Organisation: Justice and Attorney General ] Strategic Corporate Services
Job Title: Manage, Sentence Management
Word Limit: 2 Pages Maximum
Location: Ipswich
Please accept my application for the position of Residential Services Officer as advertised on the SmartJobs careers board. Leveraging off a successful career in community and detention services, risk management, and regulatory compliance spanning over 23 years, I have worked in numerous leadership roles within the correctional system with a dedicated focus on the rehabilitation of young offenders. Currently employed as a Police Officer with the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and with previous experience in youth detention services, I understand the supreme importance of the Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) mission of “community safety and crime prevention through the humane containment, supervision and rehabilitation of offenders”.
With a strong background in providing operational management to support and uphold the lawful detention of prisoners, I possess an impressive skill set that will allow me to successfully carry out the duties of the position and support the strategic objectives and plans of the QCS. For example, in my current position, I have acted as the rostered Court Liaison Officer (CLO) for the past two years, managing court appearances for Corrective Services prisoners and Police prisoners held to appear in court. This includes allocating accommodation based on security risk, protection or mainstream classifications, and medical or mental health issues. Upon receiving notification of court outcomes in the form of verdict and judgement records (VJRs), bail, probation or other orders, I confirm all information with the Corrective Services facility and ensure orders and VJRs are sanctioned to legally incarcerate the prisoner. Depending on the outcome, I release the prisoner or return them to the facility, recording all information in the database.
With previous experience as an Indigenous Resources Officer with the John Oxley Youth Detention Centre and as a Program and Implementation Coordinator with Dundalli Youth Services, I have a thorough understanding of the challenges faced by young offenders and youths in crisis, such as mistrust of government, cultural issues, community expectations, education and other social issues. This has given me the ability to identify both existing and potential risk situations, and develop and implement risk mitigation strategies to ensure safety, compliance and program integrity. Accustomed to liaising at a senior level, I have provided strategic operational analysis to key stakeholders regarding continual improvement, cost efficiency, resource planning and implementation of agreed objectives, confidently displaying my ability to deliver quality outcomes in a high pressure environment. Throughout my career, I have accurately interpreted and applied legislation, regulations and guidelines relating to my duties as a Police Officer, Coordinator with the Fire Ant Control Centre and Programs Officer with the Departments of Corrections and Family Services, amongst others. I am acutely aware of the impact of legislative changes on departmental policy, strategies and delivery of government services as they relate to the correctional system.
Working in deadline-driven environments, I have directly contributed to the success of an organisation through the implementation of creative planning and organisational strategies to manage service delivery priorities. Persuasive, confident and capable, I have held numerous leadership roles where I have effectively utilised advanced resource coordination, and personnel and time management skills to prioritise and delegate tasks. In my current position, I am responsible for concurrently managing multiple investigations, which can range in nature from relatively straightforward to complex and I pride myself on my ability to remain flexible and adapt to uncertain, critical or changing circumstances. For example, my partner and I recently had to attend to three major jobs during our shift: an assault, a missing elderly lady and the suicide death of an elderly male. Each of these jobs required a very different approach and understanding of related legislation, policy and procedures. As the senior officer I was responsible for establishing the circumstances of each job and prioritising them accordingly.
When attending to jobs, I continuously re-evaluate the resources needed, adapt to each individual situation, monitor the time allocations and communicate with responding services. At all times, I remain aware of and work within the relevant legislation and regulatory frameworks. For example, if I was dealing with a person with mental health issues, I would enter the premises and remain on site in accordance with the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act and detain the person under the provisions of the Mental Health Act until the ambulance service arrived. Dealing with matters of this nature has equipped me with the ability to recognise and manage my emotions when dealing with difficult or distressing situations.
