Te Maioha o Parekarangi Youth Justice Residence near Rotorua

The meaning of the name Te Maioha o Parekarangi is a gift to the people of the residence, a gift to benefit its residents, and an inclusive gift from everyone.

Parekarangi means the beautiful pa facing the sun. It is the name given to the area by survivors of the 1886 Tarawera eruption, who sought refuge there. The fertile Parekarangi Lands were cultivated to provide food for the Tuhourangi Ngāti Wahiao people of Whakarewarewa Village.

Maioha symbolises the breath of life of all those who are a part of the land. It makes reference to the present (being those that are alive), and also acknowledges their past.

Together, Te Maioha o Parekarangi refers to the gift of life imbued in the land, for all those who become connected with the residence. The Parekarangi Trust, local iwi and the community have all given Child, Youth and Family strong support for the residence being established in their area. They see it as a valuable resource for ‘their' children, and want to help however they can. The name acknowledges the local community's desire to give their energy to the residence to help Child, Youth and Family achieve better outcomes for all children and young people.

Aerial view of Te Puna Wai ō Tuhinapo Youth Justice Residence on which the new residence is being modelled.

The residence is located on State Highway 30, 4km south of Rotorua, on land leased from the Parekarangi Trust. It is a campus-based design comprising three 10 bed residential units, a secure unit, a self care unit, cultural and sports halls and general support buildings. All the buildings are located around a central court yard.

Construction commenced in October 2008, and good progress has been made despite some challenging weather conditions. The residence is on track to open by October 2010.

Te Maioha o Parekarangi Youth Justice Residence will operate around the clock, every day of the year, with staff trained in dealing with the needs of the young people staying there. Support staff, teachers and other providers will also work in the residence during the day.

Our goal is to help every young person we work with to realise their potential, and to transition them to employment, education or training opportunities and to a safe living arrangement when they leave the residence.

We are looking for enthusiastic people with excellent communication skills who want to be part of a team that is instrumental in turning young lives around. For those people who are passionate about working with young people, we offer:

• the chance to put your life experiences and skills to use, in work that is both challenging and rewarding
• the opportunity to develop specialist skills and experience
• a commitment to workplace health and safety
• a strong focus on professional training and development
• study and research assistance
• a competitive salary
• support to achieve a good work/life balance.

We want candidates:

• with a recognised qualification in Sport & Recreation, Management, Health, Youth Work, Social Work, Teaching, or other relevant discipline
• who hold New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency and possess a good command of English in both written and oral communication
• who hold a current New Zealand driving licence where applicable to the role
• who have a reasonable level of fitness
• who meet the requirements detailed in the relevant job description.

And above all - we are looking for role models who encourage young people to achieve positive change in their lives, and who are passionate about wanting to make a difference in the lives of young people and their families.

We have a number of employment opportunities at Te Maioha o Parekarangi Youth Justice Residence.

The Employment Coordinator facilitates access to, and coordinates employment-related programmes for the young people in the residence. Their emphasis is on placement into opportunities that maximise education, vocational training and employment outcomes for the young person.

The focus of the Programme Coordinator is to source and arrange programmes. They work with external providers and internal teams to ensure programmes and content increase positive behaviour, are relevant to behavioural plans, and meet the therapeutic and rehabilitative needs of the young people.

Team leaders

The Team Leader Clinical Practice leads the Case Leadership team. They ensure effective programmes and services are in place for each young person that address underlying behavioural and health needs. They provide clinical leadership, supervision, support, skill and knowledge enhancement and training.

Team Leader of Operations lead the Care Team. They ensure that their team provides effective support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to implement plans and programmes for young people. They facilitate and monitor adherence to and consistency with the residence's service model, service principles and legislative requirements.

The Team Leader Support Services coordinates all internal administrative and business services within the residence. They liaise with regional and national office staff to ensure that the residence's systems, processes and procedures comply with departmental policy and legislative requirements.

Residence Staff

Case Leaders are responsible for the delivery of quality assessments, planning and programming of services offered to young people in our care, as well as coordinating any multiagency support services and engagement with family that a young person requires.

The Care Team consists of residential social workers and youth workers, who provide day to day care for young people. They lead young people through the structured day including establishing daily routines, providing skills training, maintaining safety and security, modelling pro-social values, implementing behaviour change strategies and participating in case planning.

To support our residence in the evenings from 10.00pm to 6.30am we have a Night Team, comprised of Night Staff that are supported by Night Supervisors. Our Night Supervisors are accountable for the residence's night staff and to be suitable in the role have held a supervisory position of this nature in the past.

The Administrative Team are highly organised, and are comfortable supporting the many functions that keep a large operational team in order.

We require Casual Staff to be on call when members of our Care Team are unable to fulfil their shift requirements.

The residence Chef leads the kitchen staff to plan and provide healthy and nutritious meals to young people.

Dedicated Cooks work with the Chef to help with the daily running of the kitchen.

The vacancies and timeline we are recruiting to may change, however our intention given the size of the recruitment drive is to manage the recruitment of our people in two phases.

Phase one:

From December 2009 through to early January 2010 advertising will advertise for 11 key roles:

• Team Leader Operations - 3 positions
• Team Leader Clinical Practice - 1 position
• Team Leader Service Support - 1 position
• Case Leader - 4 positions
• Employment Coordinator - 1 position
• Programme Coordinator - 1 position.

Interviews for these positions will take place in January and February 2010, in Rotorua. Ideally in most cases the successful candidates will start in their new roles in March 2010.

Phase two:

Through January, February, March and April 2010 advertising and selection will commence for the remaining key positions:

• Care Team, comprising Social Workers and Youth Workers including Night Staff and Night Supervisors - 69 positions
• Administration staff - 5 positions
• Casual staff - pool of 25 positions
• Chef - 1 position
• Cook - 2 positions.

Interviews for these positions will take place in April and May 2010 in Rotorua. Ideally the successful candidates will start in their new roles by June 2010.

As part of the selection process we will also require a criminal history check and reference checks to be taken. Candidates may also be required to undertake a selection of literacy, numeracy and personality tests to ascertain their suitability.

All staff will attend an intensive and position-relevant training programme as part of their induction process.

All positions will be available to view on the Child, Youth and Family careers site.

If you're ready to apply for one of these fantastic new opportunities please read our list of vacancies and apply online.

Through the careers site you will be asked to create an online registration and will then be prompted to fill out an online application form, as well as upload your CV and cover letter. Position descriptions are also available online.

If you have any general enquiries or are interested in a vacancy that hasn't been advertised yet please Contact us. Remember to list the name of the vacancy in the ‘subject line' that you're interested in and we will email you when we are actively advertising that position.

"People are discovering what a great lifestyle is on offer in Rotorua - surrounded by breathtaking lakes and forests, and the very best of New Zealand's great outdoors. In 2009 we officially became New Zealand's Most Beautiful City for the fifth time in ten years. Rotorua is an incredibly friendly, well appointed and centrally located place to live and work."

Kevin Winters JP, Rotorua Mayor

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