Ability to implement a range of individual, small group and whole-school wellbeing prevention and promotion activities aimed at improving student mental health and wellbeing, including the delivery of capability building and awareness raising activities for staff and/or students on key mental health and wellbeing issues affecting the school¿s student population.
- Demonstrated ability to input into the development, implementation and evaluation of processes and strategies aimed at enhancing mental health and wellbeing prevention, promotion and early intervention.
- Demonstrated experience in assessing, conceptualising and analysing complex combinations of wellbeing and learning issues, and providing evidence-based direct support to clients with a range of dis-engagement from learning
- Demonstrated experience in coordinating supports for young people with complex needs including referrals to a range of specialist services as appropriate
- Highly developed communication, networking and interpersonal skills including the ability to liaise effectively with a wide range of people
- Clear understanding of legislative requirements regarding privacy of health information
The Yarra Me School Psychologist collaborates with Yarra Me School personnel including leadership, teachers, other allied health professionals to support children with dynamic and complex support needs.
In the Preston Program (classroom-based) the Psychologist directs their expertise to providing, in collaboration, a learning environment within which the children encounter trauma-sensitive support, enabling the children to develop school-readiness. Similar support may be sought by the Hurstbridge Farm classroom team from time to time.
In the Positive Partnerships Service (outreach-based) the Psychologist directs their expertise to providing advice, guidance and support in matters of wellbeing and learning to Yarra Me School teachers and the respective mainstream school.
Education support class level 1 range 4
The successful applicant will be an experienced professional who will carry out their duties and responsibilities, relative to their professional discipline, with a high level of autonomy and with minimal reliance on professional supervision. The successful applicant will be responsible for the development and implementation of professional support programs within an educational environment, including guidance to other professional staff.
As an education support class position, this role supports the educational services being provided to students, but will not include duties of teaching as defined in clause 2.6.1 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic).
For more information on the responsibilities of an Education Support class level 1 range 4 employee, please visit the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/industrial-agreements/resources
- Providing advice and professional learning to others, including teachers and other school wellbeing staff, to build the capacity of schools to improve students wellbeing, learning and developmental outcomes.
- In collaboration with the Program Manager, overseeing the planning and implementation of student wellbeing and learning processes.
- Providing weekly case conferencing to teaching teams, including case review. Providing reflective support to teams around matters of team functioning and development.
- Providing advice and guidance to school leadership to ensure programmatic development continues to meet the needs of all stakeholders (students, families, mainstream partner schools, and Yarra Me School) in a timely manner.
- Planning and implementing evidence-based intervention strategies for students with complex needs, including active hands-on support of the Preston Program classroom.
- Collaborating with families, other professionals and agencies to promote alignment of goals and supports focused on development of the child and family when indicated.
- Working collaboratively with Yarra Me School to enhance mental health prevention and promotion by contributing to policies and operational practices that will guide the work of Yarra Me School staff.
- Liaising with other department areas (including Student Support Services staff) and external service providers where necessary to provide appropriate support to students.
- Maintaining professional competence and continued professional development, including attending professional development activities throughout the year.
- Meeting relevant policies and legislative requirements in relation to student health information, privacy and consent.
Required
- Applicants must be qualified as a psychologist, social worker, mental health nurse, occupational therapist or counsellor of a prescribed class. Specifically:
- For Psychologists, applicants must hold full registration with AHPRA
- For Mental Health Nurses, applicants must hold full registration with AHPRA and hold a postgraduate qualification in mental health
- For Social Workers, applicants must be eligible for membership with the Australian Association of Social Workers
- For Occupational Therapists applicants must hold full registration with AHPRA
- For Counsellors applicants must have completed a Bachelor or Master of Counselling and be a practising member (Level 2, 3 or 4) of the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) or the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)
- Demonstrated direct counselling experience
- Evidence of registration with AHPRA, AASW (where applicable), or with ACA or PACFA (where applicable), and a copy of a testamur, certificate or transcript as evidence of appropriate qualification.
- A current Working With Children Check.
Desirable
- For Psychology applicants, specialisation in educational and/or developmental psychology.
- For Mental Health Nurse applicants, holding a Mental Health Nurse Credential and membership with the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses.
- For Social Work applicants, membership with the Australian Association of Social Workers and an Accredited Social Worker Trade Mark.
- For Occupational Therapy applicants, a Better Access to Mental Health Endorsement.
