Koorie Engagement Support Officer (KESO), Mallee Area, NWVR

The KESO role supports the Department of Education and Training (DET) priorities in Early Years, schools and the strategic priorities set by the Council of Australia Governments (COAG), the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework (VAAF) and Closing the Gap initiatives.

The Education State: Schools agenda sets out the government’s plans to reach a set of ambitious but achievable system-wide targets - Learning for life; Happy, healthy and resilient kids; Breaking the link; Pride and confidence in our schools.

The Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO) has been developed to assist schools to focus on key strategies that are known to have the greatest impact on school improvement and support the achievement of the targets. These include: Positive climate for learning; Excellence in teaching and learning; Professional leadership; Community engagement in learning.

A new regional structure, Learning Places, was implemented in March 2016. It established 17 Education Areas within the existing four Departmental regions to be the primary point of contact on a day-to-day basis for services. Additional executive and VPS staff in the regions facilitate the creation of multi-disciplinary, dedicated teams within these areas. This stronger, more place-based system of support, coupled with more effective application of new and existing resources, allows our regions to better undertake their role and meet the needs of all children and their families.  Each region also includes two Divisions - Early Childhood and School Support Division, and School Improvement Division.

NORTH-WESTERN VICTORIA REGION

The North-Western Victoria Region works with schools, communities and other organisations to ensure learners have the best possible education outcomes.

The North-Western Victorian region encompasses an Early Childhood and School Support Division, a School Improvement Division and four Area Divisions aligned to the current local government areas and DHHS regional and area structure.  Area Divisions include: North Eastern Melbourne Area, Hume-Moreland Area, Loddon-Campaspe Area and Mallee Area.

Regional staff support learners and their families and service providers across the region. North-Western Victoria Regional offices are based in Coburg, Bendigo, Mildura and Swan Hill.

This position will be based in Swan Hill and primarily working in the North Eastern Melbourne area, with potential for some work in the Hume and Moreland local government areas.

Criteria 1: 'Specialist Expertise - Koorie Engagement & Culture'

Specialist Expertise Koorie Engagement & Culture

• Identifies relevant referral agencies and support services to support educational success of Koorie children and young people.

• Engages with key stakeholders in government and community for a common educational purpose.

• Works with community and key stakeholders, including Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Groups (LAECGs), to share educational values and responsibility for achievement, engagement, education related wellbeing programs, and activities for Koorie children, young people and their families engaged in education.

• Promotes community awareness of educational issues and services through a range of formal and informal settings, as appropriate in local communities.

• Uses diverse approaches, activities, and partnerships to link services and stakeholders, to increase involvement of Koorie families and community with service providers and their staff.

• Can identify and communicate local Koorie community priorities and issues to education service providers.

• Has a comprehensive understanding and awareness of local Koorie history and cultural protocols.

• Can appropriately promote and facilitate the understanding and observance of local Koorie culture and protocols.

Criteria 2: 'Relationship Building' and ‘Communication’

Relationship Building

• Establishes and maintains effective relationships with people at all departmental levels, stakeholder groups, organisations and communities.

• Builds trust through consistent action, communication and implementation.

• Promotes harmony and consensus through diplomatic handling of disagreements.

• Communicates and relates well to people from a diverse range of cultures and backgrounds, and sees issues from other perspectives.

• Provides professional support to colleagues within the workplace.

• Criteria 4: 'Initiative & Accountability'

Communication

• Written communication: ensures any written communication contains necessary information to achieve its purpose and intent.

• Verbal communication: effectively conveys information in a clear and engaging way recognising the diversity of audiences, and also uses active listening skills

Criteria 3: 'Initiative and Accountability'

Initiative & Accountability

• Is proactive, initiates action and follows DET's referral and reporting processes.

• Identifies opportunities and acts on them.

• Takes responsibility for own actions and behaviours.

• Works to an action plan and can flexibility adapt and change when appropriate.

  Criteria 4: 'Resilience' and ‘Problem Solving’

  Resilience

• Remains calm and copes effectively in times of conflict or difficulty.

• Accepts and responds appropriately to constructive feedback.

• Sets and maintains appropriate boundaries between personal and professional relationships and responsibilities.

• Maintains a professional demeanour and represents employer and education system positively.

• Remains calm and copes effectively in times of conflict or difficulty.

• Accepts and responds appropriately to constructive feedback.

• Sets and maintains appropriate boundaries between personal and professional relationships and responsibilities.

