# Social Work in Northern Territory



## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

I was wondering if anyone on the board is a social worker. I'd love to chat with you about social work in Australia. I have an interview in a few weeks for the Northern Territory. Thanks!


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## penny125 (Jan 7, 2011)

hi i work as a nurse in the northern territory and love it


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

*northern territory*



penny125 said:


> hi i work as a nurse in the northern territory and love it


That's awesome! I have met and worked with many awesome nurses over the years, and am looking forward to working with them in the Northern Territory.


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## annielamb (Jan 19, 2012)

Hi dreama, 

I've been reading through ur posts as I've applied for a SW post in NT, it's good to see you love it so much. Can u tell me anything about the interview? Thanx

Anne


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

annielamb said:


> Hi dreama,
> 
> I've been reading through ur posts as I've applied for a SW post in NT, it's good to see you love it so much. Can u tell me anything about the interview? Thanx
> 
> Anne


Here are the important points for the interview that the recruitment agency gave me. 

•You will need to be able to demonstrate theoretical knowledge, ability to assess family and personal dynamics
•
•You also need to demonstrate an understanding of Australian child protection legislation. 
•
•Be familiar with and being able to list key legislation used at work 
•
•Demonstrate ability to prioritize work and work in a multi disciplinarian team environment. 
•
•Your motivations in applying for the position and why you want to relocate to Australia 
•
•Your understanding of the NT (location specific information - costs, personal life, climate etc) 
•
•Your understanding of statutory vs non statutory work 
•
•What are the elements of CP risk assessment? 
•
•Your understanding of and some of the difficulties that you may find when working with indigenous Australians
•
•Understand how the Indigenous Australians live currently – what is their housing like, what are common problems within the camps. What do you have to learn? 
•
•Understanding of some of the difficulties associated with working in remote locations with limited resources
•
•Be aware of how you engage with clients and your social work communication skills and style 
•
•Your experience working within legislation and court guidelines 
•
•Able to give clear concise examples of procedures you're currently undertaking in Child protection, working with looked after Children 
•
•Be able to provide clear examples of work performed and how it relates to the positions in The NT

So if you can answer all of those questions, you will rock the interview. Good luck!


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## annielamb (Jan 19, 2012)

wow thanks for that Dreama, that's really helpful!

so do you still love your job? hows it going?


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

Yes, I am loving the job and the adventure of traveling through central Australia. I have a really good team, and we work well together. The weather is amazing here, and it's so nice to get up to a clear blue sky nearly every single day.


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## annielamb (Jan 19, 2012)

Sounds amazing Dreama! Hope to experience it for myself soon! Take care n hope to meet u soon


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

Have you thought about which town you want to work in here?


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## annielamb (Jan 19, 2012)

Aye I'm thinking Darwin so I am near the coast, I want to b close to tha beach. Does that not bother u in Alice not having one close by?


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

Just so you know, you cannot swim in the water at Darwin beaches. Too many crocodiles. I do miss the ocean in Alice Springs, or any water for that matter as there are no rivers, lakes, or ponds.


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## annielamb (Jan 19, 2012)

Are there no lagoonas in Alice springs? Are there any in Darwin? Crocs - not good!!


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

Alice Springs is in the middle of the desert - dry as a bone. They did have some rain last summer and the river flowed but not since I've been here. Just a few drops here and there, but nothing substantial this summer. There are water holes about an hour or so from here at Ellery Creek Big Hole and Ormiston Gorge, but that's about it. No crocs in the desert but TONS in Darwin! Beautiful beach to lie on, but watch out for saltwater crocodiles.


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## kevinthetwin (Feb 24, 2012)

*No Ocean Swimming?*



No crocs in the desert but TONS in Darwin! Beautiful beach to lie on said:


> None? No swimming in the ocean? Wow... That is such a hard thing to picture. I understand there is a good recreation center and pool in Darwin... But no swimming in the ocean? That blows me away!
> 
> So ocean swimming farther south then? What about little power boats, Kayaks? things like that?
> 
> ...


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

You can swim on most of the other beaches in Australia, with only minor issues with blue bottle jellyfish, and shark attacks. Once you come south of Katherine, things start getting real dry, and the only water around is in some of the permanent waterholes. Living in Alice Springs I wouldn't have much use for a canoe or kayak unless I wanted to drive for at least a day to reach paddling water. 

The driving tracks are quite good when they're dry. There is only one that I know is pretty challenging, the French Line, but the others are just ordinary bush roads. The French Line has over 100 sand dunes to cross up and over. There are main highways that are paved, and in surprising good shape with very few potholes, but if you want to make any short-cuts, they are likely all dirt bushroads. I haven't seen a gravel road yet. Most are sandy bush roads, and easy to drive in my Rav 4 or in the government vehicle I drive, a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Darwin's main roads are all paved. There are a lot of motorbikes around, along with scooters.


