Mental Health Practitioner Es1-4 Ongoing negotiable

Location: Melbourne | Southern Metropolitan

Job type: Full time / From 28/01/2025

Organisation: Schools (Government)

**Salary**: Salary not specified

Occupation: Health and Allied Health

Reference: 1454861

**Location Profile**:
**Location Profile**

Keysborough Secondary College is a multi-campus school with one campus in Keysborough (Acacia Campus) and one in Springvale South (Banksia Campus). Both campuses offer programs for students in years 7-12 with an organisational structure arranged around Junior and Senior sub-schools.

Student achievement and engagement is generally above Like School groups and retention is high. Our student population is culturally and linguistically diverse and characterised by families of high SFOE as a result of which the college attracts significant Equity Funding. General Satisfaction with the College, as measured by the Parent Opinion Survey, is consistently high and in 2024 was 86%.

Our values of Respect, Excellence and Diversity are strongly promoted across the college and our college vision states: Keysborough Secondary College is committed to excellence by raising the achievements of all our students. The school community will provide an environment that enables them to achieve their personal best in each of their intellectual, creative, sporting and social pursuits. Through their voice and leadership, our students will be encouraged to make a difference by being active participants in their community. They will have the ability to succeed independently in life and empowered to achieve their ambitions.

Keysborough Secondary College has undergone an extensive renewal program with the construction of two Junior Village neighbourhoods, a Senior Village neighbourhood, and a purpose-built STEM Centre on each Campus. Construction or refurbishment of a Food Technology, The Arts and Technology Centre on each campus has also been completed. The final stage has been completed for the new Administration Centre on the Banksia Campus and the refurbishment of the Music area at the Acacia Campus.

**Selection Criteria**:
SC1. 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.

SC2. 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.

SC3. 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.

SC4. Demonstrated experience in coordinating supports for young people with complex needs including referrals to a range of specialist services as appropriate.

SC5. Highly developed communication, networking and interpersonal skills including the ability to liaise effectively with a wide range of people.

SC6. Clear understanding of legislative requirements regarding privacy of health information.

SC7. Demonstrated ability to actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all children in line with the Child Safe Standards.

**Role**:
The Mental Health Practitioners (MHP) initiative was announced by the Minister for Education in late 2018 to expand mental health and wellbeing support in government schools. The initiative provides for a suitably qualified mental health professional in all government secondary school campuses and specialist school (with secondary-aged enrolments) settings.

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.
- Education support class level 1 range 4_

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 míni