designated land

for non-profit hospitals and residential aged care facilities

at the home of an aged pensioner or a person with specific needs, with the consent of both the occupants and the property owners, especially in rented places

at a home or institution for people with a disability or individuals that are socially disadvantaged

for non-profit educational institutions and providers

for local, state and federal government agencies.

It is important to note that community work programs are not substitutes for paid staff. For example, if a school employs a gardener, a CCS community work participant would not replace the work of the employee but could assist as needed.

‘The program has wonderful outcomes for both the community work participants and our community. It is fantastic to see the team at the Hub each week eager to create amazing lunches which are gratefully received by our residents. I enjoy seeing the community work participants grow in confidence and take ownership of the program. Well done to the Department of Justice [and Community Safety] and I look forward to the partnership continuing,’ Wendy Vine, Braybrook Community Hub Facilitator, Braybrook Community Hub.

Benefits of providing community work placements

Some of the benefits of working with CCS include:

reducing the likelihood of community work participants re-offending and improving community safety

supporting community work participants to build valuable skills and experience positive community interactions

contributing and giving back to your local community

a cost-effective way to complete projects that might otherwise have funding constraints – allowing your organisation to focus on its core tasks and business

supporting a participant’s rehabilitation and reintegration into the community – fostering positive behaviour change and aiding their rehabilitation journey

assisting someone to make a fresh start in life.

What a community work partnership can do for you

Charity and not-for-profit organisations

Finding volunteers for charities and non-profits can be tough. CCS offers a solution. Community work participants can help in many ways, like:

helping in opportunity shops and recycling efforts

providing support in administrative tasks

cleaning and maintenance of animal shelters

preparing and serving food for community kitchens

making soft toys for children in need.

Schools, kindergartens and education centres

Maintaining schools, kindergartens and education centres is often challenging. If your institution faces budget issues or needs maintenance help, CCS might be able to assist.

Participants in weekend community work can help with cleaning, gardening and landscaping. They can also help with groundskeeping and special projects.

Participants have built sandpits, developed play areas and planted gardens. They significantly aid Victoria's education system, benefiting many schools.

Parks, gardens and reserves

CCS focuses on projects that promote safe, sustainable communities. It helps maintain parks, gardens and reserves.

Participants can garden, clean, remove rubbish, weed or do general upkeep.

They can also tackle bigger projects. For example, teams have built roadside stops and improved parks.

They have planted trees, set up eco-friendly irrigation and installed park furniture and signs. Participants have also helped communities recover from fires and floods.

Councils and Shires

CCS has partnered with councils to work on many projects across a wide range of areas.

Community work teams get involved in graffiti removal for public assets and the disposal of waste and rubbish.

Other projects have included environmental projects, recycling disposable household items, restoration and repurposing old computer equipment, reusable bags and bicycles, packing community awareness pamphlets, maintenance of parks and gardens and painting council assets.

Cemeteries and historical organisations

Many community work participants help maintain and restore cultural and historical assets. They remove rubbish and graffiti and care for gardens and flowerbeds.

Cemeteries and historical groups task participants with finding unmarked graves and placing markers. They also help with administration work.

Participants have also worked with historical societies to restore trams, buildings and monuments. They have also restored weighbridges and heritage assets.

Other groups

We also work with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, community centres, local learning centres, neighbourhood houses, co-operatives, churches, aged care facilities and hospitals.

We can help with works, maintenance, meal preparation and distribution and special projects.

See specific examples of community work programs.

Types of community work placements

Individual placements

An individual work placement allows one person or a small group to engage in community work.

Here, the partner organisation assigns tasks. These tasks can include gardening, cleaning, painting, administrative work, or assisting with events like open days, fairs, or fundraisers.

The partner organisation supervises participants and ensures their safety. They also delegate tasks and provide necessary tools and equipment.

Community work teams

A community work team is made up of participants who collaborate safely.

They aim to complete tasks given by a community partner. Tasks like graffiti removal need a community team due to the work involved.

Other tasks can include paving, gardening, construction, re-vegetation, maintenance, or other support work.

A CCS community work supervisor who has experience in the trade leads the group. The supervisor could be a CCS Field Officer or from the community partner.

Some teams work on weekends to cater for community work participants who engage in paid employment during the week.

Remote learning community work programs

For individuals with barriers to in-person engagement, remote work programs may be a solution.

This may include making and donating paper and origami crafts for immunocompromised people.

It may also include taking part in community work preparation and induction programs that promote the safe engagement of participants.

‘As a not-for-profit organisation, the program offers much appreciated help with the upkeep of our grounds and is a great way to utilise the participants’ times to offer great outcomes for the wider community,’ Abbotsford Convent, North West Metropolitan Region.

About the participants

Participants in the community work program must meet specific eligibility criteria.

CCS assesses and places community work participants in programs according to the conditions of their court order, their skills and their risk and supervision needs.

Before placing participants in your organisation, your CCS representative will discuss your needs. Then, they will show you available participant profiles. This helps you choose the best fit for your organisation.

This process ensures participants are placed appropriately and match your selection criteria.

CCS closely monitors all community work participants working with community work partners.

You are not required to keep participants until they finish their community work hours. If you wish to withdraw someone, CCS will do it promptly to minimise business disruption.

What it costs

The services and work undertaken by community work participants is free.

Your organisation must provide the tools and safety equipment needed to complete the work.

If you use a community work team for a larger project, you may need to provide a supervisor or help pay for the involvement of a CCS Field Officer.

Occupational health and safety requirements

The OHS conditions for community work participants are the same as those for employees or volunteers.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) says employers must ensure a safe and healthy workplace.

This duty covers everyone affected by workplace activities. It includes employees, volunteers and visitors. As well as community work participants.

CCS staff will assess your workplace for OHS hazards and suggest safety improvements if required.

Arrange a community work participant or team

If you think CCS can help, contact your local CCS office and to speak with a Community Work and Partnerships representative.

Please provide details about:

the type of work or task

whether this is an ongoing, casual, or a one-time arrangement

an estimate of the number of individuals you need

the days and hours you'd like the community work participants at your organisation.

After your local CCS office gets this information, it will set up a meeting to discuss your needs. If there's a good match, a CCS representative will complete an occupational health and safety check of your organisation.

Then, you'll get a non-binding agreement to review. After both parties sign, you'll receive an induction and be ready for community work participants.

Alternatively, you can email: