School Mental Health Practitioner

Job Description

$104,180 - $111,746 (per annum + 11.5% Super) About Us: The Department for Education has established a school mental health service to assist in the management of student mental health concerns. The new school mental health service will provide appropriately credentialed mental health practitioners based in secondary schools with outreach to primary schools in some locations. About the role: The School Mental Health Practitioner (SMHP) will be based in an allocated school and work collaboratively with students and families, school sites, other departmental staff, and external agencies to support young people to improve their mental health and emotional wellbeing. The services are student-centred and recovery-oriented, empowering genuine participation and decision-making. The Service is designed to support young people who may be experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems and intervene early in the development of more serious mental health concerns within an education setting. The SMHP will provide a stepped-up service from the wellbeing supports provided by Student wellbeing leaders, other school leaders and members of the school wellbeing team (e.g., youth workers). Student wellbeing leaders will continue to play an integral role in schools at the universal or whole-of-school level, including by referring students to the School Mental Health Service. The SMHP will provide services to one or more schools and will work in partnership with school leadership to provide support across the three waves of intervention, including: Targeted: deliver direct assessment and evidence-based brief interventions to students identified with emerging or mild to moderate mental health concerns. Intensive: provide consultation including clinical mental health information and referral support to the school wellbeing team for students with more complex mental health presentations. Proactive: engage the school community to build mental health literacy, knowledge, and understanding. A Principal Mental Health Practitioner (PMHP) will be allocated to each SMHP and will provide supervision, oversee clinical review and escalation processes, and provide operational management. The Principal MH practitioner will take a lead in embedding the service into the school site and assist the practitioner in developing collaborative relationships with site leadership. Qualifications: Essential: A bachelor qualification or specialist/postgraduate qualification where applicable in: Social Work Occupational Therapy Registration with the requisite professional body where applicable (i.e. AHPRA). Social Work applicants must be eligible for membership with the Australian Association of Social Workers. Special conditions: The successful applicant is required to gain a Department for Human Services (DHS) working with children check (WWCC) prior to being employed which is required to be renewed every five years before expiry. The incumbent will be required to undertake RRHAN-EC (Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect - Education Care) Facilitator Lead (Masterclass) extended course or the online (Fundamentals) course which will be required to be updated every three years. Application instructions: Applications should be made through the IWorkForSA website. For further information and details on how to apply for this vacancy, please go to iworkfor.sa.gov.au and search for vacancy number 648747 . Applicants are required to submit a CV, the Application Cover Sheet, Employment Declaration, preference sheet and a cover letter of no more than two pages addressing the key competencies in the attached position description. People of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and/or those who have a disability are strongly encouraged to apply. Those who live in the Adelaide metropolitan area are encouraged to apply if willing to consider a Drive In/ Drive Out or Fly In/ Fly Out arrangement, including a commitment to a 2:1 (1 week residing in the area and operating from the school every 3-week period, and providing 2-weeks of Telepractice) or a similar arrangement. Able to support travel DIDO/FIFO to the regional areas. #J-18808-Ljbffr