• Maintains a professional demeanour and represents employer and education system positively.

Problem Solving

• Bases solutions to problems on facts and evidence.

• Listens to and acknowledges others’ viewpoints.

• Reasons and clarifies issues when dealing with problems, then identifies workable solutions and agreed actions.

• Responds to concerns appropriately.

• Negotiates and implements planned actions to achieve agreed outcomes

Criteria 5: 'Project Management'

Project Management

• Develops project plans that clearly describe program/service objectives, actions required and progress made.

• Organises and coordinates regular meetings that support other members of the regional Koorie Education Workforce team.

• Anticipates potential issues and facilitates solutions to ensure program objectives are met.

• Implements projects in a planned way identifying risks and planning to minimise their impact on project.

• Monitors the progress of projects, adapts and updates plans and tasks to keep project results successful and achieve objectives.

The purpose of the KESO position is to:

Work with education and family service providers, key stakeholders and the Koorie Community to improve:

• Early years participation
• Student engagement and wellbeing
• Retention and achievement
• Access to higher education and further training pathways as well as interfacing with TAFE Koorie Liaison Officers and VAEAI Wurreker Brokers.

Work systemically with departments and agencies to improve outcomes for Koorie children and young people Work with education providers to provide advice on the establishment of cultural inclusive learning environments Provide advice to assist the coordination of services to support re-engagement of at-risk Koorie children and young people.

ROLE PURPOSE

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build constructive, professional relationships with a range of key stakeholders to work in partnership to improve engagement, wellbeing and achievement for Koorie children and young people.

• Facilitate improved access to universal and targeted educational services for Koorie families and communities.

• Negotiate with and influence key stakeholders to improve access to more culturally responsive educational services to ensure that services provide culturally appropriate programs.

• Establish and maintain partnerships with government departments, community agencies and local communities to promote the development of collaborative programs and initiatives related to improving achievements for Koorie children and young people.

• Facilitate local Koorie input into the delivery of culturally appropriate educational services.

• Support information sharing and follow-up between educational services and families about educational issues and local and regional priorities.

Expert Advice and Support

• Provide expert Koorie specific advice to a range of education services about culturally inclusive and appropriate strategies, and contribute to the regional responses to increase engagement, achievement and wellbeing of Koorie children and young people.

• Access and analyse relevant quantitative and qualitative data, to provide strategic advice on the successful implementation of DET's Koorie education strategic priorities, including relevant regional and local place-based initiatives.

Program and Strategy Delivery

• Coordinate and implement initiatives for Koorie children and young people:

- Provide high level strategic advice to stakeholders in the facilitation of programs/services that deliver improved achievement for Koorie children and young people.

- Facilitate the implementation of local and regional strategies aimed at improving the capacity of educational services to deliver culturally inclusive and appropriate programs.

- Contribute to the provision and implementation of programs and initiatives aimed at improving Koorie engagement, achievement and wellbeing in a range of educational   services

- Support the implementation and monitoring of targeted programs and strategies aimed at increasing engagement, wellbeing and achievement of Koorie children and young people.

These roles are identified positions and are available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants only. Confirmation of the Indigenous status of applicants may be requested.

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.

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

Organisational Values

Victorian Public Sector Values

DET employees commit to the public sector values as outlined in Section 7 of the Public Administration Act 2004:

Responsiveness

• Providing frank, impartial and timely advice to the government
• Providing high quality services to the Victorian community
• Identifying and promoting best practice

Integrity

• Being honest, open and transparent in their dealings
• Using powers responsibly
• Reporting improper conduct
• Avoiding real or apparent conflicts of interest
• Striving to earn and sustain public trust at the highest level

Impartiality

• Making decisions and providing advice on merit without bias, caprice, favouritism or self-interest
• Acting fairly by objectively considering all relevant facts and applying fair criteria
• Implementing Government policies and programs equitably

Accountability

• Working to clear objectives in a transparent manner
• Accepting responsibility for their decisions and actions
• Seeking to achieve best use of resources
• Submitting themselves to appropriate scrutiny

Respect

• Treating others fairly and objectively
• Ensuring freedom from discrimination, harassment and bullying
• Using their views to improve outcomes on an ongoing basis

Leadership

• Actively implementing, promoting and supporting these values

Human rights

• Making decisions and providing advice consistent with the human rights set out in the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006
• Actively implementing, promoting and supporting human rights

This vacancy is to replace an employee on parental absence and is for a period of seven years or until the employee absent on leave returns to duty at the school.