- For Counselling applicants, Level 3-4 registration (ACA) or a Registered Clinical Counsellor endorsement (PACFA).
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
- All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
- 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 http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/Pages/default.aspx
Yarra Me School is a vibrant, dynamic and inclusive Victorian Department of Education specialist school focused on building the social and emotional capability and wellbeing of our students so they become better equipped to engage in learning at their mainstream schools. With the main campus located in Preston and another in Hurstbridge, Yarra Me School provides services to state primary schools in the North East Metropolitan and Hume Merri-bek Areas within the North Western Victoria Region.
Yarra Me School Students
Typically, Yarra Me School students are experiencing complex and significant social, emotional, behavioural, and learning challenges, contributing to profoundly disrupted engagement at their mainstream school. Students are typically in the Years F-6, whilst the Hurstbridge Farm campus supports students aged 10-17 years.
Yarra Me School Staff
In collaboration with teaching staff, the Yarra Me School Allied Health team influences program planning, curriculum development, support to students and families, and guidance to mainstream schools. The Allied Health team comprises a Speech Pathologist, an Occupational Therapist, and a Psychologist.
Yarra Me School teachers are typically highly experienced specialist educators who are characterised by emotional intelligence, open-mindedness, determination, adaptability, collaboration, coachability, and visible commitment to person-centred approaches.
Yarra Me School Vision
A community where every learner is safe, connected and empowered to learn, grow and thrive.
Yarra Me School Mission
We partner with students, families, schools and communities to deliver personalised trauma-aware and evidence-based programs that foster positive relationships, and support well-being and learning.
Yarra Me School Philosophy
Central to all Yarra Me School programs is the concurrent observation of Personalisation, Pedagogy, and Partnerships, which are exemplified in the following:
- Relationship development is the first and necessary step to enable learning; students learn via relationships and community, not in social isolation. The trauma-informed approach recognises that Adverse Childhood Experiences disrupt student development and that students will re-claim their capability with attuned, person-centred support and interventions.
- The Voice and Agency of the student and their parents / carers are crucial enabling factors for the student¿s development and the fidelity of the Team Around the Learner.
- Student success is achieved by building the student¿s Personal & Social Capabilities across multiple settings.
- This is achieved when the adults provide an environment that encourages the student to thrive.
- Thriving occurs when the student believes they are safe, that they belong, that they are understood and cared for, that their environment is predictable, that they are well-held by strong and clear expectations, and that interventions are attuned to their specific strengths, capabilities and developmental needs.
- To thrive the student also needs sustained relationships with adults that develop the student¿s understanding of their world and their place in it. Through these relationships, through the supports and expectations held, through the person-centred and other interventions provided, through the language shared, and through the efforts to help the student make meaning of their experiences, the student can develop better responses to their world. Thus, the student can achieve wellbeing and learning concurrently, which leads to increased engagement with schooling.
- Developing a well-coordinated Team Around the Learner is necessary to achieve student success, and also to sustain student success, especially when it provides consistency and predictability across home and school settings. The Team Around the Learner typically consists of the student, the parents/guardians, the mainstream school ES, teachers & leaders, and other professionals.
- The conditions for sustained student success are the concurrent engagement of student, parents/carers, and mainstream school teachers, education support staff, and leadership.
- Essentially, every response to the student is developmentally attuned, person-centred, and personalised; pedagogy is personalised and designed to promote the student¿s self-efficacy; and, in partnership, the adults provide a wrap-around student support team.
YARRA ME SCHOOL PROGRAMS
All Yarra Me School programs offer a time limited service for each learner. Yarra Me School conducts the Preston Program (classroom-based), which currently caters to students in the primary Years in a short-term intervention for students exhibiting significant disengagement from learning at tier 3 level; the Positive Partnerships outreach coaching service for Primary school students at tier 2 & 3 level of intervention; Hurstbridge Farm program (classroom-based, ages 10-17 years) conducted at a DFFH residential facility; and, a professional learning service.
In 2026 the Yarra Me School will provide educational services to approximately 58 students (Preston Program - 6 per semester; Hurstbridge farm - 2 per semester; Positive Partnerships - up to 42 per semester). The Yarra Me Positive Partnerships Service provides outreach coaching to mainstream primary schools. Yarra Me School delivers programs predominantly for primary aged students.
** Please contact the Principal on 0476 848 932 to discuss the role in context of the Yarra Me School philosophy **
Please see www.yarrame.vic.edu.au .