With experience in recruitment, employee relations, training and staff development, I have effectively applied human resource management processes to support the implementation of plans and initiatives as they relate to the strategic direction of the organisation. These skills were particularly valuable during my tenure as Coordinator with the Department of Primary Industries Fire Ant Control Centre (FACC) where I successfully managed a team of over 70 personnel to ensure the effective delivery of treatment programs. Due to the project nature of the FACC, there was limited scope for advancement, therefore I made a concerted effort to involve staff in special projects relevant to the work unit. It was my intention to encourage and empower my team to be involved in the direction of the Control Centre through self-development and a high level of commitment to the project.
Central to my success is my desire to promote services that meet the needs of customers and staff and I achieve this by utilising all available resources and positively influencing my staff to enhance their performance and achieve business goals. To create an environment conducive to the sharing of ideas and recognition of individual contributions, I proactively encourage and provide constructive feedback through one-on-one performance reviews and team meetings. Additionally, I implement objectives designed to meet and exceed service delivery standards, using these results to identify areas for further training and reduce performance gaps. This has led to staff progression and development, manifested in the way in which they interact with and assist internal and external customers.Embracing and recognising diversity is an important skill for all members of an organisation, and at all times I treat both internal and external stakeholders with the utmost respect and courtesy.
Through a developed sense of cultural awareness and social sensitivity, I am able to effectively collaborate with a diverse group of colleagues, customers, supervisors and the wider community to facilitate cooperation and support the provision of community services. This has certainly been the case in my role as Constable of Police where I have been actively involved in implementing strategies to increase the number of Indigenous sworn officers within the Police Service. Managing recruiting activities in areas which had been identified as having a high Indigenous population, I forged trusting relationships and gained credibility within the community by attending Indigenous events, including community meetings, sporting events and career development days, to promote the QPS as a sustainable career option.
Throughout my career, I have assumed a high level of responsibility that has demanded exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, including managing staff, collaborating with key stakeholders, facilitating staff training and handling customer enquiries and complaints. My ability to communicate effectively in writing has been demonstrated through extensive experience in the public sector where I have prepared accurate, concise and professional correspondence directed to various government departments, community organisations, families, social workers and clients. This includes completing funding submissions, project reports and case plans as well as high-quality evidence based reports and prosecution briefs for matters before the court. Communicating with influence and using my well‑developed complaint resolution skills to make key decisions, I have demonstrated my ability to remain calm and intervene during crises to effectively manage critical and high-risk situations. A good example of this occurred in my current role, when my partner and I attended a domestic violence call-out that was allocated a priority code.
As I gained entry to the house, I observed five people involved in an argument. Upon seeing Police Officers, they re-directed their hostility and anger towards us. This was a highly volatile and dangerous situation as there were several items nearby that could be used as weapons. I immediately identified myself and spoke directly in a calm and conciliatory manner, using simple and straight-forward language. Explaining the reasons for my presence, I stated the powers I was using to enter their home and identified the two main parties involved in the argument. It was apparent that a great deal of alcohol had been consumed and I separated the group to defuse the situation before establishing that the argument was the result of family issues between a divorced man and woman. Negotiating with the parties involved, it was decided the female should leave the address and return home, and I assisted by transporting her to a rail station. The situation was resolved to a satisfactory outcome and we received no further calls to the address. By determining the cause of the disturbance and focusing on a solution, my integrity did not come into question and I was commended by my supervisor.
As a highly skilled and experienced Public Service professional, I possess an informed understanding of public service ethics and the Code of Conduct, including a demonstrated commitment to organisational values, workplace diversity, occupational health and safety and equal employment opportunity. At all times, I act with honesty and fairness, demonstrate moral strength, behave with impartiality and practise tolerance and patience. I have demonstrated my ability to maintain confidentiality and to exercise tact, discretion and initiative through various community-focused roles involving all aspects of stakeholder management. Engaging with risk and showing personal courage, I remain up-to-date with employer objectives and am able to constructively challenge business issues and justify my position. Confident in my ability to make a valuable contribution to the QCS, I would bring the above values, strengths and experience to any future role.
