Youth Worker (part time - 3 days a week)

Department of Education Victoria; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 34,000 - 44,000; Part time

Job summary

Department of Education Victoria – Point Cook VIC invites applications for a part-time Youth Worker (3 days a week) at Homestead Senior Secondary College. The role focuses on student engagement, wellbeing and attendance within a multidisciplinary wellbeing team, offering targeted support to students facing social, emotional or environmental barriers to learning.

As part of Years 10–12 support, the Youth Worker will build positive relationships with students, families and staff, coordinate

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to build positive relationships with young people and provide effective support for students experiencing wellbeing, attendance or engagement difficulties.
• Ability to assess student needs, coordinate referrals, maintain professional records and monitor progress.
• Effective communication and collaboration with students, families, school staff and external professionals.

Responsibilities

• Provide individual and small-group support for students experiencing wellbeing or attendance concerns.
• Develop strategies to improve student engagement and participation in education.
• Coordinate referrals and maintain confidential records of student contact and outcomes.
• Support emotional regulation, communication and help-seeking skills in students.
• Collaborate with the Wellbeing team and external agencies to support student needs.

Skills

Relationship building

Student wellbeing support

Case management

Collaboration with families

Job description

Youth Worker (part time - 3 days a week)

Department of Education Victoria – Point Cook VIC

Homestead Senior Secondary College opened in 2020 and is located in a developing area of Point Cook, approximately 28 kilometres from Melbourne CBD. Our feeder schools are the local P-9 colleges - Alamanda and Saltwater P-9 Colleges. A significant percentage of our enrolments are new arrivals to the greater Point Cook community. Homestead also attracts a growing number of enrolments from the independent school's sector. Rapid growth is predicted for both the suburb and school over the next 5 to 10 years.

In 2027 we expect approximately 900 students at HSSC, and it is projected that the college's peak enrolment will be in excess of 1500 students. In addition to this, we expect to be supporting Saltwater P-9 at years 7-9 on the Homestead site while Saltwater undergoes major capital works to increase capacity on their site.

The foundation years of the college focused upon building social capital, creating structures and practices, purchasing resources and establishing staff professional learning teams. This is an amazing career opportunity for educationalists as they are part of a staff cohort playing an integral role in the development of the college's culture, teaching & learning style and place in our community. Our new phase includes solidifying our culture of the young adult learning environment and our consistent teaching and learning model, while managing significant growth in student and staff population.

HSSC is a state of the art 21st Century learning environment for young adults. With a build cost of $53 million, and a new build of 21.6m in the next three years,facilities are second to none. Students learn in a three-storey main building, a standalone Performing Arts/Physical Education building, multi-purpose courts and a playing field. Our landscaped grounds feature amazing spaces for our students and staff.

The college curriculum focuses on providing the right pathway for all students to achieve their academic goals. The college offers a broad range of studies at Year 10, VCE, VCE VM, VET & other programs.

HSSC is defined by:

• A well balancedonlinecurriculum program that utilises purposeful and explicit teaching aimed at empowering students to be active learners, striving for personal excellence and ongoing growth and development
• Challenging, innovative and creative approaches in learning and teaching practices that embrace a full range of post compulsory pathways for Years 10 to 12 students
• Highly skilled, versatile, dedicated and caring staff committed to life-long learning and developing each student through the implementation of personalised learning programs
• The active participation of staff in professional learning communities
• Shared educational responsibility between parents, staff and students
• Powerful student agency & voice in their learning
• Mature student social and learning behaviour with embedded high expectation, including efficient process and consequences.
• Effective & open channels of communication that promote trust, positive interactions and strong links with the wider community.

Selection Criteria

• SC1 Demonstrated ability to build positive relationships with young people and provide effective support for students experiencing wellbeing, attendance or engagement difficulties.
• SC2 Demonstrated ability to assess student needs, develop support strategies, coordinate referrals, maintain professional records and monitor student progress.
• SC3 Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively with students, families, school staff, community organisations and external professionals.
• SC4 Demonstrated ability to plan, deliver and evaluate individual, small-group or broader youth engagement and wellbeing initiatives.
• SC5 Demonstrated understanding of confidentiality, professional boundaries, child safety, mandatory reporting, inclusion and culturally responsive practice.
• SC6 Demonstrated capacity to model the Department of Education¿s values and contribute positively to a safe, respectful and inclusive school community.

