Koorie Education Children's Court Liaison Officer

**About the Department**

The role of the Department of Education is to support Victorians to build prosperous, socially engaged, happy and healthy lives. It does this by supporting lifelong learning and healthy development, strengthening families and helping to equip people with the skills and knowledge for a 21st century economy and society.

**About the Division**

**Student Wellbeing and Engagement Division**

The Student Wellbeing and Engagement Division is responsible for promoting and implementing regional and statewide consistency in areas relating to student health, wellbeing, inclusion, and engagement supports.

Divisional staff work closely with both local area and key central office program / policy areas to promote and support regional and statewide consistency and lead professional practice and coordination across the region relating to student health, wellbeing, inclusion and engagement support.

**About the Role**

**This role is Fixed Term Part-Time (0.7FTE) until 30 June, 2028.**

An exciting opportunity exists for you as a Koorie Education Children's Court Liaison Officer (KECCLO) in providing education advice and support for Koorie children and young people aged 10-17 years old who are coming into the Criminal Division of the Children's Courts and Koorie Children's Courts across Victoria. The KECCLO works in collaboration and coordination with key support services to re-connect the child/young person with their existing or new school or education/training setting. The KECCLO will work closely in partnership with Department of Education Area and Regional Teams, schools and other relevant key government agencies such as the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and Department of Justice and Community Safety.

The Children's Koori Court was established in 2005 to address the over-representation of Koorie young people in the criminal justice system. The Children's Court of Victoria has Children's Koori Courts located at the Melbourne Children's Court, Dandenong, Heidelberg, Mildura, Swan Hill, Shepparton, Morwell, Bairnsdale, Geelong and Warrnambool.

**This position is based in the Department of Education's North Western Victoria Region and is a 0.7 FTE ongoing role.**The KECCLO will be required to travel to Bendigo, Kyneton, Echuca and other Children's Court and Koorie Children's Court locations in the region to provide referral assistance for young people appearing before the Court.

The Officer will also be required to facilitate access to appropriate education options for Koorie young people on community-based youth justice orders.

To be successful in this role you will:

- Have extensive understanding of Koorie culture, education and community needs.
- Work collaboratively to guide others to create a culture of collaboration and identify, and work to overcome barriers through sharing knowledge and information
- Have experience in supporting schools and/or Koorie young people 'at-risk' or engaging with the criminal justice system (desirable)
- Have proven ability to effectively build and maintain strategic relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels through effective communication and exceptional consulting abilities
- Have effective problem-solving capability to resolve or escalate operational service queries
- Track record in identifying opportunities to work with other teams to deliver outcomes.
- Expertise in building and maintaining trust in partnerships, to achieve objectives through a timely delivery of high-quality outcomes.
- Expertise to facilitate discussions and navigate difference of opinions to reach decisions
- Provide a sense of purpose within the team by establishing links between work and impact to the community.

**Attributes**

Do you have experience working with vulnerable children and young people and the ability to navigate complex issues and make decisions that impact stakeholders both within and beyond your immediate work area? Are you flexible and do not mind some travel to different locations? Your capacity for collaboration, driving continuous improvement, and cultivating genuine relationships will be pivotal for your success in this role. To succeed in this role, you will have the ability to work effectively with local Koorie communities, demonstrating extensive knowledge and understanding of Koorie culture, education and community needs.

**Desirable**Qualifications and Experience**
- Extensive understanding of Koorie culture, education and community needs
- Bachelor's degree in Education, Social Science or similar is desirable but not essential
- Experience in supporting schools and/or Koorie young people 'at-risk' or engaging with the criminal justice system is desirable
- Proven ability to effectively engage and build positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels through effective communication and exceptional consulting abilities
- Effective problem-solving capability to resolve or escalate