SC1 Demonstrated highly developed interpersonal skills and communication skills.
SC2 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.
SC3 Demonstrated understanding of issues facing students with disability and their parents/carers.
SC4 Experience in building the capacity of others to navigate complex systems.
SC5 Demonstrated knowledge of the operations of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and/or operations of specialist schools.
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.
- 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
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
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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
Baringa School is committed to excellence in Special Education. We aim to provide an innovative, caring and stimulating environment where learning is relevant and purposeful and where students develop a sense of belonging through mutual respect and cooperation. Our school motto is ¿Be Respectful, Be Safe, Be a Learner¿.
Baringa School is located in Moe, which is in Latrobe Valley. The school provides a comprehensive educational program for students who have an intellectual disability aged from 5 to 18 years of age. Current enrolment is 175.
The student population is drawn from a wide geographical area incorporating Trafalgar through to Traralgon.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Baringa School community sees the provision of a safe, caring and positive learning environment as its most important goal. The environment aims to support students as they strive to develop social, emotional, communication and educational skills that will lead to independence. School community commitment to providing a curriculum that challenges student learning through achievement and success is strong.
CURRICULUM
The curriculum at Baringa is based on the Victorian curriculum and covers English, Mathematics, Personal & Social Development, Health & Physical Education, Independent Living Skills, Art, Technology and Communication. A number of enrichment programs are also offered including Outdoor Education, Camps, Advance (a community volunteer program) vocational training including Work Experience and Pre work skills, and travel training.
The school operates in Units of Lower Primary (ages 5 ¿ 9), Upper Primary (ages 9 ¿ 12), Secondary (ages 12 -16) and a Senior Learning Centre (SLC) for students over 16 which provides a range of options including preparation for post school pathways and independent living skills.
Our Assistant Principal in Student Wellbeing leads a student support services team, which includes a Psychologist, a Mental Health in Primary Schools practitioner and two Speech Pathologists. This team provides welfare support to all students across the school.
Baringa School is committed to the implementation of a whole school approach to Positive Behaviour Intervention and Support (PBIS) for student engagement and learning. Staff understand that behaviour is a learned skill, and that prosocial behaviour can be taught through explicit teaching and positive recognition. Teaching expected behaviours is a shared responsibility and requires a combined effort by all staff to ensure our students are Safe, Respectful Learners.
Individual student needs determine the curriculum focus for each student. Parents and professionals identify these collaboratively during Support Group meetings. When collated, these needs drive the curriculum provided for students. Through this process, Individual Education Plans and personal goals for students are established. Many students present with challenging behaviour and require individual behaviour plans and modified or negotiated programming to ensure successful participation at school.
To help all our students to continue to build and develop their literacy skills, a research-based literacy program called InitiaLit has been introduced across our school curriculum. InitiaLit addresses reading, spelling and writing by explicitly teaching the relationship between sounds and letters which builds knowledge and understanding of word structure, providing students with a reliable set of skills and strategies to use when reading and writing words.
FUTURE PLANS
Baringa School has a continuing commitment to work together to improve all school environments. The concept of promoting positive student behaviour through positive programming continues to be an important underpinning program to support students in all areas of learning.
Curriculum priorities focus on student achievement and engagement through the extension of literacy and numeracy across the school, extension of information technology to support learning, and further training in improving teaching and learning across the school, with a particular emphasis on explicit teaching and differentiated learning.
Ensuring that staff have strong capabilities in relation to working in a special education setting will continue to be an important focus for professional learning, particularly as experienced and Special Education qualified staff retire, and new staff come into the school. Knowledge and understanding of the principles underpinning School Wide Positive Behaviour Support and Understanding Poverty are important aspects of our culture and beliefs in relation to student wellbeing and engagement.
