Position Description
POSITION DESCRIPTION
1.
POSITION SUMMARY
Position Name & No:
Participation Consultant (Mental Health Program) Job Ref
VAC0184
Date Updated:
November 2015
Employment Status:
0.8 EFT Part Time, 12 month contract
Classification/Award:
Admin Officer Grade 4
Victorian Stand-Alone Community Health Centres (Health and
Allied Services, Managers and Administrative Officers) Multiple
Enterprise Agreement 2011-2015
Position Reports To:
PHaMs coordinator
Closing Date:
Monday 7th December 2015 @ 5pm
Location:
Mitford St, St Kilda (the incumbent may work at other sites
when required)
2.
OUR ORGANISATION
Inner South Community Health Ltd. (ISCH) is a multi-sited community health agency The
Inner South Community Health Service Ltd. (ISCH) is a multi-sited community health agency
providing a comprehensive range of health and support services to the municipalities of Port
Phillip, Stonnington, Glen Eira, Kingston and Bayside. Approximately 290 staff work in multidisciplinary teams to deliver programs and services across five key service locations:
SouthPort (in Coventry Street, South Melbourne); Inkerman Street, St Kilda; Mitford Street,
St Kilda, Malvern Road, Prahran and Chesterville Rd, Cheltenham. In addition other staff are
located in and provide services in public housing high-rise estates. The Inner South
Community Health Service Ltd. is a registered company managed by a Board of Directors.
The company is registered under the Corporations Act 2001.
Our programs include:



2.1
Community & Clinical Care
Primary & Mental Health
Organisational Support & Development
Mission
ISCH works in partnership with people and communities to promote and improve equity,
health and wellbeing, by:
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Position Description


2.2
Delivering innovative, client-directed services that take into account the context of the
individual and the community; and
Championing prevention and change to address the structural reasons for health
inequity.
Our Service Principles
What sets ISCH apart is our distinct approach and service delivery principles. At ISCH,
clients can expect the following:
Joined up
ISCH puts clients at the centre of our services and seamlessly links people into a wide range
of health and wellbeing services provided by ISCH and others.
No wrong door
Anyone seeking a service will be assisted at ISCH. If we can’t deliver a service response,
we will assist people to navigate the system.
Doing with, rather than doing for
We work with people and communities to achieve their goals.
Taking account of context
ISCH takes into account the whole person and their social, cultural, environmental and
economic context.
Friendly
ISCH is a welcoming organisation, where people feel comfortable and supported.
Affordable
ISCH ensures that everyone has access to our services regardless of their ability to pay.
2.2
Values
These values underpin all our interactions with staff, clients and our communities:

Inclusiveness

Empowerment

Equity

Social Justice and Human Rights

Accountability

Learning and Evolving
For more information on our organisation please visit our website www.ischs.org.au.
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Position Description
3.
POSITION DETAILS
3.1
Position Context
The Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs (MHAOD) Program brings together a
number of services including: Drug and Alcohol Services, Mental Health Community Support
Services (MHCSS), and the Personal Helpers and Mentors Service (PHaMs). The newly
developed Participation Consultant role has been designed to enable specialist input and a
greater focus on the development of innovative methods of consumer participation and
consumer co-design within the Mental Health Program.
The Mental Health and PHaMs Team mission is: “To provide recovery focused community
based mental health services that enable people to maximise their personal recovery and
choices within the context of their families, friends and community”.
The Mental Health Program (MHP) provides a range of flexible recovery and rehabilitation
options, creative and recreational group activities, and community integration for people
living with mental illness and psychosocial disability. The service uses a recovery-oriented
model of service and consumer participation is an active part of all program activities.
The program promotes strong links with a local network of agencies to provide clients with
access to the widest range of services available. Being part of a large Community Health
Service also strengthens our ability to offer integrated access to an extended range of
services to clients, carers and family. The program is committed to a social model of health,
and to providing accessible, effective and coordinated services.
Our Multidisciplinary teams consist of Mental Health professionals from a range of
backgrounds (Registered Psychiatric Nurses, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists,
Psychologists and Peer Workers) located across four sites including: Prahran, South
Melbourne, St Kilda and Cheltenham. Support occurs primarily on a one-to-one outreach
basis complemented by therapeutic group interventions based on community need and client
preference.
The Participation Consultant is responsible for the provision of primary and secondary
consultation to MHP clients and their families, team members and where appropriate, other
ISCH program staff.
The position will contribute their lived experience and expertise to the broader mental health
group program and will provide leadership in consumer participation pathways, effective
communication to and from clients and co-design across the Mental Health Program.
There will be a particular focus on supporting the MHP and clients’ readiness for NDIS.
3.2
Position Objective
The Mental Health Program is operating in a significant period of social policy reform and
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Position Description
innovation. The Participation Consultant will be instrumental in supporting the MHP to
engage clients in meaningful dialogue about their needs and preferences in this new context,
in co-designing service models and to understand service accessibility and pathways to
support service improvement and responsiveness. Innovative consumer participation will be
central to this role and will be supported by the program manager, coordinators and MHP
teams.
Peer Worker workforce development within the MHP will also be an area that this role will
make a valued contribution together with the MHP management team.
The Participation Consultant will contribute both strategically, as described above, and also
operationally within the MHP, ensuring the role is well grounded and supported across the
two domains. The Participation Consultant will be an active member of the PHaMs team as
part of the role. Leadership and co-facilitation of group work will also be required with the
potential to support the development of consumer co-facilitators within the group program the MHP Group Program Coordinator will be a key relationship.
3.3

Key Responsibilities
Provide primary and secondary consultation services with clients, carers and mental
health program staff utilising lived experience perspective and expertise

Provide 1:1 support and interventions with Mental Health Program clients in a variety of
community settings

Design, plan, and facilitate groups with clients and other MHP staff

Support development of consumer group co-facilitators and peer led recovery groups

High level engagement with consumers and community to enable genuine participation

Ability to research the evidence and available literature to better inform consumer
participation and service co-design

Develop innovative consumer participation models and methods in collaboration with
MHP

Leadership in service co-design as part of the Mental Health Program and ISCH’s
strategic direction.