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## kevinthetwin (Feb 24, 2012)

*anticipation...*

The more I research and get replies from people that are there the more I want to get done and get there.
Can you tell me more about the reloation assistance and what they ship for you?
I don't quite get it, so many people say things about leaving stuff behind and just replacing it when they get there... Why?


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

_Sorry it took so long but I finally heard back from the recruiter in Darwin about the current offerings. _

The following is a breakdown of relocation assistance provided in general for staff recruited from overseas.


Relocation

· One way flights for self and recognised dependants

· 4 weeks vehicle hire as we do not relocate motor vehicles from overseas

· Relocation Assistance – may include

- Accommodation for a defined period (usually 2-3 months)

- Relocation Allowance

- A combination of accommodation and Relocation Allowance, up to the maximum period of eligibility

· Relocation of personal items within capped cubic limits

Single: 10 cubic metres

Couple: 15 cubic metres

Families: 20 cubic metres



Incentive Payments

· Market Allowance $3,000 per annum (40% payable as a fortnightly provision, 60% as a retention provision on completion of 12 months)

· Settling in Allowance $500.00 one off payment

· Further incentive payments are provided at the following web link. Additional relocation allowances

http://internal.dcf.nt.gov.au/reform/incentive/Pages/default.aspx


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## kevinthetwin (Feb 24, 2012)

*Perfect!*



dreama said:


> _Sorry it took so long but I finally heard back from the recruiter in Darwin about the current offerings. _
> 
> The following is a breakdown of relocation assistance provided in general for staff recruited from overseas.
> 
> ...


I found out about the relocation shipping yesterday morning... If I get rid of my clothes, my furniture, and most of my dishes I should be able to ship the Harley!
Thanks for digging that uo.
There is one other Canadian panelling with HLC.
I am going to stear him this way too.


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## selati (Mar 22, 2012)

*Whats the weather like?*



dreama said:


> Have you thought about which town you want to work in here?


Hi, I'm also a social worker from Ireland, thinking bout moving to Darwim, just starting the process and giving it serious consideration.
Am a bit worried bout my fair Irish Skin!! How hot does it get? Also what kind of holidays do you get as a social worker and can you take some time off to travel??


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

It will be pretty hot year round in Darwin, quite humid heat. The wet season has much less sun so less chance of burning as it's raining much of the time. 

We get 6 weeks paid leave per year, so I've been certainly doing some traveling.


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## selati (Mar 22, 2012)

dreama said:


> It will be pretty hot year round in Darwin, quite humid heat. The wet season has much less sun so less chance of burning as it's raining much of the time.
> 
> We get 6 weeks paid leave per year, so I've been certainly doing some traveling.



That's great Dreama, thanks for the quick response


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## ameoin (Jul 6, 2012)

dreama said:


> Here are the important points for the interview that the recruitment agency gave me.
> 
> •You will need to be able to demonstrate theoretical knowledge, ability to assess family and personal dynamics
> •
> ...



Hi,

Thats pretty amazing information, would you have an more information on working with indigenous population, I have an interview for NT S/w very soon!!

