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. The School Mental Health Practitioner (SMHP) will provide assessment and time-limited interventions for students with mild to moderate mental health concerns.

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:

Providing direct assessment and time-limited intervention to students identified with emerging or mild to moderate mental health concerns.

Contributing to referral and case management processes for students with more complex mental health presentations.

Building the mental health literacy of school communities.

The SMHP must be appropriately credentialed in one of a range of discipline areas, including Psychology, Social Work, or Occupational Therapy and have direct counselling experience with children and young people with mental health concerns.

Student Support Services are on a cultural response journey, as such we value and prioritise Aboriginal ways of Knowing, doing and being.

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. For all other Special Conditions please refer to the Role Description.

People of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and/or those who have a disability are strongly encouraged to apply.

Enquiries can be addressed to Lauren Papillo, Principal Mental Health Practitioner, via tel: 0429 086 601 or email: [email protected]

Applications must be made through the I Work For SA 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 660064.

The South Australian public sector promotes diversity and flexible ways of working including part-time. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the flexible working arrangements for this role.

Applications close at 11.30 pm on 30 April 2025.