Mental Health Practitioner

Endeavour Hills Specialist School is a rapidly expanding special education centre who is seeking to employ new Classroom teachers and Education Support employees for 2025 in order to open several new classrooms, enabling us to offer more enrolment positions to students in need.

Endeavour Hills Specialist School provides highly individualized programs of learning for students aged 5 to 18 with disability and high needs who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder with a language disorder and/or an intellectual disability.

School participation maximizes life opportunities for children and young people by providing them with a comprehensive learning program and access to support networks. It also helps to develop important skills, knowledge and values that set them up for further learning and active participation in their local community.

VISION: The vision of the Endeavour Hills Specialist School community is to inspire students to achieve their personal best and become active and independent members of their community.

MISSION: Our mission is to provide a blended curriculum of academic learning, high-interest programs and therapeutic supports within a positive behaviours framework that will cater for each student at their point of need and encourage personal growth, independent learning, and sound social-emotional behaviours.

OBJECTIVE: Endeavour Hills Specialist School's objective is to produce lifelong learners who are aware of their skills and strengths and have a positive attitude to challenges and opportunities.

VALUES: We have one value - BE KIND:

BE KIND to yourself

BE KIND to others

BE KIND to the environment

We enact this value in our everyday actions and interactions - it is highly visible, explicitly taught, continuously modelled, and regularly celebrated.

Our values form the foundation of our School-Wide Positive Behaviour Supports framework and reflect the school community's intention to empower students to be the best person they can be. Students discuss, agree, and enact ways in which the values can be applied in all aspects of the school community.

Our staff work in transdisciplinary teams comprising teaching staff, allied health practitioners and education support staff to cater for the diverse range of student abilities and needs. This approach respects professional knowledge and expertise, while also providing the opportunity for staff to learn from one another.

Endeavour Hills Specialist School places the child at the centre of all decisions regarding learning and teaching. We hold high expectations for and of the learning community. Diverse learning needs are accommodated with differentiated learning and the application of a wide range of teaching strategies and learning technologies.

Relationships are fundamental to ensuring positive engagement and collaboration across the school community. Endeavour Hills Specialist School staff explicitly teach, model, and demonstrate school and DET values in all their dealings with students, parents/carers, staff and the broader community.

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As a Mental Health, you will play a pivotal role in promoting the mental health and wellbeing of students across our educational institution. Your responsibilities will include:

• Assessment and Intervention: Conducting comprehensive assessments to identify students' mental health needs and developing tailored intervention plans.
• Therapeutic Support: Delivering individual and group therapy sessions to students, focusing on enhancing coping strategies, emotional regulation, and daily functioning.
• Collaboration: Working closely with educators, school leadership, and other allied health professionals to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment.
• Capacity Building: Providing training and resources to school staff to enhance their understanding and management of student mental health issues.
• Advocacy: Championing the integration of mental health strategies within the school's policies and practices.

The Mental Health Practitioners (MHP) initiative was announced by the Minister for Education in late 2018 to expand mental health and wellbeing support in government schools. The initiative provides for a suitably qualified mental health professional in all government secondary school campuses and specialist school (with secondary-aged enrolments) settings.

Operating in collaboration with the relevant Department of Education Regional Mental Health Branch, this role has the following functions:

• Enhancing mental health prevention and promotion activities in the school by contributing to whole-school health and wellbeing plans, building the capability of teaching staff and school leadership to address matters relating to student mental health and wellbeing, and helping to develop and deliver appropriate programs and strategies in the school according to specified school priorities
• Providing early intervention services (including short-term counselling) for individual students and groups identified as at-risk and/or experiencing or demonstrating mild to moderate mental health concerns; and
• Coordinating supports for students with complex needs both within and external to the school, including proactively working with regions, local mental health service providers and other health professionals to engage further support as required.

Education support class level 1 range 4

The successful applicant will be an experienced professional who will carry out their duties and responsibilities, relative to their professional discipline, with a high level of autonomy and with minimal reliance on professional supervision. The successful applicant will be responsible for the development and implementation of professional support programs within an educational environment, including guidance to other professional staff.

Applicants must hold an Occupational Therapy degree with current AHPRA registration.

A minimum of 1-2 years of experience in mental health practice is required.

As an education support class position, this role supports the educational services being provided to students, but will not include duties of teaching as defined in clause 2.6.1 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic).

For more information on the responsibilities of an Education Support class level 1 range 4 employee, please visit the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022:

Responsibilities

1. Providing advice and professional learning to others, including teachers and other school wellbeing staff, to build the capacity of schools to improve students wellbeing, learning and developmental outcomes.

2. Delivering professional support services in a school, including mental health prevention and promotion activities and early intervention activities (including short-term counselling) for students with a range of mental health needs, applying sound theoretical knowledge and practical expertise.

3. Planning and implementing evidence-based intervention strategies for students with complex needs including collaborating with families, other professionals and agencies when appropriate to effectively manage risk.

4. Working collaboratively with the school to enhance mental health prevention and promotion across the school by contributing to policies and operational practices that will guide the work of others, including other school wellbeing staff and teachers.

5. Liaising with other department areas (including secondary school nurses and Student Support Services staff) and external service providers where necessary to provide appropriate support to students.

6. Maintaining professional competence and continued professional development, including attending professional development activities throughout the year.

7. Meeting relevant policies and legislative requirements in relation to student health information, privacy and consent.

Please note: Continued professional development is a registration requirement under the National Law, which governs the operations of the National Boards and Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

When completing your application, please respond to the following Selection Criteria

1. Ability to implement a range of small group and whole-school mental health prevention and promotion activities aimed at improving student mental health and wellbeing, including the delivery of capability building and awareness raising activities for staff and/or students on key mental health and wellbeing issues affecting the school's student population.

2. Demonstrated ability to input into the development, implementation and evaluation of processes and strategies aimed at enhancing mental health and wellbeing prevention, promotion and early intervention.

3. Demonstrated experience in assessing, conceptualising and analysing wellbeing issues, and providing evidence-based direct counselling support to clients with a range of mental health needs.

4. Demonstrated experience in coordinating supports for young people with complex needs including referrals to a range of specialist services as appropriate.

5. Highly developed communication, networking and interpersonal skills including the ability to liaise effectively with a wide range of people.

6. Clear understanding of legislative requirements regarding privacy of health information.