Occupation: Health and allied health

Location: Gippsland - Wellington

Reference: 1551326

Location Profile

Maffra Secondary College is a regional college which caters for students in Years 7-12. Maffra is located two and half hours from Melbourne but within one hours drive of both the sea and mountains. Our enrolments sit at approximately 540 and a majority of our students travel to and from our school by bus from neighbouring towns. This number of students makes it small enough to allow positive relationships to be formed, but large enough to provide a wide range of options for our students. Our Strategic Plan goals are to improve student learning, student engagement and student wellbeing.

Maffra Secondary College provides learning and leadership opportunities for all students both within the school and the wider community. There is a focus on providing a positive learning environment where all individuals are accepted, inspired and empowered to succeed. We want our students to be actively involved in their learning and through student voice and agency, contribute to not only the development of the curriculum but also to improving the school environment and working with neighbouring cluster schools and the local community.

Our college values Respect, Learning, Community and Resilience, along with our 10 Expected Behaviours guide and underpin our high expectations of behaviour for staff, students, and our parent/caregiver community and we always strive to achieve the highest standard possible in these areas.

Selection Criteria





- Ability to implement a range of small group and whole-school mental health 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 wellbeing issues, and providing evidence-based direct counselling support to clients with a range of mental health needs.
- 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.

Role

Operating in collaboration with the relevant Department of Education Regional Mental Health Branch, this role has the following functions:





- Enhancing mental health prevention and promotion activities in the school by contributing to whole-school health and wellbeing plans, building the capability of teaching staff and school leadership to address matters relating to student mental health and wellbeing, and helping to develop and deliver appropriate programs and strategies in the school according to specified school priorities
- Providing early intervention services (including short-term counselling) for individual students and groups identified as at-risk and/or experiencing or demonstrating mild to moderate mental health concerns; and
- Coordinating supports for students with complex needs both within and external to the school, including proactively working with regions, local mental health service providers and other health professionals to engage further support as required.

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 skilled 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).

- Providing advice and professional learning to others, including teachers and other school wellbeing staff, to build the cap

📌 Mental Health Practitioner (East Gippsland Shire)
🏢 Government schools
📍 East Gippsland Shire