Work Type: Ongoing - Full-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Classroom Teacher - Range 2
Occupation: Health and allied health
Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs
Reference: 1497063
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
Please ensure that your application includes:
Please note that the selection panel may seek additional referees beyond those you name. Consistent with policy, we shall advise you if we will take this action.
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.
Princes Hill Primary School is located in the City of Yarra in the North-Western suburbs of Melbourne, approximately four kilometres from the Melbourne Central Business District, with a capped enrolment of 450 children. The school was founded in 1889. Princes Hill has a vibrant and inclusive community and the school¿s culture of respect and care for others fosters a cooperative environment. The school is developing as a strong community through meaningful and authentic collaboration; this enables the children to shape the present and the future of their community. The school¿s intent is to nurture the desire to continue to learn throughout life and foster the capacity to exercise judgement and responsibility in matters of morality, ethics and social justice by all members of the school community. Supporting our purpose are three core values: respect, learning and a sense of community. The school offers a range of programs and structures designed to facilitate student learning, engagement and social responsibility. Children as participants in the 21st century need to understand themselves as learners, learn to work collaboratively, engage in new technologies, learn how to access new skills and knowledge and develop the skills of thinking creatively, laterally and critically. The school¿s beliefs about learning, pedagogical practice, organisations structures and the physical environment reflect these core principles.
In 2022 the school community reviewed the school¿s practices and procedures and outlined a 2021-2025 strategic plan to further develop the vision for the school. The vision is implemented through principles of learning which are continually reviewed and developed each year. The current principles are:
Children are active, important members of a variety of communities e.g. family, school, ethnic cultures, multi-media and friendship groups ¿ their understanding of the world develops through these social and cultural interactions
New pedagogical practices are continually evolving to enact these principles through inquiry led research projects which incorporate the Victorian Curriculum. The approach focuses on targeted teaching and learning, individual and small group conferencing, workshops with a focus on provoking thinking and projects and provocations to enact the learning. All aspects of organisation have been reviewed including grouping of staff and students, curriculum content, time management and parent involvement. Children and their team of teachers create a community of learners within a neighbourhood. Parents are active participants in all aspects of the school involved in committees, mentoring children using their areas of expertise such as Artist in Residence Programs and active participants in learning neighbourhoods. Children, parents and teachers are continually involved in active research, developing the evolving vision and practices of the school. The intent is to create an organisation which responds to the curiosity and drive to understand by all the participants. This is a democratic and collaborative process in which the roles of all the participants are transformed, fluid and interchangeable. Curriculum is focused on exploring Big Ideas relevant to the community. Projects begin by exploring the communities¿ pre-existing understandings, sharing experiences to provoke new possibilities, determining and enacting a research project and sharing findings with the community. Documentation of projects in progress and completed projects is key to making the learning visible to all members of the community. The new and refurbished physical environments are designed to reflect and support the school¿s principles and practices