Refuge Worker

A Refuge Worker provides direct support and crisis assistance to people experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, or other personal crises in residential refuge settings. They deliver immediate practical care, emotional support, and connection to longer-term services while maintaining safe and inclusive shelter environments. The role operates within the context of Australian homelessness and family violence frameworks, including liaison with state-based housing and community services agencies.

Assess immediate needs of refuge residents including safety risks, health concerns, and emergency requirements upon arrival. Provide emotional support and active listening to residents experiencing crisis, trauma, or domestic violence situations. Maintain detailed case notes and incident records in compliance with state-based child protection and domestic violence reporting obligations. Develop safety plans with residents escaping domestic violence, including risk assessment and safety planning frameworks aligned with state-based DV services. Coordinate access to specialist services such as counselling, legal aid, and financial counselling by liaising with external service providers. Monitor resident wellbeing and behaviour in shared accommodation, intervening in conflicts and enforcing refuge policies. Assist residents with practical tasks including meal preparation, laundry, hygiene facilities, and household management in shared spaces. Supervise and support children and young people in refuge care, including basic welfare checks and engagement activities.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The real burden is emotional: you regularly hear traumatic stories, manage violent situations, and carry mandatory reporting responsibility. Shift work including nights and weekends is standard. Burnout is high.

Regional areas have fewer refuges but they do exist. Most positions are with not-for-profit organisations and state housing authorities. Remote work is not common: this is face-to-face residential care.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 4234, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Accept own accountabilitycore
• Active Listeningcore
• Case Note Documentationcore
• Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
• Conflict De-escalationcore
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivitycore
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligencecore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Inclusive Practicecore
• Participant or Client Advocacycore
• Professional Boundaries Maintenancecore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Service Navigation and Referralcore
• Trauma-Informed Communicationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Adhere to organisational guidelines
• Conflict Resolution
• Interpreter and Accessibility Coordination
• Policy and Procedure Adherence
• Referral Coordination
• Regulatory and Legislative Awareness
• Team Collaboration
• Workload Self-Management
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026