Job Description- School Community Liaison Officer

Department: Department of Education and Training

Location: Dandenong High School

Classification: Ed Support Level 1-Range 3.5

Position Description: School Community Liaison Officer

Begin Date:

26 May 2025

End Date:

31 December 2027

Regular/Temporary:

Temporary – Fixed term

Hours:

37.6 hours per week

Reference # 1472720

Contact Name:

Mr Michael Ferguson

Phone:

(03) 9792 0561

School Website:

https://www.dandenong-hs.vic.edu.au/

Apply By:

24 April 2025

Background

As part of the Victorian African Communities Action Plan, education is identified as a key focus area and funding is available to employ School Community Liaison Officers in school communities with high populations of African young people to improve their connection to education and provide tailored support.

The School Community Liaison Officer at Dandenong High School will support your school community and a cluster of neighbouring schools with high populations of African young people to increase school engagement, strengthen partnerships with families and community and facilitate activities to increase retention and school completion.

This role will be one of eight School Community Liaison Officers appointed to school communities with high populations of African young people across the State and supported by a Senior Program Officer appointed by the Department of Education (DE) and operating from the DE central office in Melbourne.

Location

The School Community Liaison Officer will be located at Dandenong High School and will work in partnership with neighbouring schools that have high populations of African young people- Dandenong Primary School and Keysborough Secondary College.

The School Community Liaison Officer will work across the partnership of schools to support the outcomes of students in each school. This will involve cross school priorities and localised initiatives that enhance the learning, engagement and attendance of students.

Selection Criteria

Experience working with school communities, families and community organisations involving individuals of culturally and linguistic diverse backgrounds.

Excellent stakeholder management and relationship building skills including the ability to partner with and broker support from local community organisations

Ability to build strong working relationships with parents and local community organisations to identify best practice and areas for improvement to support student and parent engagement.

Excellent time management and organisational skills

Ability to work as part of a statewide team and embrace a community of practice approach

Role

The School Community Liaison Officer will be required to support school communities to focus on increasing school engagement, strengthening partnerships with families and community and facilitating activities to increase retention and school completion.

The School Community Liaison Officer will be expected to work in collaboration with School Community Liaison Officers appointed to other schools across the North West, South West and South East Victorian regions through membership of an established community of practice. The School Community Liaison Officers will be supported by a centrally based program officer and provide regular reports to support the implementation, evaluation and ongoing monitoring of the project. There is an expectation that this role will require travel to other sites of delivery and to the DE Central Office in Melbourne CBD.

Responsibilities

Provide support to school communities they are working with to establish and maintain communication between young people, families and the local community

Work directly with groups of young people or individuals, planning interventions to ensure young people are connected to an education

Work directly with young people to provide platforms for student voice, facilitate leadership opportunities and facilitate activities that aligns with their needs

Facilitate information sessions for parents to support an increased understanding of the education system and platforms and increase engagement with parent teacher nights, information days and school celebrations

Facilitate professional learning for school staff on cultural responsiveness and safety coordinate workshops and forums for the school and local community

Facilitate access to homework clubs and afterschool programs, to offer support and mentoring outside of the school

Support school leaders with the rollout of the cultural competency framework and other activities aimed at strengthening inclusivity for diverse communities

Participate in a statewide community of practices and statewide planning days with other School Community Liaison Officers

Who May Apply

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

This role is identified as available for African heritage applicants only. Confirmation of your African heritage may be requested.

EEO AND OHS Commitment

The Department values diversity and is committed to workforce diversity and equal opportunity in schools and all education workplaces. The Department recognises that the provision of family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces.

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 http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/health/protect/Pages/childsafestandards.aspx

DET Values

The Department’s employees commit to upholding DE’s Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. DE’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 DE values is available at http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/workm/Pages/Public-Sector-Values.aspx

Other Information

- It is desirable that the successful applicant has a relevant tertiary qualification in community development, education, social work or equivalent

- 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 Reources website at http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/Pages/default.aspx

Conditions of Employment

The successful candidate will be required to work some hours during the school holidays. Regular work hours will be 8:30am to 4:30pm on weekdays. This may be negotiated as appropriate.

The successful candidate will be eligible to claim time in lieu (TIL) where they are required to work in excess of their normal hours of duty.

Note: Please ensure your responses to the Selection Criteria are included in your application.