Work Type: Fixed-term - Part-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Classroom Teacher
Occupation: Health and allied health
Location: Melbourne - Eastern suburbs
Reference: 1514835
The Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System highlighted that primary schools provide opportunities to identify children with mental health and wellbeing challenges, who can then be referred to treatment, care and support.
The Mental Health in Primary Schools initiative is being expanded to every government and low-fee non-government primary school in Victoria. Scaling up across the state from 2023, by 2026 every primary school will be able to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader to implement a whole-school approach to wellbeing.
The Department of Education has been piloting the Mental Health in Primary Schools initiative in Victorian schools since 2020 in partnership with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. Evaluation of this pilot initiative has shown that 95 per cent of Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders consider the Mental Health in Primary Schools model has improved their school's capacity to support students' mental health and wellbeing needs.
Participating schools receive funding to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader, a qualified teacher, to work across the school to implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing for students, staff and families based on a broad knowledge of the needs of the school community.
The role of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader is to:
The role provides a proactive focus for the promotion and prevention of mental health and wellbeing through assessment and implementation of context-relevant programs, approaches and initiatives based on a broad and extensive knowledge of the needs of the school.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader role is not a clinical role and is not designed for direct intervention. The role is seen as a key conduit in creating referral pathways once a teacher or other staff member identifies a concern in the classroom.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders are provided training in mental health literacy, supporting emerging needs, and building school capacity and receive ongoing support and professional development through structured and regular Learning Communities Training is developed and facilitated by the Faculty of Education at University of Melbourne, supported by Murdoch Children's Research Institute.
Operating in collaboration with their school, leadership and wellbeing team where relevant, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader will:
Teachers currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and qualified to teach and/or have demonstrated experience in the curriculum area(s) specified for the position.
The department is committed to diversity and inclusion and developing a workforce that is representative of the community we service. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQA+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the Department. The Department recognises that the provision of safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work and diversity across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for staff with disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).
Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via [email protected]
Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if they are the successful candidate, request a reduced time fraction. Such requests will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.
Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. All schools have a Child Safety Code of Conduct consistent with the department's exemplar available at:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/child-safe-standards/policy
The department's employees commit to upholding the department's Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values complement each school's own values and underpin the behaviours the community expects of Victorian public sector employees, including those who work in Victorian Government Schools. Information on the department values is available at:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/values-department-vps-school-employees/overview
This position is funded through the Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) initiative and includes mandatory ongoing training requirements. Applicants who are currently engaged in the MHiPS program are strongly encouraged to apply.
Availability on Wednesdays is preferred, with remaining hours negotiable.
This vacancy is to replace an employee on parental absence and is for a period of seven years or until the employee absent on leave returns to duty at the school.
To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class:
Details of qualification requirements as updated from time to time can be found at Recruitment in Schools.
Established in 1897, Chum Creek Primary School is a small, rural, State-run school situated on the outskirts of Healesville that caters for children aged from four years and nine months to approximately twelve years of age. At the time of writing our enrolment is 67.
Our school is often chosen by parents seeking an alternative to larger, more mainstream schools. We understand and acknowledge this and aim to provide small class sizes and a more relaxed atmosphere. Staff and students are on first-name terms. We have a school uniform but it is not mandatory.
We currently have four composite classes:
Prep and Year 1;
Years 2 and 3;
Year 4 and 5;
Years 5 and 6.
We endeavour to keep our class sizes small and equitable, and with this in mind we are not locked into these class formats.
With an appreciation for the environment, we encourage unstructured, cooperative outdoor play and our students love building cubbies. We are also lucky enough to have a variety of wildlife living in and around our schoolgrounds. Apart from various birds including rosellas, cockatoos and kookaburras we have also recently had a bowerbird nesting in our yard! We have also hosted possums, microbats, kangaroos, echidnas, wombats and lizards at different times.
We are pursuing an ongoing program of refurbishment with the aim of providing the best resources we can for our students. We see this as important in order to support our students learning and to show them that we value them.
We enjoy healthy engagement with our school community and we are always happy for extra input into our School Council, Parents Club or just helping out with the many ongoing maintenance jobs we have. For more information, please email the Principal.