Therapeutic Garden Program Lead

Location: Melbourne | Parkville

Job type: Full time

Organisation: The Royal Children's Hospital

**Salary**: $86,000 - $99,000

Occupation: Medical and Nursing

Reference: 10627
- Parkville, Melbourne location
- Work for Australia’s leading Children’s Hospital
- Challenging and rewarding work environment

**About the Role**

This is a rare opportunity to be a part of the Therapeutic Garden Program in a coordinator role at the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), which affords the opportunity to support holistic care at the forefront of acute paediatric medicine.

This is a Permanent Part Time position at 0.6 EFT (45.6 hours per fortnight) within the Child Life Therapy department.

In this role you will coordinate, develop and implement the Therapeutic Garden Program which supports patients and their families to engage in the natural environment to optimise experiences of wellbeing. A range of garden based modalities including planting, weeding, mosaicking etc. are utilised to engage patients in a natural environment. All garden experiences are offered to patients in conjunction with their treating medical teams. With several designated garden spaces available at the RCH, patients and their families can engage in these areas in a collaborative way. This role is also responsible for the maintenance and development of these designated therapeutic garden spaces.

**What you'll achieve**:

- Develop innovative therapeutic garden practices aligned with the RCH’s Strategic Plan
- Develop and implement therapeutic garden experiences aligned with a family centred model of care
- Collaborate with clinical staff, working as part of a multidisciplinary care team
- Lead service improvement and evidence-based practice in the Garden Program

Classification for this position will range from VY6-VY9 (base salary $86,730 to $00,699 per annum, plus superannuation).

**Your skills and experience**:

- Tertiary qualification or equivalent in Recreational Therapy, Education or relevant Allied Health discipline
- Current VIT Registration (registered teacher) or current registration with AHPRA or relevant professional body (for example The Occupational Therapy Board of Australia or AASW for Social workers)
- Minimum of 2 years continuous and work experience in relevant discipline
- Thorough understanding of childhood development between the ages of 0-18 years
- Horticultural experience or strong interest in horticulture
- Demonstrated commitment to work and contribute as part of a team

If this sounds like you, click **here** to view the position description.

**About Child Life Therapy department**

Child Life Therapy engages children, young people and their families to support their understanding and help them cope with the stress and uncertainty associated with hospitalisation. We educate by using evidence-based, developmentally appropriate interventions including procedural preparation, distraction, medical and therapeutic play to empower children and young people to gain mastery of their hospital experience.

**What we offer**:

- Staff Wellbeing Hub
- Salary Packaging - Increase your take home pay

**Other requirements**:

- Current National Criminal Record Check, or willing to obtain
- Valid Working with Children Check
- Current NDIS Worker Screening Check, or willing to obtain (if applicable)
- Compliance with RCHs “Staff Immunisation - Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases” procedure

**Application process**
To apply, you will need a resume and a tailored cover letter outlining your skills, experience, and suitability for the position in line with the requirements of the position description.