Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader

**Overview**:
**Work Type**:Fixed-term - Part-time

**Salary**: Salary not specified

**Grade**:Classroom Teacher - Range 2

**Occupation**:Classroom teacher

**Location**:Melbourne - Southern suburbs

**Reference**:1487291

**Selection Criteria**:
**KSC1 - Content of teaching and learning**
Demonstrated expertise in building staff capability to embed mental health and wellbeing into teaching and learning, with the ability to lead professional learning, community engagement and influence whole-school practice and network initiatives.

**KSC2 - Teaching practice**
Proven ability to design, document, implement and evaluate evidence-based curriculum and wellbeing strategies aligned with school priorities and the departments Positive Classroom Management Strategies framework.

**KSC3 - Assessment and reporting of student learning**
Demonstrated capacity to lead and coordinate support for students with complex needs by managing referral pathways and working collaboratively with external services and allied health professionals.

**KSC4 - Interaction with the school community**
Highly developed interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong, collaborative relationships with students, staff, families, local school network and external partners in support of student wellbeing, learning and engagement.

**KSC5 - Professional requirements**
Strong capacity to lead school wide change, influence others and build shared ownership of wellbeing initiatives by leveraging expertise, research and stakeholder input.

**Role**:
**Role context**
- 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.
- DE piloted the Mental Health in Primary Schools -initiative in Victorian schools between 2020 and 2022 in partnership with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. Evaluation of this pilot program showed that 95 per cent of Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders consider the Mental Health in Primary Schools model improved their schools 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, based on a broad knowledge of the needs of the school community.

**Role**
- The Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader is a highly accomplished and experienced educator who leads the development and implementation of a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing. This role demands deep knowledge of student development, mental health promotion, and school systems, alongside a demonstrated capacity to influence and lead change across teams.
- The role of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader is to:

- build capability of the whole school about 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.
- Working in close partnership with school leaders, wellbeing teams and external agencies, the leader ensures that the schools approach to wellbeing is coherent, data-informed and strategically aligned. They design and oversee referral pathways, coordinate targeted supports, and foster strong partnerships with services to improve outcomes for students with emerging or identified needs.
- While not a clinical or therapeutic role, the leader plays a critical function in facilitating timely referrals and aligning wraparound supports for students. The role also involves proactive work in promoting mental health literacy, evaluating program effectiveness, and contributing to school and network-level initiatives.
- Ongoing professional learning is provided through structured learning communities facilitated by the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Education and supported by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader is a highly experienced and qualified teacher who works across the school to implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing for students, based on a broad knowledge of the needs of the school community.

**Responsibilities**:

- Lead a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing that prioritises prevention, promotion and early identification
- Develo