Work Type: Fixed-term - Part-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Education Support - Level 1, Range 4
Occupation: Health and allied health
Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs
Reference: 1516504
Port Phillip Specialist School is a dual-mode specialist school that caters for a diverse range of students aged 2.8 to 18 years with a diagnosed intellectual disability situated in Port Melbourne. Port Phillip Specialist School is committed to the values of professional collaboration, trust, compassion, and respect whilst embracing and celebrating diversity. The school environment is creative, accepting, flexible and positive. Port Phillip is committed to building and fostering positive and mutually beneficial relationships within the school and the wider community to support students in an inclusive environment.
Students are engaged in teaching and learning through the Visual and Performing Arts, to work towards achieving Victorian Curriculum outcomes in English, Mathematics, Personal and Social Capabilities, Health and Physical Education and Science. Students are further supported through a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum in English and Mathematics and a School-Wide Positive Behaviour Framework. Port Phillip Specialist School¿s Integrated Services Model prioritises student well-being with a collective responsibility between therapists and teachers to optimise student learning and well-being outcomes.
Demonstrated highly developed interpersonal skills and communication skills.
Demonstrated capability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships between people with disability and their parents and carers, other organisations or agencies and the wider community.
Demonstrated understanding of issues facing students with disability and their parents/carers.
Experience in building the capacity of others to navigate complex systems.
Children and young people with disability can require a greater degree of parental or family involvement in their education and care than their peers without disability. Parents and carers of children with disability play several supporting roles, including as advocates and as people who can provide valuable insight into their child¿s specific needs for services such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the broader health and community services system.
The Victorian Government is introducing new NDIS Navigators from 2023 in government specialist schools to provide support to parents and carers to help them navigate and understand the NDIS, enabling them to get the most out of the supports available. They will also provide support to schools, parents and carers to better understand the interface between the education system and the NDIS.
The NDIS Navigator will carry out the following with a high level of autonomy (within broad guidelines), professional leadership and minimal day-to-day direction:
provide support and advice for parents and carers to build their capacity to understand, advocate for and access appropriate NDIS funded support services available to their children
develop and maintain relationships with parents, carers, school staff and local services to enable productive working relationships between schools, parents, carers and the NDIS
support collaborative practices between NDIS funded services and the school including by providing appropriate information, documentation and/or logistical support for approved NDIS-funded therapist on-site visits. (School to edit/amend if they do not allow NDIS therapists to delivery therapy on school site)
working collaboratively across their school, the NDIS Navigator will support families and carers to resolve issues experienced with the NDIS through appropriate channels.
The NDIS Navigator will not:
contact the National Disability Insurance Agency or NDIS funded agencies on behalf of families or carers except in limited circumstances, following consultation with the principal
act as an advocate for families, carers and students in matters that are the responsibility of the school.
The NDIS Navigator role is not a teaching role or a clinical role and is not designed for direct intervention, individual student case management or crisis management. The role will not implement or perform supports and adjustments in schools.
In some circumstances the NDIS Navigator may need to consult with the principal to prioritise families that have more complex needs that require additional support.
Individuals with the aptitude, experience and/or qualifications to fulfill the specific requirements of the position.
Relevant experience in the NDIS, disability, youth or education sectors is desirable but not essential.
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
Applicants should keep a copy of the position description as it cannot be accessed once the job has closed.
Candidates are advised that the key selection criteria must be addressed. Visit https://www.careers.vic.gov.au/how-to-apply for guidelines and tips for applying for government positions and addressing key selection criteria.
All staff employed by the department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
Successful applicants are subject to a satisfactory criminal record check prior to employment. New department employees are required to meet the cost of the criminal record check.
If appointed from outside the department, successful applicants will be required to complete a pre-employment health declaration.
Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided. Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the department¿s Human Resources website at https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal
To support the department¿s commitment to its Environmental Management System, department employees are expected to act in an environmentally responsible manner at all times.