The Principal Guardian Inpatient conducts complex and sensitive structured personal and health care decision making and advocacy for adults within Darling Downs HHS with impaired capacity where the Public Guardian acts as appointed guardian, attorney or as statutory health attorney of last resort.

Principal Guardian

Inpatients ensure a client’s rights, interests, views, wishes and preferences are elevated and centred in all decision making and advocacy activities.

Our workplace The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is an independent statutory office established to protect the rights and interests of adults with impaired decision making capacity, and children and young people in the child protection system and other visitable sites.

Join us as we protect, support, advocate, educate and empower, to build a Queensland where our most vulnerable community members can live with dignity.

Key Responsibilities

- Undertake structured decision making for adult with impaired capacity, who are inpatients of DDHHS adhering to organisational policies, practice directions and organisational and legislative frameworks.

- Engage with and visit clients to proactively seek their views, wishes and preferences regarding decisions affecting their lives.

- Participate in health care decision making including working weekends and public holidays as required.

- Work effectively as a team member and support DDHHS staff in a multi-disciplinary team to ensure the successful delivery of client services and structured decision-making and advocacy activities.





- Ensuring all client-related documentation and guardianship activities are appropriately recorded, accurate and up-to-date, including Guardianship reports, decision reports, visit reports, health care decisions and file running notes.

- Provide mentoring and support to a small team of guardianship staff to ensure they achieve the performance standards expected by the Office of the Public Guardian.

- Liaise with and maintain positive relationships with DDHHS staff and other internal and external stakeholders including community groups, government departments and other agencies involved in providing services to adults with impaired decision-making capacity.

- Participate in community education/ liaison activities as a representative of the Public Guardian including undertaking public speaking engagements.

Mandatory Role Conditions

Possession of a C class driver's licence is a mandatory requirement for this role, as travel is required to attend meetings, events and visits in a range of locations and hospitals within the XXHHS that are often not accessible by alternative means.

Vaccine Preventable Disease (VPD)

It is a condition of employment for this role for the employee to be, and remain, vaccinated against the following vaccine preventable diseases during their employment (Health Employment Directive No. 01/16):

- measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)

- varicella (chicken pox)

- pertussis (whooping cough)

- hepatitis B

Applications to remain current for 12 months.

Occupational group Community Care

📌 Principal Guardian Inpatient (DDHHS) (Toowoomba)
🏢 Queensland Government
📍 Toowoomba