Mental Health Wellbeing Leader

**Overview**:
**Work type**:Part time

**Salary**:Salary not specified

**Grade**:Classroom Teacher

**Occupation**: Education and Training

**Location**: Wallan

**Reference**: 1467148

**Location Profile**:
Darraweit Guim Primary School is set in a picturesque valley on the far east edge of the Macedon Ranges, about 60km north of Melbourne and celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 2017. We enjoy expansive, well kept, grounds that contain a variety of play equipment and sporting areas.

The school buildings consist of a historic bluestone building combined with modern administrative and classroom complexes. We currently have 38 students enrolled from Foundation to year 6. The school staff consists of Principal, 3 classroom teachers, 4 part time Educational Support Staff and a Business Manager. Our core values are RESPECT, CARING and RESPONSIBILITY.

We provide a safe, orderly and caring learning environment that is challenging, engaging and inclusive. We are committed to every child's positive educational, emotional, social and physical development through establishing an atmosphere where the children can learn without fear of failure.

At Darraweit Guim PS we value the strong sense of community and are committed to continue and preserve this and we will continue to foster strong and productive home-school relationships that underpin all aspects of our work.

Darraweit Guim PS is proud of the rich Foundation - Yr 6 program that is delivered in each of the Key Learning Areas. We offer programs that promote active learning, and we differentiate the curriculum to cater for the individual needs of our students. Our Strategic plan has a major focus on Literacy and Numeracy. We are affiliated with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation and our kitchen garden program and is a feature of our school. We also offer inter-school sports, activities and relevant incursions and excursions. Our concert brings together the whole school community at the end of the year to celebrate our achievements.

**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 pr