Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader/PE Teacher
Department of Education Victoria – Ballarat VIC
8d ago, from Department of Education & Training Victoria
To develop academically and socially confident students in an engaging learning environment, where they are inspired to reach their full potential.
Values
Respect:
Showing care and concern for self, others and property. (Be thoughtful)
Excellence:
In the achievement of individual and team goals. (Do your best.)
Integrity:
Of individuals in their words, actions and relationships. (Do the right thing.)
Responsibility:
For our words and actions. (Be in charge of yourself)
Mission
To provide support to motivate and stimulate our learners on their life-long learning journey.
Context
Waubra Primary School is a picturesque rural school that is located on the Sunraysia Highway, 32km north of Ballarat in a rural environment. There is a wide diversity of parent occupations. The school has a committed, talented and professional staff with a positive range of skills and abilities. The school has always developed and maintained the well-resourced teaching areas which include the original school building which is comprised of the administration office, principal office, staff room, junior classroom and music room, the new building provided through the Building the Education Revolution programme houses three classrooms and an open area, and a multi-purpose learning space for art and indoor physical education.
It has approximately 54 students. The school has been an important part of the community since its opening in **** and Waubra Primary School is proud of its history and tradition and looks forward to the future with confidence.
The school is held in high regard within and beyond the community.
The Waubra school community has the expectation that all children will reach their full academic and personal potential with the school providing appropriate curriculum programs and effective teaching practices.
Whilst the key focus of the school is on Literacy and Numeracy, classroom programs provide a broad curriculum across all key learning areas – the Arts, English, Health, Physical Education, Mathematics, AUSLAN, Digital Technology, Science, Humanities and Technology.
Student enrichment activities include sport, performing arts, instrumental music tuition, special days, the annual concert, excursions, incursions and camps. Students enjoy opportunities for leadership and values-based education. A number of teams compete in school competitions, supported by teachers and parents.
Technology use is integrated across the curriculum and the school has a 1-to-1 laptop programme from Foundation grade 6.
Parents and community members are very involved in all aspects of the school environment. We encourage parents and community members to take an active part in their child's learning through information evenings and the school's open-door policy.
Selection Criteria
SC1
Content of teaching and learning
. Demonstrated ability to inform and influence the work of others involved in the engagement, mental health, wellbeing or learning of children and young people.
SC2
Teaching practice
. Demonstrated ability to input into the development, implementation and evaluation of processes and strategies relating to mental health, wellbeing or learning.
SC3
Assessment and reporting of student learning
. Demonstrated ability to support a student's mental health, wellbeing or learning by developing and maintaining connection with external services.
SC4
Interaction with the school community
. Demonstrated high level interpersonal skills and communication skills. Demonstrated high level of capability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with students, parents, other employees and the broader school community to focus on student learning, wellbeing and engagement.
SC5
Professional requirements
. Demonstrated ability to influence and negotiate by gaining buy-in and ownership for ideas, gaining agreement to proposals, or involving experts or other third parties to strengthen a case.
Role
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 ****, by **** 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 **** 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:
Build capability of the whole school with regard to mental health and wellbeing (identification, promotion and prevention).
Provide support to staff to better identify and support students with mental health needs.
Establish clear pathways for referral for students requiring assessment and intervention, and monitor and evaluate student progress.
The role provides a proactive focus for the promotion and prevention of mental health and wellbeing through assessment and implementation of context-relevant programmes, 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.
Responsibilities
Promote a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing to students, staff and families.
Support teachers and school staff to expand their capacity to embed evidence-based mental health strategies, interventions and programmes and build mental health literacy to identify and support primary school students with mental health concerns.
Collaborate with school staff to inform, influence and provide input into teaching and learning relating to mental health and wellbeing. Provide support to school staff and classroom teachers to build their capabilities to embed mental health into the classroom.
Work with school leadership and wellbeing teams to embed whole-school approaches to mental health into school planning and strategic processes. Coordinate clear referral pathways internally (within school) and externally (to community services) for students identified as requiring further assessment and intervention.
Proactively work with and support regional staff, school wellbeing and leadership teams, teachers, parents/carers and other external agencies to coordinate targeted mental health support for primary-school students.
Contribute to the school's existing wellbeing team.
Who May Apply
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.
Diversity and Inclusion
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].
Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if successful, to request a reduced time fraction. Requests will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.
Child Safe Standards
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:
DE Values
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:
Other Information
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
Qualifications Requirements
The person must have provisional or full registration approved by the Victorian Institute of Teaching; and
If the person completed an Australian postgraduate level initial teaching program or course of study on or after 1 January ****, they must demonstrate that they have satisfactorily completed a postgraduate level accredited initial teacher education program that has been accredited by an Australian State or Territory Teacher Regulatory Authority as satisfying the requirements of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership 'Accreditation of initial teacher education programmes in Australia: Standards and Procedures'; and
A person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program after 1 July **** must also demonstrate that they have passed the literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education (LANTITE) requirements (this condition is satisfied where the LANTITE requirement is part of the Victorian ITE program completed by the person).
Important Information for Applicants
All applicants must be experienced and highly capable of teaching students of all learning levels.
Applications must address the specified selection criteria.
Applicants must make every attempt to lodge applications through Recruitment Online.
In the rare case that applicants are unable to access Recruitment Online, email applications will be accepted at [email].
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