Work Type: Fixed-term - Full-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Education Support - Level 1, Range 3
Occupation: Education and training
Location: Melbourne - Western suburbs
Reference: 1515132
Tarneit Senior College and Tarneit Prep-9 College are each located in the western suburbs of Melbourne, in the local area of Wyndham, approximately 25kms from the Melbourne CBD.
The position of School Community Liaison Officer will be shared between the two schools and will work in partnership with two-three neighbouring schools that have high populations of African young people. With Tarneit Senior College and Tarneit Prep-9 College being situated right next door to one another, there is easy access with the walking distance between the two school no more than approximately 500 meters.
Upon appointment, we will discuss and confirm with the successful applicant the days or times at each school.
Significant enrolment also comes from new families moving into Tarneit with Wyndham being one of the top growth corridors in Australia. Both schools are situated near a number of areas of significant urban development which will see continued enrolments over the next 5 - 10 years of families moving into the area. As a result of the sustained growth, Tarneit Senior College has approximately 950 students enrolled, and the projected enrolments is for the school to stabilise around this number in the next few years, while Tarneit Prep-9 College has approximately 2000 students currently enrolled.
Both Tarneit Senior College and Tarneit Prep-9 College are defined by:
Both schools take great pride in their shared sense of multiculturalism, inclusion and diversity, with students from diverse backgrounds representing over 60 nationalities, which are celebrated throughout our facilities and many co-curricular activities. Together, our communities are comprised of approximately of students with parents who were born in India.
The Tarneit Senior College and Tarneit Prep-9 College communities are of diverse backgrounds, with approximately 90% of our students¿ parents born outside of Australia, from countries including, India, New Zealand, Samoa, Ethiopia, Somalia, Pakistan and Sudan.
Background
As part of the Victorian African Communities Action Plan, education is identified as a key focus area and funding is available to employ School Community Liaison Officers in school communities with high populations of African young people to improve their connection to education and provide tailored support.
The School Community Liaison Officer at Tarneit Senior College and Tarneit Prep-9 College will support your school community and a cluster of neighbouring schools with high populations of African young people to increase school engagement, strengthen partnerships with families and community and facilitate activities to increase retention and school completion.
This role will be one of eight School Community Liaison Officers appointed to school communities with high populations of African young people across the State and supported by a Senior Program Officer appointed by the Department of Education (DE) and operating from the DE central office in Melbourne.
Location
The School Community Liaison Officer will be located at Tarneit Senior College and Tarneit Prep-9 College and will work in partnership with two three neighbouring schools that have high populations of African young people.
Experience working with school communities, families and community organisations involving individuals of culturally and linguistic diverse backgrounds.
Excellent stakeholder management and relationship building skills including the ability to partner with and broker support from local community organisations
Ability to build strong working relationships with parents and local community organisations to identify best practice and areas for improvement to support student and parent engagement.
Excellent time management and organisational skills
The School Community Liaison Officer will be required to support school communities to focus on increasing school engagement, strengthening partnerships with families and community and facilitating activities to increase retention and school completion.
The School Community Liaison Officer will be expected to work in collaboration with School Community Liaison Officers appointed to other schools across the North West, South West and South East Victorian regions through membership of an established community of practice. The School Community Liaison Officers will be supported by a centrally based program officer and provide regular reports to support the implementation, evaluation and ongoing monitoring of the project. There is an expectation that this role will require travel to other sites of delivery and to the DET Central Office in Melbourne CBD.
Provide support to school communities they are working with to establish and maintain communication between young people, families and the local community
Work directly with groups of young people or individuals, planning interventions to ensure young people are connected to an education
Work directly with young people to provide platforms for student voice, facilitate leadership opportunities and facilitate activities that aligns with their needs
Facilitate information sessions for parents to support an increased understanding of the education system and platforms and increase engagement with parent teacher nights, information days and school celebrations
Facilitate professional learning for school staff on cultural responsiveness and safety coordinate workshops and forums for the school and local community
Facilitate access to homework clubs and afterschool programs, to offer support and mentoring outside of the school
Support school leaders with the rollout of the cultural competency framework and other activities aimed at strengthening inclusivity for diverse communities
Participate in a statewide community of practices and statewide planning days with other School Community Liaison Officers.
Individuals with the aptitude, experience and/or qualifications to fulfil the specific requirements of the position.
This role is identified as available for African heritage applicants only. Confirmation of your African heritage may be requested.
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
The successful candidate will be required to work some hours during the school holidays. Regular work hours will be 8am to 4pm on weekdays. This may be negotiated as appropriate.
The successful candidate will be eligible to claim time in lieu (TIL) where they are required to work in excess of their normal hours of duty.