Work Type: Fixed-term - Part-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Classroom Teacher
Occupation: Health and allied health
Location: Loddon Mallee - Macedon Ranges
Reference: 1503856
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 Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader Role is two days a week, set for Mondays and Tuesdays.
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.
Malmsbury Primary School is located 95km North West of Melbourne, 10 km North West of Kyneton and around 70km south east of Bendigo. Many of our parents choose to drive from neighbouring towns to enable their children to attend Malmsbury PS. Our school has excellent facilities. We have a school owned art building, a classroom building with four learning spaces, a music room and an original bluestone building that houses our staffroom, office, library and staff resource room. We also host Malmsbury Playgroup which meets on Monday mornings. We offer an Outside of School Hours service which is run by two part-time carers from Monday to Friday from 3:30pm-6:00pm. Our extensive playground includes an artificial soccer pitch, basketball court, oval, covered play equipment and sandpit.
In 2025,our school has 70 students in 4 classrooms- Prep, Grade 1/2, Grade 3/4, and Grade 5/6. We offer specialist areas of Physical Education, Japanese/Auslan, Visual Arts and Performing Arts. Our school has 8.5 equivalent full-time staff comprised of: 1.0 Principal, 4.2 classroom teachers, 0.2 Tutor, 0;2 Disability and Inclusion Co-ordinator, 0.5 Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader, 0.4 Social Worker, 0.8 specialist teachers, 0.6 Business Manager, and 2.7 Education Support Staff.
Our weekly staff meetings are based around professional learning, using student data to cater to student learning needs and the sharing of effective teaching and learning strategies. We work closely with our student's families/carers to help their children achieve their best. Creating a safe, supportive learning environment where children are challenged and supported to be their best is our priority.
Malmsbury Primary School is dedicated to inspiring young people to become passionate participants in their future and good citizens in their community.
We encourage leadership and personal growth through a range of classroom, community, creative and environmental learning opportunities.
Our school community sets high expectations, academically and behaviourally, to enable our students to develop as adaptable, inquiring, creative, courageous and environmentally aware individuals who respect and celebrate differences in others.
Our school values of Respect, Responsibility, and Community are an important part of our school culture and are reinforced and 'lived' by students, staff and parents. Students who uphold our school values, show initiative in being a positive school member, lift us all up with their enthusiasm, support and positive attitude can be nominated to receive a #teammalmsbury t-shirt. We are on the SWPBS journey and use our Behaviour Matrix to help identify and support positive behaviours across the school.
Malmsbury Primary School believes everyone has the right to feel safe, happy and be able to embrace and nurture a culture of wellbeing as they strive to be the best they can be.
Our parents are involved in our school in a variety of ways. They help in our classrooms, on School House activity and sport days, gardening with students in the vegie garden and running a variety of fundraisers to support our school. We have also just begun implementing the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program which is well supported by our families.