Current jobs related to Mental Health Wellbeing Leader 0.8 - Melbourne Northern Suburbs - Victorian Government

Overview

Work Type: Ongoing - Part-time

Salary: Salary not specified

Grade: Classroom Teacher - Range 2

Occupation: Health and allied health

Location: Melbourne - Northern suburbs

Reference:

Selection Criteria

• SC1 `Content of teaching and learning'. Demonstrated ability to inform and influence the work of others involved in the engagement, mental health, wellbeing or learning of children and young people.
• SC2 `Teaching practice'. Demonstrated ability to input into the development, implementation and evaluation of processes and strategies relating to mental health, wellbeing or learning.
• SC3 `Assessment and reporting of student learning'. Demonstrated ability to support a student's mental health, wellbeing or learning by developing and maintaining connection with external services.
• SC4 `Interaction with the school community'. Demonstrated high level interpersonal skills and communication skills. Demonstrated high level of capability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with students, parents, other employees and the broader school community to focus on student learning, wellbeing and engagement.
• SC5 `Professional requirements'. Demonstrated ability to influence and negotiate by gaining buy-in and ownership for ideas, gaining agreement to proposals, or involving experts or other third parties to strengthen a case.

Role

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.

The Department of Education has been piloting the Mental Health in Primary Schools initiative in Victorian schools since 2020 in partnership with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. Evaluation of this pilot initiative has shown that 95 per cent of Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders consider the Mental Health in Primary Schools model has improved their school's 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, staff and families based on a broad knowledge of the needs of the school community.

The role of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader is to:

• build capability of the whole school with regard to 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.

The role provides a proactive focus for the promotion and prevention of mental health and wellbeing through assessment and implementation of context-relevant programs, approaches and initiatives based on a broad and extensive knowledge of the needs of the school.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader role is not a clinical role and is not designed for direct intervention. The role is seen as a key conduit in creating referral pathways once a teacher or other staff member identifies a concern in the classroom.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders are provided training in mental health literacy, supporting emerging needs, and building school capacity and receive ongoing support and professional development through structured and regular Learning Communities Training is developed and facilitated by the Faculty of Education at University of Melbourne, supported by Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

Responsibilities

Operating in collaboration with their school, leadership and wellbeing team where relevant, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader will:

• Promote a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing to students, staff and families
• Support teachers and school staff to expand their capacity to embed evidence-based mental health strategies, interventions and programs and build mental health literacy to identify and support primary school students with mental health concerns.
• Collaborate with school staff to inform, influence and provide input into teaching and learning relating to mental health and wellbeing. Provide support to schools staff and classroom teachers to build their capabilities to embed mental health into the classroom.
• Work with school leadership and wellbeing teams to embed whole school approaches to mental health into school planning and strategic processes. Coordinate clear referral pathways internally (within school) and externally (to community services) for students identified as requiring further assessment and intervention.
• Proactively work with and support regional staff, school wellbeing and leadership teams, teachers, parents/carers and other external agencies to coordinate targeted mental health support for primary school students.
• Contribute to the school's existing wellbeing team.

Who May Apply

Applicants should be currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and qualified to teach.

A qualification in student wellbeing or mental health is desirable but not required.

EEO AND OHS Commitment

Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if they are the successful candidate, request a reduced time fraction. Such requests will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.

The Department of Education is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, and diversity and inclusion for all. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the Department. The Department recognises that the provision of family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for persons with a disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).

Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via

Child Safe Standards

Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. All schools have a Child Safety Code of Conduct consistent with the department's exemplar available at:

DE Values

The department's employees commit to upholding the department's Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values complement each school's own values and underpin the behaviours the community expects of Victorian public sector employees, including those who work in Victorian Government Schools. Information on the department values is available at:

Other Information

• Applicants should keep a copy of the position description as it cannot be accessed once the job has closed.
• Candidates are advised that the key selection criteria must be addressed. Visit for guidelines and tips for applying for government positions and addressing key selection criteria.
• All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
• Successful applicants are subject to a satisfactory criminal record check prior to employment. New DE employees are required to meet the cost of the criminal record check.
• If appointed from outside DE, successful applicants will be required to complete a pre-employment health declaration.
• Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
• Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
• A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided. Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department¿s Human Resources website at
• To support DE's commitment to its Environmental Management System, DE employees are expected to act in an environmentally responsible manner at all times.

