Overview
Work Type: Fixed-term - Full-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Grade not specified
Occupation: Leadership and management
Location: Melbourne - Northern suburbs
Reference:
Location Profile
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
The Department leads the delivery of education and development services to children, young people and adults both directly through government schools and indirectly through the regulation and funding of early childhood services, non-government schools and training programs. Information about the structure of the Department, including details about each of our Ministers, key staff, regional offices, strategy and annual reports are available at:
ORGANISATIONAL VALUES
Victorian Public Sector Values DE employees commit to the public sector values as outlined in Section 7 of the Public Administration Act 2004, DE has adopted these values
* Responsiveness
* Integrity
* Impartiality
* Accountability
* Respect
* Leadership
* Human Rights
For more information on the DE's values, visit:
Selection Criteria
KEY SELECTION CRITERIA
Human leadership
Develops constructive and respectful relationships with staff, students, carers and stakeholders, characterised by high expectations and optimism, and proactively leads peers and colleagues to fully engage with students in care. Demonstrates effective people management and contributes to the personal and professional development of staff. Sets a clear vision for the LOOKOUT Centre and a strategy for achieving the Centre's goals.
Educational leadership
Understands and has experience in using trauma-informed approaches to improve student learning and engagement. Sets high expectations for all students and reinforces student achievements. Understands and demonstrates the requirements for quality education provision, the characteristics of effective school leadership and strategies for improving student outcomes. Understands and promotes high expectations of what students in care can and should achieve, and relentlessly pursues equity in outcomes for them.
Symbolic leadership
Creates and sustains effective professional networks amongst the stakeholders connected with the LOOKOUT Centre and extends that professional learning to schools and Early Childhood Education and Care settings who are supporting children and young people in care. Shows experience in working in partnerships with other principals, schools and stakeholders to develop strong and collaborative professional relationships that directly benefit vulnerable learners. Speaks out for better outcomes for children and young people in care in our schools in professional and public forums.
Cultural leadership
Has experience in trauma-informed education leadership and practice, including developing staff to incorporate trauma-informed practice in classroom settings. Leads the LOOKOUT Centre by unifying staff and stakeholders around a common purpose underpinned by values of inclusion, professional practice, peer learning and high expectations for the service to learners. Demonstrates a good understanding of the specific issues affecting children and young people in care and takes on the role of a committed corporate parent. Shows the ability to challenge decisions made by stakeholders that could have a negative impact on educational opportunities and outcomes for children and young people in care. Demonstrates positive interpersonal skills, including dealing sensitively with people and resolving conflict promptly.
Technical leadership
Demonstrates a capacity to effectively lead and get the best from the Centre's staff and financial resources by applying sound management practices and administrative systems and processes that contribute to the implementation of the LOOKOUT Centre's vision and goals. Oversees data collection and monitoring systems for children and young people in care and uses this information to both track individual student progress and make recommendations for system-level service improvement Demonstrates how to use data and research to promote the LOOKOUT Centre as a centre of excellence and improve outcomes for children and young people in care. Has proven knowledge of the principles and practices of quality assurance systems including school reviews, and uses these to challenge poor performance and outcomes.
Role
ROLE CONTEXT
The Victorian government has established the LOOKOUT Centres to act as the advocate for our out-of-home care children and young people in the education system. As corporate parents we behave as all caring and responsible parents do, wanting and demanding the absolute best for our children. We make sure our children and young people attend the best possible education setting and that the adults who support them have the highest possible expectations for their success and their futures. We ensure access to support services and the full range of personal learning experiences tailored to our children and young people's interests and needs.
The LOOKOUT Centre is a virtual setting - not a physical institution - that performs a critical advocacy, support and entitlement function by securing the rights and best outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care within our existing educational system. It will monitor and track children and young people between placements and ensure they do not fall through the cracks but are provided with consistency and a positive focus on their educational progress. The LOOKOUT Centre can provide critical support to the schools in terms of knowledge of each student's progress through placements and their education plan.
LOOKOUT Centre staff are located across regional offices within each region, making the team geographically diverse.
The LOOKOUT Centre will:
* set educational outcome targets for children and young people in care
* monitor and evaluate the educational progress of children and young people in care
* manage additional funding
* support the development of the child's Individual Education Plan
* help to evaluate the quality of educational provision accessed by children and young people
* build the capability of internal and external stakeholders to support the child or young person in education
* facilitate access to a range of additional services and supports that may not be available through the young person's school or the child's funded kindergarten.
* challenge decisions that may have a negative impact on a child or young person's progress acting as an advocate for young people and their carers
ROLE PURPOSE & KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
The principal of the LOOKOUT Centre will lead a group of experienced staff whose sole focus will be to pull the levers of government and the education system to better support children and young people for whom we, the state government, are legal parents. Each LOOKOUT Centre is staffed by a team comprised of Learning Advisors, Early Childhood Learning Advisors, Psychologist, Koorie Cultural Advisor.
The principal and team will work together and with schools across each Region to provide children and young people in court-ordered care with whatever advantage they can access through the resources available to the Department of Education, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and partner agencies. Through these resources and partnerships the principal will - as any assertive parent would - advocate for the best educational outcome for students in care. This includes advocating for children and young people to attend the best possible schools and making sure that the adults who support them have the highest possible expectations for their success and futures.
In addition, the principal and Early Childhood Learning Advisors will work with Area teams, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) and local government to support the access and participation of preschool aged children in care to access funded kindergarten.
The principal will build the skills of staff across the system who work with children and young people in care. The principal will draw on professional networks across school, local government, human services and community settings to constantly seek advantages for these children and young people knowing that doing so can help redress the difficult start in life so many children and young people have experienced.
The LOOKOUT Centre will work to ensure that children and young people in care make good educational progress and that no young person will leave the compulsory education system without employment, education or training.
