Position Details

Apply for the Mental Health Advisor position at Royal Children’s Hospital in Parkville, VIC, AU. This full‑time on‑site role is a fixed‑term appointment until 30 June 2027, with 80 hours per fortnight. Date posted: 21 Jul 2026. Location: 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville.

About the Hospital

Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) is a cornerstone of Melbourne Children’s Campus, partnering with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The University of Melbourne, Department of Paediatrics, and The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation. Founded in 1870, RCH provides a full range of paediatric and adolescent health services, including tertiary and quaternary care for critically ill and medically complex patients across Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW, and beyond. With over 6,000 staff, an annual budget of $850M, 12 wards, 350 beds, and more than 300,000 specialist clinic appointments, 90,000 emergency department presentations, and 20,000 elective surgeries per year, RCH is committed to delivering evidence‑based care and maintaining high employee engagement, staff safety, and a culture of continuous improvement through the RCH Compact and Child Safe Standards.

About the Role

Reporting to the Director, Mental Health (SAPHER Project Clinical Lead) and part of the SAPHER Project team, this role supports clinical staff across the hospital and community services of the RCH Mental Health Service. Core responsibilities include integrating the Risk Assessment and Formulation Tool (RAFT) into routine clinical practice and the Electronic Medical Record, providing consultation, coaching, training, and practice support to strengthen evidence‑informed risk assessment, formulation, documentation and management, and building workforce capability to drive sustainable practice change across infant, child, and adolescent mental health services.

What You’ll Achieve

You will play a pivotal role in modernising mental health risk screening and management at RCH, developing and embedding RAFT within clinical workflows, enhancing the quality of risk documentation, and fostering a collaborative, partnership‑based approach to complex mental health interventions for infants and children.

Required Experience and Qualifications

Essential

- Tertiary qualification or equivalent in a relevant discipline.




- Current registration as an Occupational Therapist or Psychologist with the applicable Health Practitioner Board, or a qualified Social Worker or Speech Pathologist.
- Minimum 5 years’ relevant postgraduate clinical mental health experience.

Desirable

- Additional formal training in risk screening, assessment and management systems.
- Experience in teaching and supervision of specialist mental health clinical staff.
- Experience working in partnership with other community mental health teams and community/family welfare agencies to plan and implement interventions for infants and children experiencing complex mental health problems.
- Completion of the Developmental Psychiatry Course (DPC) and/or postgraduate training in a relevant area.

Discipline‑specific requirements

- For Social Work applicants: Degree in Social Work from an accredited university, eligibility for membership of AASW, meeting AASW accreditation standards for Continuing Professional Education, and upholding the AASW Code of Ethics.
- For Occupational Therapy applicants: OT degree or equivalent from an accredited institution, registration with AHPRA, and adherence to the Code of Ethics, OT Australia.
- For Psychology applicants: Accredited master’s or doctoral program in a relevant area, general registration with the Psychology Board of Australia, minimum 5 years skilled experience as a Psychologist Grade 2 or equivalent, Area of Practice Endorsement, supervisor status, and adherence to the Psychology Board’s Code of Conduct.
- For Speech Pathology applicants: Degree in Speech Pathology from an accredited university, eligibility for Certified Practising Membership with Speech Pathology Australia, and adherence to the SPA Code of Ethics.
- For Nursing applicants: Current registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) via APHRA, postgraduate certificate in Nursing, Education or Paediatrics, or equivalent, and clinical nurse educator or equivalent role.

About RCH Mental Health

RCH Mental Health is a Level5 tertiary infant,



child and family area mental health and wellbeing service providing community and hospital‑based services. The intake and assessment team is based in Parkville, with multidisciplinary community‑based teams in Travancore, StAlbans and Hoppers Crossing. Following recommendations from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s mental health services, RCH Mental Health focuses on tertiary specialist care for infants and children aged 0‑11years and implements contemporary models of care to support families through recovery and hope. The RCH Child HOPE team focuses on the 5‑11year age group and early intervention/prevention of suicides.

What We Offer

- Salary packaging to increase take‑home pay.
- Employee Assistance Program.
- Access to Fitness Passport and extensive choice of fitness facilities.
- Staff Wellbeing Hub and staff immunisation.
- Early Learning Centre childcare at the Parkville location.
- Discounted on‑site parking and nearby retail and food outlets.
- Professional development and special events.
- Culture of continuous improvement.
- Flexible work options.
- Current National Criminal Record Check and, where applicable, a Working with Children Check.

Requirements

Applicants must have a current National Criminal Record Check (or be willing to obtain one) and comply with RCH’s “Staff Immunisation – Prevention of Vaccine‑Preventable Diseases” procedure, including annual influenza vaccination for CategoryA andB roles, except where a medical exemption has been accepted. Vaccination against other diseases may be required, and a vaccination history statement will be required at the time of employment.

Application Process

To apply, submit a resume and a tailored cover letter outlining your skills, experience, and suitability for the position, in line with the requirements above. Shortlisting will commence immediately. For more information, contact Dr Chidambaram Prakash, Director Mental Health, at or email

Equal Opportunity

The RCH is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, all members of the LGBTQI community, and people with disability.

Closing Date

Applications close 4August2026.

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📌 Mental Health Advisor at Royal Children's Hospital (Melbourne)
🏢 Royal Children's Hospital
📍 Melbourne