Child Protection Specialist

Goodstart Corporate•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

Help protect children. Support families. Strengthen safeguarding across Australia! At Goodstart, our purpose is simple and powerful - to give every child the best possible start in life. With 16,500 Goodstarters across nearly 700 centres, we are Australia’s largest provider of early learning and care, and everything we do is anchored in child safety, wellbeing and inclusion Our Role: As a Child Protection Specialist , you’ll provide expert, child-centred case management and specialist support for safeguarding concerns across our national network. You’ll work closely with centre teams, leaders, and external agencies to ensure children are safe, supported, and able to continue accessing early learning. This role plays a critical part in strengthening Goodstart’s safeguarding practices and ensuring compliance with Child Safe frameworks and legislation.

Requirements

Tertiary qualification in Social Work, Human Services, Psychology, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
Strong experience in child protection, case management, and safeguarding investigations
In-depth knowledge of child protection legislation across Australian states and territories
Proven ability to manage complex and sensitive cases with sound judgement and professionalism
Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to coach, influence, and support teams
Experience working with external agencies and regulatory bodies
A data-informed approach, with the ability to analyse trends and inform decision-making
Commitment to child safety, inclusion, and culturally responsive practice
Working with Children Check (relevant to state or territory)

Responsibilities

Lead and support the management of complex child protection cases, ensuring timely, child-centred responses
Provide expert advice and coaching to centres on safeguarding concerns, reporting obligations, and risk management
Strengthen capability across teams to identify, respond to, and prevent harm using the “look, do, tell” framework
Partner with internal stakeholders to embed strong safeguarding practices across the organisation
Liaise with external agencies, regulators, and authorities to ensure compliance with legislative requirements
Analyse safeguarding data, identify trends, and drive continuous improvement initiatives
Support children, families, and educators through sensitive and complex situations with empathy and professionalism

Benefits

Flexible work arrangements giving you choice about when and how work will be done in order to better manage your work and non-work needs
Not-For-Profit Salary Packaging benefits which reduce your taxable income to increase take home pay
Access to discounted childcare (up to 15%)
Fitness Passport - access to gyms and pools for you and your family at a heavily discounted price
Discounted health care and access to employee wellbeing program with BUPA
Exclusive discounts on travel, gym memberships, Apple and Dell products, and more.
Free annual flu shot (optional)
Option to purchase extra leave for even greater work life balance
First Nations Support and Cultural Leave
Work for a company that has an aspiration to be globally recognised for early years practice and learning outcomes
Gain significant investment in your growth and development with support, tools, training and experiences that will truly enhance the progress and outcomes for children in their earliest years.