Responsibilities
REQUIRED CAPABILITIES
* Executive Leadership
* Teamwork
* Organisational awareness
* Influence and negotiation
* Stakeholder management
* Relationship building
* Interpersonal skills
* Conceptual and Analytical ability
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES AND KEY ACTIVITIES
Advocacy and Partnerships
* work closely with all regional schools with students in care to advocate for their individual needs and ensure the best educational outcomes for the students
* advocate for the educational needs of children and young people within their care settings, and to build the capability and understanding of carers / case managers to work with funded kindergartens and schools to support educational outcomes and facilitating learning in care setting
* work closely with officers from the DFFH, Department of Education and non-Government providers of care services to ensure the LOOKOUT Centre meets the educational needs of children and young people
* advocate for the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in care to address their cultural and educational needs
* monitor kindergarten and school enrolments and intervene if the educational placement will not provide suitable education or meet the needs of the student according to their Individual Education Plan
* report to a governance structure overseeing the LOOKOUT Centre operations
* broker appropriate interventions and placements to support children and young people in care, addressing individual barriers to learning and their engagement in a funded kindergarten, school or appropriate education or training facility
* work alongside DFFH to contribute to the care planning for children and young people including education input into placement decisions.
Leadership and Management
* build the capability of schools and education providers to address disengagement for this cohort and partner together to develop innovative and evidence based supports
* build the capability of teachers and educators to adopt trauma informed practice including evidence based, tailored teaching and learning strategies, resilience programs and emotional and behavioural supports
* lead the multi-disciplinary LOOKOUT Centre team to ensure each student in care has an Individual Education Plan and Student Support Group established at their enrolling school
* be proactive in disseminating good practice on working with schools
* investigate and promote cost effective interventions that may be able to be procured by enrolling schools and supporting schools partnerships to generate local innovative and evidence based options
* contribute to the development of a data system that captures and monitors information regarding educational outcomes and care status of children and young people
* use data captured through the LOOKOUT Centre and provided by DFFH and DE, to monitor the enrolment status, location and achievement of students in care
* work with schools in instances of suspensions and expulsions and where appropriate advocating to ensure children and young people receive adequate support
* establish and manage financial systems in accordance with Departmental requirements
* represent the Department in the LOOKOUT Centre and local community
* manage the resources available to the LOOKOUT Centre
* involve staff, students and their advocates and stakeholders (including DFFH) in the development, implementation and review of LOOKOUT Centre policies, programs and operations where appropriate
* report to the Department and external stakeholders on the achievements of individual students as appropriate
* contribute to the development of policy and practice to improve education outcomes in Victoria for children and young people in care
Performance Management
* provide professional leadership and development for LOOKOUT Centre staff
* provide professional leadership and development for designated teachers in schools who have the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of the Out-of-Home Care Education Commitment in their school.
* implement and sustain effective systems for managing direct staff performance, and consistently apply principles of workforce diversity and equal opportunity
* support staff to continually improve their practice through participating in appropriate professional development
Who May Apply
Appropriately qualified individuals currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.
EEO AND OHS Commitment
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.
The Department of Education is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, and diversity and inclusion for all. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, 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 family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for persons with a disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).
Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via
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
QUALIFICATIONS
* Essential: Tertiary qualifications in relevant discipline
* Desirable: Post Graduate Degree in relevant discipline
OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
* Applicants should keep a copy of the position description as it cannot be accessed once the job has closed.
* Applicants are required to submit a CV and a cover letter (no more than 2 pages).
* Visit for guidelines and tips for applying for government positions and addressing key selection criteria.
* The Department of Education (DE) is committed to diversity. The Department places considerable effort and resources into responding to the needs of employees with a disability.
* People from disadvantaged groups are encouraged to apply for this position.
* Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants can contact Brett West, Yamatji man, in the Koorie Outcomes Division to talk about the recruitment process, the Department and supports for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in the department. Mobile: or email on:
* Successful applicants are subject to a satisfactory criminal record check prior to employment. New DE employees are required to meet the cost of the criminal record check.
* If appointed from outside DE, successful applicants will be required to complete a pre-employment health declaration.
* A probationary period of up to 6 months may apply for a person appointed to an ongoing position from outside the Public Service or the Teaching Service.
* All DE employees are required to comply with relevant legislation, including legislation regarding the management of Departmental records, the Code of Conduct for Victorian public sector employees and Departmental policies and procedures in the conduct of their employment.
* Standard public service terms and conditions apply. Information about DE's operations and employment conditions can be obtained from the following websites: and
* To support DE's commitment to its Environmental Management System, DE employees are expected to act in an environmentally responsible manner at all times.
* For Allied Health employees working in the regions, a current driver's licence is mandatory, and a capacity to access private transport with approved comprehensive insurance cover.
* For regulatory early childhood employees working in the regions, a current driver's licence is mandatory.
PRIVACY NOTIFICATION
We are collecting your personal information for the purposes of processing and considering your application for employment. We will use and disclose the information we collect from you only for these purposes. Unsuccessful job applications are retained for six (6) months and then securely destroyed. Your personal information is kept secure and confidential and managed in accordance with the Department of Education Information Privacy Policy. If you have any concerns about how your information is being managed or wish to obtain a copy of the Department's Information Privacy Policy please contact Corporate People Services on or visit our website
VIT LANTITE
To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class a person must have provisional or full registration from the Victorian Institute of Teaching. In addition, from 3 August 2020, to be eligible for employment in the principal class or teacher class, a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial
Teacher Education program after 1 July 2016, must 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 Initial Teacher Education program completed by the person.
Conditions of Employment
* 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
Applications close Sunday 14 September 2025 at 11.59pm
Posted
1 September 2025