Role

The Youth Worker supports student engagement, wellbeing, attendance and connection to school. Working as part of the school¿s multidisciplinary wellbeing team, the Youth Worker provides targeted support to students experiencing social, emotional, behavioural or environmental barriers to learning.

The role builds positive relationships with students, families, staff and external services and assists students to develop the skills, confidence and supports required to participate successfully in education.

Consistent with an ES Level 1 Range 3 position, the Youth Worker exercises professional judgement within established school policies and procedures and may coordinate defined wellbeing programs or areas of student support.To support the emotional, social, and personal development of students in Years 10¿12, promoting wellbeing and engagement through individual support, group programs, and school-wide initiatives.

Responsibilities

Student wellbeing and engagement

• Develop safe, respectful and culturally responsive relationships with students.
• Provide individual and small-group support for students experiencing wellbeing, engagement, behavioural or attendance concerns.
• Assist students to identify barriers, establish goals and develop practical strategies for improving their engagement with school.
• Support students to develop emotional regulation, communication, conflict-resolution and help-seeking skills.
• Provide early intervention and targeted support in response to emerging student needs.
• Assist students during periods of distress and support their safe return to learning.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries and work within the scope of the Youth Worker role.

Case management and coordinated support

• Manage an allocated caseload of students under the direction of the Wellbeing leader.
• Develop, implement and review student support plans in collaboration with students, families and relevant staff.
• Participate in Student Support Group meetings, wellbeing meetings, attendance meetings and care team meetings.
• Coordinate communication between students, families, school staff and external agencies.
• Maintain accurate, confidential and timely records of student contact, referrals, interventions and outcomes.
• Monitor student progress and provide reports to relevant school leaders and wellbeing staff.
• Escalate complex, high-risk or clinical matters to appropriately qualified staff and school leadership.

Attendance and re-engagement

• Identify and follow up students displaying emerging or ongoing attendance concerns.
• Work with students and families to understand barriers to attendance and participation.
• Contribute to attendance improvement, re-engagement and return-to-school plans.
• Support students transitioning back to school following extended absence, suspension or disengagement.
• Collaborate with sub-school teams to monitor attendance, engagement and agreed interventions.

Programs and group work

• Plan, coordinate and deliver evidence-informed youth engagement and wellbeing programs.
• Facilitate targeted small-group programs addressing identified student needs.
• Support student voice, leadership, belonging and connection to the school community.
• Evaluate programs using participation information, student feedback and agreed outcome measures.
• Contribute to whole-school prevention and early-intervention initiatives.

Family and community partnerships

• Build respectful and constructive relationships with parents and carers.
• Connect students and families with appropriate school, community and government services.
• Develop and maintain effective partnerships with youth services, health providers and community organisations.
• Participate in interagency care team meetings when required and authorised to.
• Advocate for students while maintaining confidentiality, professional boundaries and child-safety requirements.

Team contribution

• Work collaboratively with teachers, the Student and Engagement Directors and Student Managers, Disability Inclusion staff and the wellbeing team.
• Provide relevant information and practical advice to staff within the scope of the role.
• Contribute to multidisciplinary planning for students requiring additional support.
• Participate in supervision, professional learning and performance-development processes.
• Contribute to a positive, inclusive and child-safe school culture.

Who May Apply

Individuals with the aptitude, experience and/or qualifications to fulfill the specific requirements of the position.

Diversity and Inclusion

The department is committed to diversity and inclusion and developing a workforce that is representative of the community we service. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQA+, 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 safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work and diversity across all schools and Department workplaces.It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for staff with disability (seeWorkplace adjustment guidelines).

Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via*******@education.vic.gov.au

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.

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:

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/child-safe-standards/policy

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:

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/values-department-vps-school-employees/overview

Other Information

• 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 https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal

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 https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal