Intake and Brief Intervention Worker

Our vision is New Futures for Young People. We support young people and their children who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness, to secure and maintain housing, address physical and mental health challenges, establish successful relationships and support networks, and access pathways to education and employment. Find out more at Brisbane Youth Service.

This position provides young people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness with solution focused crisis and early interventions and thorough assessment and referrals, both internal to BYS and to the wider community.

Brief intervention focuses on purposeful, time-limited support that assists young people to identify their priorities, recognise strengths and resources, explore options and take practical next steps.

Young people accessing Intake may be experiencing multiple and intersecting challenges including housing instability, family breakdown, poverty, mental health concerns, alcohol and other drug use, domestic and family violence, legal issues and social isolation.

Workers are not expected to be specialists in every area, but require the ability to recognise complexity, identify risk and know when and how to involve other services or practitioners.

Intake operates as a highly collaborative team environment. Workers regularly consult with colleagues, share information, coordinate responses and contribute to collective management of demand.

You’ll be a great candidate for this role if you:

• Have a tertiary qualification in Social Work, Human Services, Psychology, Social Sciences, or comparable qualification OR substantial demonstrated experience in a related field.
• Hold a current Queensland driver’s license and are willing to travel to support young people in community, outreach, and service-based settings as required.
• Have strong understanding of the complex issues affecting young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including trauma, family conflict, mental health, and social disadvantage.
• Have proven ability to conduct comprehensive assessments of young people’s needs, including risk assessments and safety planning, to inform appropriate, responsive support strategies.
• Can demonstrate capacity to work holistically, build trusting relationships, and deliver solution-focused crisis responses and early intervention support to young people.
• Have highly developed communication, advocacy, organisational, and time management skills, with the ability to work independently and effectively manage competing priorities.
• Enjoy variety, can build rapport quickly, are comfortable working with uncertainty, can prioritise competing needs, remain grounded during challenging situations, and enjoy working collaboratively to find practical next steps with young people.

Given the work that we do there will be a few non-negotiables. You’ll need to be able to have, or obtain prior to commencement:

• Working with Children Suitability Card [Blue Card].
• Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC).
• Evidence of vaccination, immunity, or medical exemption for the following preventable diseases - Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella [Chicken Pox]; Pertussis [Whooping Cough].

Our people enjoy benefits including salary packaging, flexible working arrangements, and additional annual leave per year (depending on your role).

If this sounds interesting, submit your cover letter telling us why you are the right person for this role, along with your resume. If you would like to discuss this position further or would like to view the full position description, please contact BYS directly on 3620 2471 or via [email protected].

Applications for this position close at 8:30am on Monday 21 September 2026. We may start interviewing for this role prior to the closing date, so don’t delay your application.