Aboriginal Mental Health and Social Emotional Wellbeing Worker

Hunter New England Mental Health Services respectfully acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the custodians of the land in which our mental health facilities are located. We pay our respects to our Elders who are the knowledge holders of our culture and who keep our traditions, rituals, song lines alive. We respect the continuing connection to sky, land, rivers, seas and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and its interconnectedness to social, emotional, physical, spiritual mental health and wellbeing. We acknowledge the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities within our district, the staff who work with us and the Aboriginal services and organisations who partner with us to improve mental health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across our footprint. We ask all those that walk, work and live on traditional Aboriginal lands to be respectful of culture and traditions._

**Remuneration**: $62,512 - $90,357 per annum + super + salary packaging
**Employment Type**: Temporary part-time until 28th June 2026
**Position Classification**:Aboriginal Health Worker
**Hours Per Week**: 20
**Location**: Awabakal and Worimi lands
**Requisition ID**: REQ566749
**Applications Close**: Thursday, 8th May 2025
- This is a position identified for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people on the basis of a genuine occupational qualification under section 14(d) of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977. Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander applicants must demonstrate Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status in addition to addressing the selection criteria._

**About us**:
YAMHS Wiyilliin Ta is a standalone clinical in reach and care coordination speciality service with a multidisciplinary team that provides transitioning of care coordination, clinical yarning, cultural consultation and healing across the lifespan for HNE specialist mental health services within the Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD). YAMHS is delivered by mob for mob in partnership with Aboriginal communities across HNE footprint. Wiyiliin ta is a child and adolescent counselling service which is part of the YAMHS service. The YAMHS Wiyiliin Ta team consists of Aboriginal team leaders and Aboriginal mental health clinicians, Aboriginal mental health professional trainees/undergraduates, project officers, admins who work with children/young people and their parents/carers/family and their communities to provide high quality culturally appropriate mental health assessment, care planning, implementation and evaluation services using best practice principles associated with collaborative partnerships with consumers, families, the multidisciplinary team and other key stakeholders.
You will work in the YAMHS Wiyiliin Ta team yarning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families, whilst working with staff to support the development of a cultural healing model of care service across the lifespan for a culturally safe emergency care pathway that is designed in a wraparound support response specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The initiative is fully led and staffed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clinicians and social emotional wellbeing workers.

You will spend your time in the emergency departments, inpatient and community mental health settings and you will yarn with mob, who have a lived experience of mental illness to enable guidance and development of cultural programs that promote healing and connection to culture, self and the broader Aboriginal community.

Most of all you won’t be alone and will be part of Deadly team who have the same commitment to improving outcomes for our mob to increase early help seeking, reduce prevalence of crises and improve pathways and supports across the lifespan in partnership with Aboriginal people, their communities and Aboriginal community organisations.

**About the role**:
YAMHS Wiyiliin Ta has 35 Aboriginal multidisciplinary staff who work in an acute mental health service. Your role will be located at the YAMHS hub at Newcastle. Not one day is the same you may be yarning in the emergency departments with mob one day and the next you could be in the inpatient units of adult or child, adolescence or you may be in community being part of care coordination of programs or networking and engaging with mob to establish a healing model of care approach for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the lifespan. YAMHS is breaking down the barriers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing acute emergency care by creating a culturally safe and welcoming environment from the moment our mob arrive in mental health services and ensuring that culture and community are central to clinical care. YAMHS Wiyiliin Ta works in partnership with the Calvary Mater emergency department, HNE mental health services and Awabakal Wiyala medical services to help improve access to