Head of Health

Children's Ground is a First Nations organisation. The Children's Ground Approach is designed and delivered through the leadership of First Nations people. We are committed to systems change to ensure dignity, justice and equity for all children and families. Our work focuses on national reform as well as evidencing a new way of working.

The Children's Ground Approach is a whole of community, whole of life approach. We privilege First Nations knowledge systems and practice. Over the course of a generation, led by local expertise, we create and deliver an integrated system that is centred on learning, development and wellbeing that responds to the child and their family through the key transition points from pre-birth to young adulthood.

Our approach recognises the cultural, social, and economic strength of our communities. We build on this over a generation to ensure a future for our children and grandchildren that gives them freedom, opportunity and rights to their culture and identity.

Children's Ground operates in Central Australia and across the Top End, with support provided by a Melbourne-based Shared Services team.

About you

We are seeking an experienced Health Professional with experience in program management or a senior organisational position. The person will require significant experience in health promotion and have a strong understanding &/or experience working with First Nations communities. Someone who is comfortable managing people and working collaboratively with our Learning & Wellbeing team to deliver and respond to the population health needs of each local community we work with.

About the role

The Head of Health and Wellbeing – Central Australia will lead the Family Health and Wellbeing Team, a small multi-disciplinary team that delivers the Children's Ground Family Health and Wellbeing Framework, Utnenge, Tyerrtye, Mwerre Atnyenetyeke Iltye Tyerrtye Urrperle–kenhenge (Health in the Hands of the People) to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals and families in the communities we work in.

Health in the Hands of the People includes recognition and support of local traditional cultural knowledge systems and practices and the agency of consumers. It also includes Western approaches to improved health outcomes through health promotion, social and emotional wellbeing, maternal and child health and environmental health programs. The Health team will develop and implement family health plans with individuals and families and create and deliver responses to population health needs within each local community.

The Health team will work proactively, collaborating with internal and external partners. The Head of Health is expected to participate in health promotion program delivery on country and in community as part of our integrated early years learning program.

Key Responsibilities

• Under the direction of the Regional Director, deliver the Children's Ground Family Health & Wellbeing Framework, "Health in the Hands of the People", to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals and families.
• Deliver the Children's Ground Family Health Model:
• With community, develop, assess, and monitor population health/health promotion priorities and manage and implement responses for improved health outcomes.
• Manage the health team in a culturally appropriate manner.
• Support the integration of health and wellbeing into Children's Ground Early Childhood Curriculum, daily learning and development initiatives for children aged 0-12 years, including social and emotional wellbeing, physical health, nutrition, oral health, environmental health, and disease prevention.
• Develop, coordinate, and implement family health and wellbeing plans.
• Support local First Nations people to navigate the public, not-for-profit, and private health systems.
• Oversee infectious disease prevention and response work.
• Design, support, and maintain outreach programs for the region.
• Establish relationships with NTG and interstate clinical health providers and educators.
• Participate in early learning program delivery sessions by designing and leading health promotion activities for children and adults.
• Ensure documentation, policies, procedures, and systems are in place and compliant.
• Monitor and report on data to meet evaluation needs.
• Recruit, induct, review performance, and mentor health staff.
• Ensure activities are delivered with quality and integrity.
• Build relationships with key partners, local organizations, and government health agencies.