Thanks,
Amanda


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

There are a few reports you could read that are very helpful - Children Are Sacred, Working and Walking Together, and Bringing Them Home
All of these will likely be mentioned in your interview process. Also helpful to know are things like:
- most of the Aboriginal population I work with here in the NT are quite transient. They travel from community to community for a variety of reasons such as funerals, sorry business, cultural business, men's business, or simply to visit family and friends. They travel to Alice Springs to shop, visit family, and often just to buy and drink alcohol as the remote communities are all dry.
- When they travel, they usually stay with family at their houses, and within their culture they are not expected to refuse family and are expected to share everything they have with family when they come. This often results in very crowded houses with 20 or more people staying in a 3 bedroom home, and often not enough food to go around. This becomes problematic when they stay for more than a few days, often up to a month or more. 
- conditions are very primitive in many of the homes in the town camps, the remote communities and some of the commission houses in town. Not all homes are like this, but many of the families DCF would come in contact with are - due to the issues that bring them to our attention. There is often no furniture in the home, and just a few broken chairs outside, a number of foam mattresses that both people and dogs sleep on, sometimes some iron cots with a mattress on it. These homes can also be quite filthy, surrounded by several feral dogs. I've been bitten by one and chased by a pack of them. We do not usually make this an issue, as it is the community standard. 
- English is NOT their first language, and often not their second, third or fourth. We sometimes require the use of interpreters, or learn to simplify what we are trying to say. It can be very challenging when we need to be sure they understand why we are there and what we are asking of them. 
- We need to remember that much of the Aboriginal population in central Australia has not been out of the bush for long, perhaps 20-30 years for some, so living in a stationary house is still pretty new to some very traditional families. We have to be careful not to impose our standards upon them, given that most western families have been living inside stationary structures for thousands of years. It will take time for them to adapt, if they want to adapt at all. 
- many of the children we come into contact with are not being raised by their birth parents. It is very common for children to be raised by an auntie, grandparents, older sisters, etc. Some households may have several cousins from several sets of parents. They call them cousin-sisters/brothers. When they are raised by an auntie who is the younger sister of their mother, they often refer to them as young mother. All great aunties/uncles are referred to as grandmothers/grandfathers. So your grandmother's sister is also your grandmother. Some children still maintain a relationship with their birth parents while others do not see them at all. Most families believe the entire community is responsible for raising the children. 
- there is a very complicated skin group kinship system that I am still struggling to understand. All families belong to certain skin groups and have skin names. This has nothing to do with the color of their skin. It has to do with biological family groups, and who can marry who in order to avoid inbreeding of children. Marrying into the wrong skin group can cause great difficulty within the community. 
- payback is a very important part of the culture. If one person wrongs another, payback will likely happen. Traditionally it was often in the form of a stab to the leg, and then the wrong is forgiven. Now it can be just a beating, and in some situations, goes on for years. There is a current case of this in Yuendumu. Google the community and you can read all about it. There was a death a couple of years ago, and payback has been going on ever since between the two sides of the issue. The people there live in East Camp and West Camp, and riots have been happening off and on since it happened. They are still going on, and when they are, we must stay away from the community. At one point, many families were moved to Adelaide to escape the violence. Payback can happen for a variety of reasons, and no one is immune - children, adults, elders. 
- shame is a big thing as well, many children will tell you they feel shame about something that has happened, so will often be quite shy about talking unless they know no one can hear them. 
- there is still a sginificant amount of racism towards the "blackfellas" by "whitefellas" here in central Australia. I'm often shocked when I hear racist commments come from people I just wouldn't expect it from, and will usually challenge them on their comments. We're often called racist names by the Aboriginal families we work with too - white c*nt, white b*tch, big hairy whitefella, etc. You can also hear this just by walking home at night past some drunken locals, which is always interesting. I try not to take it personal because most of the time they are not angry with you, but with what is happening to them, the situation they are in, or government in general for the history of what has occurred in Australia. 

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask me any more questions. I've been here nearly 15 months and sometimes it feels like I've been here for years. One thing to remember about central Australia - the social problems are right in your face. Good luck with your interview!


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

I also wanted to mention that we now use SDM here in NT - Structured Decision Making. You can read all about it here.

It is a huge part of our assessment process now, and was brought in to standardize how decisions are made. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with it, lol.


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## ameoin (Jul 6, 2012)

*Hey There!!*

Dreama,

just wanted to say a mega thank you for all the spot on information you gave. Amazing to have a few reports to look up, ( I had found others probably not as relevant!) Also, thanks for info re SDM, thats great to be able to refer to in the interview! I ahve loads of prep to do so better get on to it! Will let you know how it all works out and thanks again for the selflessness!!


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## ameoin (Jul 6, 2012)

*s/w interview*

Hi Dreama!

I had my interview resceduled for next week and have been told the format is 9 questions and a scenario!! I'm worried about what to expect in the scenario and think its probably an emergency situ involving an indigenous child.

Would you have any ideas??:confused2:

Thanks,

Ameoin


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

Well, the scenario is likely to include something about an Aboriginal child. One tip is to be sure to check with an Aboriginal worker who may know something about the family or extended family. We are meant to have an ACW (Aboriginal Community Worker) on each team, and there are Remote Aboriginal Family and Community Workers for the remote communities that we link with. It is mandatory that in all cases involving Aboriginal children that we consult with them. It doesn't have to be an extensive consultation unless required, but they often have background information on the families we work with and often can also go out with us on our investigations to help with language barriers, or cultural brokerage. Often when a child is at risk with their current carers, we would be seeking out other family members who might be able to care for the child either in the interim or for longer term, and these ACW's can often help identify them. They can also help us with a genogram to help understand who everybody is in the family as many families will refer to relatives as Aunties, Grandmothers, or sisters when in fact they are technically a different biological relative. 

We never attend an investigation alone, so will always take a second aka backline person to help with the case. Sometimes they might just be the one taking the notes, sometimes the interviews will be tag teamed between you both, depending on who the child identifies with. 

