Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader

**Overview**:
**Work type**:Part time

**Salary**:Salary not specified

**Grade**:Classroom Teacher Range 2

**Occupation**: Education and Training

**Location**: Warragul

**Reference**: 1467172

**Location Profile**:
Neerim District Rural Primary School (No. 5394) was established in 1993 at 145 Nayook-Powelltown Road Nayook 3832 resulting from the merger of the (former) Nayook Primary School (No. 3227) and Neerim East Primary School (No. 3158). Declining enrolments resulted in the school being non-operational (previously known as de-staffed) at the end of 2019.

The school had been non-operational since the end of 2019 but was never formally closed.
Following growing community interest, the Department of Education prepared the site for reopening on day 1 term 1 2025.

Staffing consists of a teaching principal, one full time teacher, 0.5 MHWL and a 0.5 Business Manager. The current enrolment for the school is 15.

This is a unique educational setting where students enjoy a small student-centred environment in a beautiful heritage building with a range of learning spaces, extensive playground space, which is shared with a local playgroup. Students are creative independent thinkers. Parents are passionate about their school and the place it fills within their community.

Neerim District Rural Primary School is located 124 kilometres southeast of Melbourne in Baw Baw Shire (West Gippsland). The next closest school is Neerim South Primary School, 12 kilometres away.

**Selection Criteria**:
**SC1** Demonstrated high level of knowledge of the relevant curriculum, including the ability to incorporate the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills. Demonstrated high level of ability to respond to student learning needs.

**SC2** Demonstrated high level of ability to plan for and implement high impact teaching strategies, guided by how students learn, and evaluate the impact of learning and teaching programs on student learning growth.

**SC3** Demonstrated high level of ability to monitor and assess student learning. Demonstrated high level of ability to use data to inform teaching practice and to provide feedback on student learning growth and achievement to students and parents.

**SC4** Demonstrated high level of interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated high level of ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with students, parents, colleagues and the broader school community to support student learning, agency, wellbeing and engagement.

**SC5** Demonstrated behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values. Demonstrated high level of ability to reflect upon practice and engage in professional learning to continually improve the quality of teaching.

**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 2023, by 2026 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 2020 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 programs, 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 iden