Strategic translation of policy into practice

Identify advocacy needs within sector reform
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Position Description

Contribute to peer worker workforce planning within the MHP with MHP management
team

Participation in and chairing of working groups, including groups external to ISCH

Participation in PHaMs team meeting, contributing lived experience perspective to client
assessments, recovery action planning case reviews and discharge planning.

Maintain accurate and timely client and program records and statistics as required

Adhere to all relevant current internal and external Policy, practice frameworks and
standards and codes of ethics

Under the broad direction of your Coordinator and management team take a lead role in
the planning, implementation and evaluation of the Program’s services and therapeutic
group activities.


Contribute to the development and maintenance of a supportive environment within the
team.
Undertake other duties as required
CONTRIBUTING TO STRATEGIC ORGANISATIONAL INITIATIVES
1)

2)

Continuous Quality Improvement
Identify continuous quality improvement opportunities and act upon when/where relevant
Community Participation
To undertake active and meaningful community participation and engagement
3)
Model of Care

Understanding of the ISCHS Model of Care and an ability to integrate the principles
and tools into practice, including implementing specific elements of the Model as
directed.
4)
Health Promotion

Contribute to the development, implementation and evaluation of organisational Health
Promotion strategies.
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Position Description
Professional Development

To attend and contribute to staff development and supervision programs, and to attend
relevant courses and mandatory in-house training and participate in peer review/practice.
Occupational Health & Safety

Ensure that work and services are provided in a safe manner at all times by regularly
reviewing practices and environment and abiding by our Smoking Free Workplace Policy
Performance Management Framework

Actively participate in an annual individual performance plan, which determines key
responsibilities, strategies and performance indicators.
Intellectual Property Policy

4.
ISCHS has an Intellectual Property Policy with which staff are required to understand
and comply
KEY SELECTION CRITERIA (Must be submitted with your Application)
Mandatory
1) Tertiary qualification in a related field
2) Lived experience of mental ill health and recovery
3) Demonstrated experience providing primary and secondary consultation with people who
are recovering or wanting to recover, carers and other mental health professionals
4) Knowledge of dual diagnosis
5) Experience in engagement of consumers and carers to facilitate drawing out collective
service needs and to gain understanding of their experience of service responsiveness
6) Experience in mental health support service operations, and in leading service design,
implementation and evaluation
7) Experience in the development, facilitation and evaluation of group programs
8) Demonstrated ability in stakeholder management
9) Experience utilising evidence based practice to inform service innovation
10) Ability to work autonomously in the community, seeking support and assistance
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appropriately.
11) Demonstrated commitment to the principles and practice of consumer empowerment
12) Highly developed organisational, interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills
13) Capacity to reflect on and evaluate own practice and outcomes in the work, as well as
commitment to ongoing professional development
14) Current Victorian Driver’s Licence
15) Applicants must have registered for A Working With Children Check to be eligible for this
position. (if relevant to this role)
Desirable
1) Proficiency in a community language
2) Experience in translating policy into strategic directions and operations within
organisations
5.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Award:
Victorian Stand-Alone Community Health Centres (Health and Allied
Services, Managers and Administrative Officers) Multiple Enterprise
Agreement 2011-2015
Salary Level:
Admin Officer Grade 4
Hours Per Week:
30.4hrs
Duration:
12 month contract
Probationary Period:
In accordance with our usual practice, there will be a
probationary period of three months, during which time a review
process will be undertaken. At the expiration of the probationary
period, employment may be confirmed as an ongoing employee,
employment may be terminated or the probationary period may
be extended up to a maximum of 6 months with further review.
During the probationary period either party can terminate for any
reason.
Salary Packaging Information:

Salary packaging is a legitimate method of restructuring existing salary into a
combination of salary and expense payment benefits in order to provide a higher net
remuneration for the employee.

This offer applies while Inner South Community Health Service continues to be granted
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Position Description
"public benevolent institution" status and enjoys exemption from the provisions of the
Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT). Should our status change salary packaging will no longer be
available.

We offer 3 types of Salary Packaging:o
Standard tax free salary packaging amount $15,900 per annum
o
* Meal Entertainment Expenses $12,000 per annum
o
* Entertainment Facility Leasing Expenses - no threshold per annum
(*Subject to budgetary review in the Senate and this may decrease to $5800 per annum).

It is not compulsory for employees to take up the offer to ‘package’ their salary; however
the benefits from packaging are considerable. There is a small cost to the employee.

Salary packaging is not available for casual or for locum employees who are on a
contract less than 3 months in duration.
6.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please apply directly via our website http://ischs.org.au/careers/health-jobs/ quoting Job
Reference No: VAC0184.
Further enquiries related to the position can be directed to:
Contact Name
Email
Telephone
Catherine Phan (prior to the 2nd
December 2015)
[email protected]
9525 1300 or 0458
070 013
Sandy Jackson (between 2nd
December 2015 and the closing date) [email protected]
9525 1300 or 0458 988 074
Additional Notes to Applicants

A satisfactory police check will be required of the successful applicant. Staff working with
children may be required to undertake a Working with Children Check.

Pre-Existing Injury
Prior to any person being appointed to this position it will be required that they disclose
full details of any pre-existing injuries or disease that might be affected by employment in
this position.
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