We have three risk levels - Child in Danger (24 hour response), Child at Risk (3 day response) and Child Concern (5 day response). We often do not investigate Child Concerns here due to capacity and they often get looked into by a backlog team, not the front line investigations team. Currently the teams in Alice Springs are on a generic model, something fairly new to Alice. They are broken up into age groups and to particular needs, so there is an initial investigation and assessment team, a vulnerable infants team (under 5s), a school aged team (6-12), a youth team, a disabilities team, and a youth justice team. And then you have the Child Abuse Taskforce, where I work. We investigate all sexual abuse notifications, and any current physical abuse allegations that might result in a criminal charge. 

One thing to remember if you are given a scenario for Alice Springs office, is the distance covered in our jurisdiction. One may have to travel for several hours on a bush road to get to the community or outstation where the family lives. Given this distance, we try really hard to maintain good relationships with the community health centres, the police stations in community, the schools, and the RAFCWs as listed above, as they may be the initial contacts for the families until we are able to get to the remote community. 

Many of our cases involve domestic violence, alcohol abuse and the resulting neglect. I expect the scenario might be a case involving those elements. We utilize Domestic Violence Orders here aka DVO's and they can include a simple no abuse portion where the abuser cannot physically harm the person, threaten, intimidate, harass, etc. Or they can also include no contact while under the influence of alcohol in addition to the no abuse. The woman (or man) can ask that the order lists just her as the protected person, or all of the children in addition to her, depending on the situation. These orders can be taken out immediately after the event by involving police. They are in place for 12 months and require the cooperation of the abuser. If they refuse, there may be criminal charges laid to protect the abused person(s) and the conditions of the bail may be similar to what might be on the DVO. 

There are several legal aid services for families here, mostly catering to Aboriginal families, so we often refer families to them if they are concerned the other parent/carer may take the children from them and need some sort of family court order. 

We have an information sharing policy now too that allows information between agencies to flow much easier if it can benefit the family. 

Good luck on your interview and feel free to ask any more questions.


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## cheddah (Aug 19, 2012)

Ameoin, how did your interview go?

I've been looking into making this step too. Dreama, how do you find the work life balance? In the UK, child protection involves a lot of late finishes and long days, do you find the same as you have such distances to travel? And do you have to work weekends and evenings/nights as part of a duty rota?

How rewarding is the work? I imagine the work could be quite frustrating as I imagine successive generations experience similar difficulties. We get that here in terms of domestic abuse, but I imagine the issues in this field of work could be much larger.


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

cheddah said:


> Ameoin, how did your interview go?
> 
> I've been looking into making this step too. Dreama, how do you find the work life balance? In the UK, child protection involves a lot of late finishes and long days, do you find the same as you have such distances to travel? And do you have to work weekends and evenings/nights as part of a duty rota?
> 
> How rewarding is the work? I imagine the work could be quite frustrating as I imagine successive generations experience similar difficulties. We get that here in terms of domestic abuse, but I imagine the issues in this field of work could be much larger.


I find the work life balance is very important - most of us get together a few times a week for a liquid debrief, but we also try to go camping quite often just to get out of town, as well as travel often. With 6 weeks of leave, you can go several places. Sometimes there are late days but not often as they discourage overtime, but some folks come in on the weekends for a couple of hours of paperwork. I don't. I've only had one overnight in a bush community so far. We do work on-call shifts of either all the weeknights, or all the weekend. Sometimes you have some calls, but I've had entire shifts with no calls. What you will deal with here is a lot of alcohol abuse leading to domestic violence and neglect. The abuse is severe at times, mothers getting hit with shovels, tire irons, scalding water, you name it. We have very little drug abuse to deal with, and so far, I've not had any cases with meth or crack. This might be different in Darwin, but so far it isn't a problem in Alice Springs. I am on a specialized team though, the Child Abuse Taskforce and we deal mostly with sexual abuse, physical abuse, and criminal neglect. The main CP office deals with all the rest.


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## Waitin2Exhale (Sep 1, 2012)

Hellow Dreamer. im a qualified South-African Social Worker with 5 years working experience. i want to relocate to Darwin or Alice. can you tell me how much can i expect to earn per forth night, gross as well as net?


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## Waitin2Exhale (Sep 1, 2012)

oh and thank you all for the info you have shared.


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

Well you would likely be classed as a P2, and start at the second level of that pay scale, which is I think about $71,000/year. You would probably net about $1800/fortnight or more.


