Work Type: Fixed-term - Part-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Education Support - Level 1, Range 4
Occupation: Health and allied health
Location: Melbourne - Southern suburbs
Reference: 1543240
Demonstrated knowledge, skills and experience in the provision of Occupational Therapy services to children and/or young people with complex mental health, emotional regulation, behavioural and wellbeing needs, including an understanding of how sensory, environmental, psychosocial and functional factors can influence a student's participation, engagement and behaviour.
Demonstrated ability to undertake relevant assessment, identify barriers to participation and develop, implement and evaluate evidence-informed Occupational Therapy interventions that support emotional regulation, behaviour, wellbeing, school engagement and successful participation in classroom and learning environments. This may include individual intervention, small-group programs, environmental modifications and classroom-based strategies.
Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with students, families/carers, teachers, Education Support staff, Allied Health professionals, Wellbeing staff and relevant external services, including the ability to translate clinical knowledge into practical strategies, coaching and professional learning that builds the capacity of school staff to support students within their everyday environments.
Demonstrated ability to work independently and proactively. Effectively manage a caseload and referral priorities, and identify emerging areas of student or school need. Demonstrated capacity to use initiative and clinical reasoning to develop innovative interventions, therapeutic programs, staff training and/or whole-school approaches that improve student mental health, regulation, engagement and participation.
Demonstrated commitment to evidence-based and reflective Occupational Therapy practice, including the ability to establish meaningful intervention goals, evaluate student and program outcomes, reflect on professional performance and modify intervention accordingly. Demonstrated commitment to ongoing professional learning relevant to mental health, disability, regulation, behaviour and contemporary Occupational Therapy practice.
Maramba Primary School is seeking a motivated and innovative Mental Health Occupational Therapist to join our Mental Health and Wellbeing Team.
This is an opportunity to work differently. Rather than operating from a traditional clinic-based model, you will work directly within the environments where students experience challenges, such as classrooms, playgrounds and across the broader school community.
Your focus will be on understanding the factors impacting a student's regulation, behaviour, engagement and participation, then working alongside the student, their family, teachers, Education Support staff and other professionals to create practical supports that help them successfully engage in school.
A significant focus of the role will be supporting students experiencing complex mental health, behavioural and wellbeing needs, including students who have become disengaged from learning or are experiencing difficulty accessing the classroom environment.
Why you'll love working with us
We want to provide our Occupational Therapists with the time, resources and professional autonomy to do great work.
This role offers the benefits and security of working within the Victorian Government school system, combined with a level of clinical autonomy and resourcing that allows you to genuinely develop your practice.
Competitive Victorian Government salary
The position will be classified at Education Support Class, Level 1, Range 4 (ES 1-4) under the applicable Victorian Government Schools Agreement, with salary determined according to the successful applicant's classification and experience.
School-based working hours
Enjoy working predominantly within school hours, providing greater consistency and work-life balance than many traditional community, NDIS or private-practice caseloads.
Generous leave and paid school holidays
Enjoy the leave entitlements available through the Victorian Government school system, including paid school holiday periods, providing a working calendar that is difficult to match in many clinical settings.
Dedicated therapy spaces
You'll have access to dedicated spaces for individual therapy, small-group interventions, assessment, planning and collaborative work while still having the flexibility to work directly within classrooms and other school environments.
Work as part of a genuine multidisciplinary team
You'll work alongside a multidisciplinary team of Mental Health, Wellbeing and Education professionals, with opportunities for regular collaboration, shared problem-solving and multidisciplinary intervention.
Dedicated professional development support
Continued professional growth is important to us. You'll have access to a professional development budget to support relevant training, courses and development opportunities.
Autonomy to create and innovate
This isn't a role where every hour of your week is dictated by billable appointments.
You'll have the autonomy to manage your caseload and referrals while identifying opportunities to develop new programs, staff training, group interventions, resources and whole-school initiatives that improve outcomes for our students.
Part-time considered
We are very open to discussing full time / part-time arrangements for the right applicant.
More than a traditional Therapy Role
We are looking for an OT who wants to have an impact beyond individual therapy sessions.
You will have considerable autonomy to identify areas of need and develop responses that benefit individual students, classrooms and the broader school.
This could include developing:
If you identify an opportunity to improve student participation or staff capability, we want you to have the initiative to explore it.
About you
We are looking for an Occupational Therapist who is:
Experience within paediatrics, disability, youth mental health, behavioural intervention, community mental health or complex psychosocial practice would be highly regarded.
Your caseload will be diverse and may include:
Individuals with the aptitude, experience and/or qualifications to fulfill the specific requirements of 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.
At Maramba Primary School, we value connection and engagement with our community, innovation, collaboration, and celebrate the continued lifelong learning for all.
As a small to medium sized public school with a current enrolment of 230 students situated in Narre Warren, we continue to provide exceptional opportunities to our children and families. We know all our students on a first name basis which demonstrates the value we place on strong relationships. Maramba Primary is situated on naturally beautiful and extensive grounds with fantastic play areas that encourage student play, learning and exploration while having fun.
Our Vision at Maramba:
Providing a caring environment where aspirations are nurtured, positive relationships grow, success is celebrated and a passion for lifelong learning is ignited.
Nurture. Innovate. Celebrate.
Our School Values:
Respect: We are understanding and are considerate of everyone's rights.
Relationships: We nurture our connection with others.
Resilience: We are brave when faced with challenges.
Responsibility: We recognise our actions and make a positive difference.
As a school community, we focus on developing our student's awareness of themselves and the knowledge of being human goes beyond social and emotional learning. This allows our students to use this knowledge to empower learning and their lives.
We understand that learning is developmental and continuous. The most important of which are a well-planned and well-taught curriculum. Teachers maximise student learning through rich collaboration in PLCs using researched based high impact teaching strategies and assessment practices to create classroom environments that are engaging and fun, igniting each student's passion for learning.
We are committed to continually connecting and engaging with our school community to work together to achieve great results for our students academically and holistically. Together, our school community can deliver every child an opportunity to make a valuable contribution to the world they will inherit and instilling in each of them a foundation for lifelong learning.
Our school can be viewed at www.maramba-ps.vic.edu.au
Please contact the school on 03 9796 7150 for further information or to organise a school tour.