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Graduates work to help Gympie children
Three new graduates of the University of the Sunshine Coast have embraced the rewards and challenges of working to protect children in the Gympie area.
The Gympie Child Safety Service Centre, part of the Queensland Department of Communities, offered jobs to all three USC students within months of their successful final exams in Social Work and/or Counselling late last year.
Gympie residents Anna Cocks, 26, and Sarah Jeffery, 21, are working with Maria Gill, 41, of Coolum Beach, in the busy office.
They were applauded by their departmental team leader when they crossed the stage to officially receive their degrees at the USC Graduation ceremony on 20 April at Sippy Downs.
Anna, who was among USC’s first cohort of Social Work graduates, gained her dream job after a work placement at Child Safety Services during her degree.
“I decided that’s what I wanted to do so I applied for a position and started as a Child Safety Officer the week after I completed my final placement,” she said.
“This meant going straight from uni to work and I couldn’t have asked for a smoother transition.
“After four years of hard work at University it is such a great pay-off to be working in my chosen field and working daily with children and their families to facilitate positive change.”
Sarah said it was a great feeling to use the knowledge gained during her USC Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) in her new role as a Child Safety Support Officer, which had been recommended by one of her lecturers.
“I love my job, which is about strengthening the family unit and assisting in the diversion of families from the child protection system,” she said.
Sarah specifically chose the Counselling degree at USC after visiting a campus Open Day: “I fell in love with it; the choices of accommodation and attraction of living on the Coast also made it an easy decision.”
Maria said her USC Bachelor of Social Work was both exciting and challenging, helping her progress both personally and professionally.
“I chose USC because it was a smaller university that offered a more personalised approach,” she said. “This was an enormous positive influence for obtaining my degree and allowed me to fulfil my aspirations.”
Maria gained her job as a Child Safety Officer in December and now investigates and assesses the risks of harm to children.
“I’m enjoying the continuous learning, support and encouragement offered by the Gympie office,” she said.
– Julie Gatehouse