Conditions of Employment

• All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
• Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
• A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.
• Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at

VIT LANTITE

To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class a person must have provisional or full registration from the Victorian Institute of Teaching. In addition, from 3 August 2020, to be eligible for employment in the principal class or teacher class, a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education program after 1 July 2016, must demonstrate that they have passed the literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education (LANTITE) requirements. This condition is satisfied where the LANTITE requirement is part of the Victorian Initial Teacher Education program completed by the person.

Location Profile

Lalor North Primary School was established in 1971. The school is situated in the North Western Victoria Region and is a member of the Whittlesea Network of schools. The school population is made up of 340 students from diverse multicultural backgrounds which we embrace and celebrate. A comprehensive curriculum is offered from Prep to Year Six and is based on the Victorian Curriculum with emphasis on differentiation to meet all student learning needs.

Lalor North Primary School leads Victoria in Bilingual Education with two Bilingual Programs.

The Greek Bilingual Program was established in 1977 and the Macedonian Program was established in 1984.

Lalor North Primary School is especially unique as students are enrolled in one of the three curriculum programs: The Standard Curriculum Program, The Greek Bilingual Curriculum Program or The Macedonian Bilingual Curriculum Program. Lalor North Primary School leads Victoria in Bilingual Education. Our Greek Bilingual Program has been in operation since 1977 and is the oldest continually operating bilingual program in Victoria. Our Macedonian Bilingual Program began operation in 1984 and continues to operate at its highest ever enrolment. Both of our bilingual programs enjoy tremendous support from local communities as well as being internationally recognised by the governments of Greece and Northern Macedonia respectively.

Languages are a strength for every student at Lalor North Primary School. We have approximately 85% of our students with a language background other than English and there is a sense of pride in the linguistic, cultural and social diversity of our community. The learning programs are carefully built on this rich heritage and identity. Our students speak many languages other than English which include Mandarin, Khmer, Gujarati, Chinese, Dinka, Macedonian, Greek, Arabic, Punjabi, Vietnamese, Somali, Persian, Samoan, Albanian, Hindi, Nepali, Turkish, Urdu, Tongan, Tagalog, Afrikaans, Maori, Cantonese and others. Lalor North Primary School also welcomes and accommodates overseas students and meets the language needs of these students with appropriate support and intervention as required.

A key feature of our school is our highly experienced, dedicated, passionate and stable staffing profile. The school employs 45 staff members in 2024, made up of three Office staff, Principal, two Assistant Principals, one Learning Specialists, one Leading Teacher, 28 teachers, 10 Education Support Staff. In 2025 there were 17 classes, including 6 Standard Program classes, 7 classes in the Macedonian Bilingual Curriculum Program and 4 classes in our Greek Bilingual Curriculum Program. Staff collaborate to design rich curriculum learning opportunities for all students and plan significant events across the school year.

Our Standard Curriculum Program and two Bilingual Curriculum Programs are very successful, and we all work together with a rich common sense of purpose which unites our whole school. Parents and staff share a common goal to develop confidence in our children, to empower them to be curious, creative and have a strong desire to achieve their personal best and beyond. Our students are encouraged to have a shared sense of responsibility to build a better world as we prepare them to be global citizens.

At Lalor North Primary School our vision is to learn and grow together in an inclusive, safe and caring community. We embrace learning, celebrate success and make a difference for every child and their future.

Applications close Wednesday 10 September 2025 at 11.59pm

Posted

29 August 2025

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