Manager - Family and Residential Programs

Conflict Resolution Service is looking for an experienced and values‑driven Manager – Family and Residential Programs to lead our Safe and Connected Youth Program (SaCY) including:

- Family Hub and

- Residential service in Canberra.

This is a key leadership role for an experienced people manager who understands both family-focused intervention and residential youth services . You will bring demonstrated experience leading, supervising and developing staff in a residential youth service, out-of-home care, crisis accommodation or comparable setting, and provide operational and practice leadership across a multidisciplinary team supporting children, young people and families experiencing family conflict, risk of homelessness and complex needs.

You will be part of a specialist, community-focused organisation that works primarily with children, young people and families to preserve family connections, reunify families and restore relationships by reducing conflict. Through evidence-informed practice and our commitment to conflict resolution, family connection and safeguarding, CRS supports families to create safer and more sustainable pathways forward.

The Safe and Connected Youth Program (SaCY) supports children and young people aged 8–15 and their families where family conflict has placed a young person at risk of homelessness or family breakdown. The program provides an integrated response through therapeutic case management, counselling, mediation, family support and access to short-term residential accommodation.

Our Family Hub provides a welcoming and relational environment where children, young people and families can engage in practical, therapeutic and relationship‑building activities alongside their broader supports. The Hub creates opportunities for families to strengthen connection and engage differently with services outside traditional office‑based interventions.

Our residential service provides safe, responsive accommodation for young people when families need additional support to stabilise conflict, assess safety and prevent longer‑term family breakdown or homelessness. Residential support operates alongside, rather than separately from, our work with families, with a focus on maintaining connection and supporting safe reunification wherever possible.

Why this role matters

As Manager – Family and Residential Programs, you will have responsibility for the safe, effective and high‑quality delivery of family and residential services.

You will provide leadership to staff working across outreach and residential environments, oversee complex practice and safeguarding matters, maintain safe and effective residential operations, and ensure services remain responsive to the changing needs of children, young people and families.

A critical component of this role is residential leadership . You will bring practical experience in residential youth services, out-of-home care, crisis accommodation or a comparable environment and understand the unique responsibilities associated with delivering safe residential care.

You will balance operational oversight with strong practice leadership, supporting a multidisciplinary workforce while maintaining a transparent focus on family preservation, child safety, trauma-informed practice and positive outcomes for children and young people.

What you’ll be doing

In this role,



you will:

Lead the day-to-day operation and development of the Family Hub and residential services

Lead, supervise and develop multidisciplinary staff, including performance management, workforce capability, reflective practice and day‑to‑day support

Oversee safe and effective residential service delivery, including staffing, rostering, incidents, risk and operational requirements

Provide leadership and oversight of complex client matters, safeguarding concerns and critical incidents

Promote trauma-informed, child‑safe, family‑inclusive and evidence-informed practice

Support strong integration between residential and family‑based interventions

Oversee program performance, reporting, quality assurance, compliance and resource planning

Monitor service demand, capacity and residential utilisation and respond to emerging operational needs

Build and maintain effective relationships with government, community and sector stakeholders

Lead continuous improvement, practice development and service innovation

Support staff wellbeing, reflective practice and workforce capability

Ensure children, young people and families are meaningfully involved in decisions affecting them

Represent CRS with professionalism, compassion and integrity.

About you

You are an experienced manager with demonstrated leadership and staff‑management experience in residential youth services, out-of-home care, crisis accommodation or a comparable setting . You understand the complexity of leading teams that support children, young people and families experiencing conflict, trauma, vulnerability and risk.

You bring strong people leadership, sound judgement and a proven ability to manage staff performance, build team capability and support wellbeing while maintaining high standards of practice, safeguarding and operational accountability.

You understand that effective residential leadership requires more than managing a program – it requires oversight of the workplace in which young people are cared for, the workforce providing that care and the systems that keep young people and staff safe.

You also understand that residential support is most effective when it remains connected to the young person's family and broader support network. You will bring a strong commitment to family preservation, relationship-based practice and supporting families to remain safely connected wherever possible.

Selection Criteria

Demonstrated experience working with children, youth and families

Demonstrated experience leading, supervising and mentoring staff in a family, youth or residential service setting, including building team capability and supporting reflective, trauma-informed practice.

Demonstrated experience in the leadership or management of residential youth services, out-of-home care, crisis accommodation or a comparable residential care environment, including an understanding of safeguarding, risk, incident management, workforce and operational requirements.





Extensive knowledge and experience in trauma informed practice

Proven ability to work in collaboration with other service providers to improve quality of life for young people and/or families

High level interpersonal and problem‑solving skills

Well‑developed written and communication skills and ability to document comprehensive case notes

Ability to be flexible and adapt to changing environments

Capacity to work with high needs and complex families.

Knowledge of and commitment to safeguarding children, youth and vulnerable people.

Qualifications and requirements

Tertiary qualification in social work, psychology, counselling, human services or a related discipline

Demonstrated experience in a leadership, management or supervisory role within a community services, youth, family, residential or related setting

Experience working with young people and/or families with complex needs, including family conflict, risk, trauma or vulnerability

Strong understanding of trauma-informed, strengths‑based and family‑inclusive practice

Experience providing supervision, practice guidance or support to staff

Current Working with Vulnerable People registration, or ability to obtain one

Current police check, or ability to obtain one.

Recognised qualification in mediation or conflict resolution, or willingness to undertake mediation training

Experience managing or supporting funded programs in the not‑for-profit or community services sector

Family violence training or experience working with family violence‑related complexity

Mental health first aid training or experience supporting clients with mental health‑related needs.

At CRS, your work will have purpose. You will be part of a specialist organisation with a strong reputation for compassionate, professional and practical conflict resolution services across the Canberra community.

We offer:

Meaningful work supporting a community‑focused organisation

A collaborative and values‑driven team environment

A role where accuracy, good governance and responsible financial management matter

The opportunity to support services that make a genuine difference for children, young people, families and the wider community

CRS also offers a range of benefits, including:

Salary packaging options to increase your take‑home pay

Wellbeing initiatives, including reimbursement for approved wellbeing‑related items

Paid birthday leave

Regular supervision and support

Opportunities to contribute to service development, innovation and continuous improvement

Safeguarding commitment

CRS prioritises the safety, wellbeing and rights of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Safeguarding is embedded in our practice, decision‑making and service delivery.

All staff are expected to contribute to safe, inclusive and culturally responsive environments where children and young people are respected, listened to and protected from harm. Staff must comply with CRS’s Safeguarding Policy, Child Safe Framework, Code of Conduct and relevant reporting obligations.

Conflict Resolution Service is an equal opportunity employer.

We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Applications close on 8 November 2026.

#J-18808-Ljbffr

📌 Manager - Family and Residential Programs (Canberra)
🏢 Conflict Resolution Service
📍 Canberra