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## Waitin2Exhale (Sep 1, 2012)

im so confused abt relocating or not


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## Waitin2Exhale (Sep 1, 2012)

Dreama

Thank you for your quick response. My interview is in Oct and im panicking a bit but im doing as much research as i can and ive read your previous comments and they have been very helpful. thank u


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## Hoobydooby (Jan 10, 2012)

I interviewed a few months ago and they were very friendly and professional! Do prepare well and you'll be brilliant! I got the job and is now waiting for the Rsms visas - takes 5-7months.....this Forum has helped me a lot....

I'm a SA'ner who located to the UK 8yrs ago - we are now ready for our next move!

Good luck!




Waitin2Exhale said:


> Dreama
> 
> Thank you for your quick response. My interview is in Oct and im panicking a bit but im doing as much research as i can and ive read your previous comments and they have been very helpful. thank u


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

You're very welcome! Good luck and hope you make it to Oz. I am loving the first days of spring here in Alice. 33C today and bright blue skies.:clap2:



Waitin2Exhale said:


> Dreama
> 
> Thank you for your quick response. My interview is in Oct and im panicking a bit but im doing as much research as i can and ive read your previous comments and they have been very helpful. thank u


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## Waitin2Exhale (Sep 1, 2012)

Hoobydooby said:


> I interviewed a few months ago and they were very friendly and professional! Do prepare well and you'll be brilliant! I got the job and is now waiting for the Rsms visas - takes 5-7months.....this Forum has helped me a lot....
> 
> I'm a SA'ner who located to the UK 8yrs ago - we are now ready for our next move!
> 
> Good luck!


hello and congratulations for getting the job. ive started doing some reaserch but im still nervous as hell . What kind of questions were you asked in the interview? can u tell me if u dont mind.Most of my friends are also in the UK, in London, maybe u might even know them. They hav been trying to convince me to join them for years now and i could never handle the Weather there. hahahaha


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## Waitin2Exhale (Sep 1, 2012)

dreama said:


> You're very welcome! Good luck and hope you make it to Oz. I am loving the first days of spring here in Alice. 33C today and bright blue skies.:clap2:


The days r getting closer to my interview day and im trying so hard to stay calm but its just so hard to. I feel like my mind will probably go blank during d interview:clap2::confused2:. yesterday i was told that my application for Victoria was not sussesful. i mean how can i not even be shortlisted for an interview.


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## Hoobydooby (Jan 10, 2012)

You got offered an interview for NT and that should be your chance to shine! If you well prepared you can't go wrong! The type of questions they asked was very similar to what was already posted on the forum, e.g work-life balance, communication, legislation, social work values, principles, teamwork, thresholds, etc.... If you look at the selection criteria (not sure if you had to complete it?) it basically focuses on that....if you need someone to talk to let me know and we can arrange to chat - you not perhaps the person who e-mailed me privately few months ago after we met on another forum? She was from Durban - apologies, just assuming you female....

I interviewed via Skype for Vic and was not successful - well, just never heard back.. - that spurred me on to really prepare...I felt good after my interview with NT!

Good luck




Waitin2Exhale said:


> The days r getting closer to my interview day and im trying so hard to stay calm but its just so hard to. I feel like my mind will probably go blank during d interview:clap2::confused2:. yesterday i was told that my application for Victoria was not sussesful. i mean how can i not even be shortlisted for an interview.


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## Waitin2Exhale (Sep 1, 2012)

Hoobydooby said:


> You got offered an interview for NT and that should be your chance to shine! If you well prepared you can't go wrong! The type of questions they asked was very similar to what was already posted on the forum, e.g work-life balance, communication, legislation, social work values, principles, teamwork, thresholds, etc.... If you look at the selection criteria (not sure if you had to complete it?) it basically focuses on that....if you need someone to talk to let me know and we can arrange to chat - you not perhaps the person who e-mailed me privately few months ago after we met on another forum? She was from Durban - apologies, just assuming you female....
> 
> I interviewed via Skype for Vic and was not successful - well, just never heard back.. - that spurred me on to really prepare...I felt good after my interview with NT!
> 
> Good luck


Helow. Yes i think im the one that emailed you. Biyase?. Eish my problem is i panick easily nd my nerves get the better of me. Somehow i always feel like im not making any sense nd then i start rambling i hate interviews, LOL. yes i would love to chat to you privately if its ok with you.


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## Amber4 (Sep 15, 2012)

Hi!! I interviewed for a job in July 2012 and i have been told i was sucessful however a report had to be submitted to a panel for final consideration...I am still waiting! Its so frustrating. I heard there has been a change of goverment and I wonder whether this will effect the recruitment drive?? Is there anyone else still waiting to hear back about a job offer? I interviewed via telephone conference which was interesting!


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

We have been told that all recruitment is frozen for the time being WITH the exception of front line staff and Child Protection is one of the exceptions, so they are still recruiting. With the change in government though there has been huge shuffles and changes so things are probably just catching up. I was moved off my team where I'd been for 18 months in this shuffle, along with many of my co-workers. Keep pressuring them though to move things along. You'll get here! Good luck!!


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## Amber4 (Sep 15, 2012)

Thanks dreama! Thats really reassuring! Fingers crossed!


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## Hoobydooby (Jan 10, 2012)

HI Emma, sorry to hear about your situation - must be feeling very frustrated...Did you interview as a Frontline CP social worker?

I interviewed in March and is in the process of sorting out my visa...I also known someone who is going through the recruitment process....Not sure what's happening...Hopefully they won't put you on hold for too long....

How many years CP experience do you have, if you don't mind me asking.




Amber4 said:


> Thanks dreama! Thats really reassuring! Fingers crossed!


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## Amber4 (Sep 15, 2012)

Hi Hoobydooby! I have a few years experiance in CP and yes going for the child protection social worker. Bad news though I spoke to HR and they have definatly frozen recruitment for the moment, they are not really sure what is going on....shall have to wait and see, if your friend gets any news please let me know.


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

Hmm, that's not the information they are sending around at the office. We had an email today that clearly spelled out recruitment is not frozen for child protection because we are an essential service and are frontline. I'll see if I can rustle up the email that we got today. I know there are still open positions at my agency, so I'm not sure what's up.


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## Amber4 (Sep 15, 2012)

Yes strange.... but I have not given up hope! I am sure it would be wrong to freeze recruitment in CP services; maybe it’s more about international recruitment... I don’t know. If you could find the email that would be reassuring, I can send you the one I got back. It doesn’t sound like it will be frozen for long but HR are defiantly on hold for the moment. Just out of interest will there be many changes now there is a new government, what are their policies? Are they very different to the previous government?


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## Waitin2Exhale (Sep 1, 2012)

I also received an email last thursday stating that my interview will no longer be in Oct due to recruitment being frozen at this stage. i will be advised about a new date as soon as possible.


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## Amber4 (Sep 15, 2012)

Oh no! thats very sad... did they give you any indication of when??? such a shame


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## Waitin2Exhale (Sep 1, 2012)

no. i was not told much. i guess i can only keep my fingers crossed and hold my breath....


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

Well that is very odd considering it's been a hot topic at work and we've all been told it won't affect our agency. I'll see what can find out.


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## Hoobydooby (Jan 10, 2012)

Hi Dreama,


Any updates on recruitment for the candidates who are waiting....

Are you still enjoying your position - not longing to go back to Cananda?

What visa did you go over with - Business or RSMS. I have applied for the RSMS and is waiting....and....waiting...It could take up to 8 months....I have not heard anything more apart from that Immigration have accepted it...NO case officer as yet. Do you have any experience or know anybody who has gone for the RSMS visa...

We are so ready just to depart and it's quite frustrating waiting. 

You take care


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

I've heard nothing new, other than there is a freeze on certain positions, but not in front line positions. We have had several start this past couple of weeks. 

I'm enjoying Australia, however I am looking for another job for a variety of reasons. I have not been missing Canada too much, just some of the food, and my family, mostly my daughter. I do not miss the weather at all, although after 37C here in Alice today, I was wishing I was somewhere cold and rainy, for a minute....

I came over on the 457 Business Class visa and it was approved in less than 2 weeks. Once I arrived, they sponsored me for the RSMS visa and the only thing that held that us was waiting for my fingerprint check to come from Canada, and once that was submitted, my case manager granted my visa the same day. I got permanent residency in January. So in less than a year of being here, I have become a permanent resident. I got the feeling if I had that piece of paper last June (2011) I would have been approved very quickly. Is there any reason you didn't want to come on the 457 visa? That's the one that gets people here quite quickly.


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## Hoobydooby (Jan 10, 2012)

HI, Good luck with the Job Hunting - within NT or? 

I felt a bit insecure on the 457 and thought that the RSMS would provide more security. Hearing what you are saying maybe i'm regretting it a bit. We are so ready to go, sold our house etc, and would like to be there and settle....

I checked the weather yesterday and noticed the 37'C mark - excellent, but that's HOT...I heard the evenings can get chilly - is that your experience?

Overall, what are you not enjoying in the team - any tips before i start?

Enjoy your day/evening and the WEATHER



dreama said:


> I've heard nothing new, other than there is a freeze on certain positions, but not in front line positions. We have had several start this past couple of weeks.
> 
> I'm enjoying Australia, however I am looking for another job for a variety of reasons. I have not been missing Canada too much, just some of the food, and my family, mostly my daughter. I do not miss the weather at all, although after 37C here in Alice today, I was wishing I was somewhere cold and rainy, for a minute....
> 
> I came over on the 457 Business Class visa and it was approved in less than 2 weeks. Once I arrived, they sponsored me for the RSMS visa and the only thing that held that us was waiting for my fingerprint check to come from Canada, and once that was submitted, my case manager granted my visa the same day. I got permanent residency in January. So in less than a year of being here, I have become a permanent resident. I got the feeling if I had that piece of paper last June (2011) I would have been approved very quickly. Is there any reason you didn't want to come on the 457 visa? That's the one that gets people here quite quickly.


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

The winter nights can get cold here, down to -4C...not cold by Canadian standards by any stretch of the imagination, but the spring, summer, and fall, temperatures do drop from 37 to the mid twenties most nights, or even high teens. 

I was talking to a new recruit here today who is over on the 457 and they told him he could renew the 457 after 4 years. 

My struggles have been with management. I can pm you about it, but I cannot write about it on a public forum, so I'll drop you a few lines instead.


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## BigSW (Sep 23, 2012)

*Thank you*

Hi Dreama, 

I just wanted to say thank you for all your infomation an input on this forum. I found out about the HCL package to work in the NT as a social worker about a month ago. I am just waiting for a promotion to senior social worker in my current job to come through and then I shall look at applying Jan/Feb time. I have already started looking into the goverment guidance and such like and trying to find out more about the cultures in Darwin and thhe Northen Teritorys and your advice has been great. I am looking at Darwin as I will be coming with my wife and I feel it is only fair that she has as many oppertunities as possible to get work. 

I have over two years post qualifying work over 1 year PQ specifically in CP and then a year in LAC and Leaving care with a specialisum in homelessness and some CP at times. Like I said I am hoping to get my senior SW position very soon. I also complete Form F's to assess potential foster carers so I am hoping to have enough experiance to get a Senior SW post there as well. 

Anyway I just wanted to say thanks again for all your advice you have shared with people, it is certainly helping me feel like I am preparing, hopefully it will pay off as we have really set our hearts on this opertunity. 

maybe see you out there sometime


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

You're very welcome! I am happy enough to share what I can to make things a little easier. It is a huge step to emigrate to a new country, and so anything I can do, I'm happy to. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Dreama




BigSW said:


> Hi Dreama,
> 
> I just wanted to say thank you for all your infomation an input on this forum. I found out about the HCL package to work in the NT as a social worker about a month ago. I am just waiting for a promotion to senior social worker in my current job to come through and then I shall look at applying Jan/Feb time. I have already started looking into the goverment guidance and such like and trying to find out more about the cultures in Darwin and thhe Northen Teritorys and your advice has been great. I am looking at Darwin as I will be coming with my wife and I feel it is only fair that she has as many oppertunities as possible to get work.
> 
> ...


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## BigSW (Sep 23, 2012)

Hi,

I was just wondering if I could PM you to ask more about work and management out there. 


Also has anyone had any luck with getting interviews, visa's or job offers yet since the freeze or heard any more about it? 

Thanks all


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

Sure thing, just send me a pm and I'll do my best to answer. 



BigSW said:


> Hi,
> 
> I was just wondering if I could PM you to ask more about work and management out there.
> 
> ...


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## BigSW (Sep 23, 2012)

I couldn't work out why I was unable to pm but seems that I have to make at least 5post before I can so I shall be in touch shortly. Thanks


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

oh, okay, no problem. I remember when I was a newbie and wanted to pm. It got me looking through some other interesting threads to follow for awhile.


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## BigSW (Sep 23, 2012)

Yeah I have been this morning it's been really helpful actually first of all I was frustrated but its a really got way to get you looking at different issues that are relevant and get clued up on situations


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## NTI (Oct 9, 2012)

Dreama, I have been reading through your posts this evening and they've been really helpful.

To tell you about me, I have a background in Child protection and currently living in another state, I have recently recruited with Northern Territory Police. I am weighing up my options on which areas to choose for my stationing and Alice Springs has always been a no go for us, but on reading your posts it seems a lot better than perhaps Katherine. My husband is in the building industry so wherever I end up Katherine, Darwin, Alice Springs needs to offer him the ability for employment also. I love working in welfare however I feel the change to a Policing Role is something I've wanted for a while and am very interested in networking with agencies relating to child protection when I get there. Oh yes, we also have school aged kids. 

I have very little experience about the NT so any help would be appreciated. Thanks also for the great reading here and info shared.


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

I have several friends that work for the NT police, as I worked closely with many while on the Child Abuse Taskforce for 18 months. In either role - social worker or police officer, you will never have a boring day. It will be busier in Alice Springs most of the time, but the small communities can each have their periods of very busy, depending on the community and there are some really volatile ones. There is more money to be made in the communities because the remote allowance is a bit higher, and I think there are other benefits. I know police have a housing allowance in Alice Springs. If you have children, Alice would be a pretty good place for the kids, as there is a lot going on in Alice Springs for both adults and children. Every weekend there seems to be something big happening, and there are teams for tons of sports, plus outdoor adventure groups, bush camps, you name it. Kids are not wandering around here because they're bored. The usual kids we see out at night are those that don't want to be at home because of the grog at the house and too many people. The other kids are too busy with activities, part time jobs, school, sports, etc. 

There is a lot of opportunity for networking, though it will depend on what area of policing you work in I reckon. Some have more desk time than others I think too. I've met many of the members in the remote communities here. It takes a special kind of person to live remote for more than a year or two. When you are remote in the NT, you could be 3-4 hours drive from the nearest town of any size with a hospital, and absolutely nothing in between - no roadside coffee shops and antique stores, usually not much more than a dusty track where you can pull off the main road. 

The climate is something to consider too. The climate in the NT has both extremes - the dusty dry desert where this year we went without rain for about 160 days, or the top end where it rains every day for 6 months and you need to watch for mold if you leave your window open at night. The desert is hot and dry most of the year, but in winter the nights cool down considerably to about 0C or lower. In the top end, the temperatures are in the low-mid 30s year round, often day and night, and HUMID. Katherine is considered top end.

As for your partner's employment prospects in construction - there is plenty of it in the NT, and lots in Alice Springs. Apartment complexes, housing in the town camps, road improvements, city construction and maintenance. Always seems to be a need for tradies here.

Now, keep in mind that Alice Springs is still part of what you read about in the paper. There is crime and violence here. The thefts are usually targeted at people who leave things unlocked or in full view to steal. The violence is rarely directed at strangers here. Most of the violence you hear about in the news is between families, not random beatings of townspeople who are out walking the dog. There is a lot of drinking here, and the social problems can sometimes be right in your face as you stroll about downtown to a movie or to do some shopping, but I've learned just to live with it here. I haven't had a terribly unpleasant experience with locals since moving here, both in my personal life and in my job. That isn't to say that many of my friends haven't had trouble. Several have had their car either stolen, broken into, or their apartment robbed. So security is big here. Most people have big tall fences that block out everyone, and they lock them when they go to bed, and when they leave the house. I am one of them. There are too many transients who live outside here or are visiting from another community that roam the streets day and night, so you have to be smart about security. 

So good luck, if I can answer any more questions for you, I'd be happy to.


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## NTI (Oct 9, 2012)

Wow that's a great response , thanks so much. I guess we are just a little nervous as we have three girls all under 11, so we want to make sure they'd be safe. 

NT Police does offer free housing and a starting wage circa 68k to all it's new recruits, it's an excellent incentive for people looking to move inclusive of paid flights up there and your house contents and car are moved for you as well. So basically if you have the opportunity to be accepted, most people take it because there's nowhere in Australia that offer this. Like I said my biggest concern is the safety of my girls, even so I'll be an officer, I can't be around them all the time do it needs to be considered. 

My husband and I are trying to come up to Alice Springs in a few weeks to look around for two days or so. It's only a brief flight so we are thinking on it. I love Darwin, but during my interview it was mentioned "how would you feel if we sent you to the Alice as I see you have a background working with Indigenous children and families"? So I think that's where I may end up. 

Our move is more of a lifestyle change than anything, where we are at the moment is fine and we are settled but we wanted a different experience. Call us crazy, but that's the motive behind it. Your thread has been really helpful to us and thanks again for the great response.


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

I know how you feel, NTI. I could have easily stayed in Canada and earned a great wage, but I've already done that, so I was keen to check out a new country with not too much of a culture shock, and where the recruitment package was excellent at the time. I've kept busy exploring the whole country from here, as you are almost equi-distant from nearly all shores of Australia. I've been to the top end (Darwin), central WA, SA, VIC, and NSW, and I've only been here 19 months as of the 12th of October. 

If you haven't already, you should check out the schools in the area. I've been to nearly every one of them at least once, and some many times. There are some really good schools here from what I've been told, seen, and read about. It really depends on what you are looking for in a school.


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## NTI (Oct 9, 2012)

Sounds like you've been having some great adventures, that's awesome. 

I've found that many of the new recruits coming through have backgrounds in some sort of welfare work, which I think is a good thing.


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