Out of School Care and Holiday Program Coordinator

Yarrabah has an exciting opportunity for an After School Care Coordinator overseeing a new DET initiative. Join the success of a growing School team by liaising between the school care provider and principal team. This contract positions would suit either an experienced Educational Support Worker, Allied Health Worker, or someone with experience working with children in a specialist school. The position will attract appropriate mentoring and remuneration based on experience. In this role, you will work closely with the principal, after school care provider, staff, students and families in support of delivering an after school care program and holiday program that meets the needs of all students. With a particular focus on maintaining social development, supporting life skills, play, recreation and communication using a range of augmentative and alternative communication strategies, this role will be both dynamic and rewarding. 

Location Profile

Yarrabah School is a special developmental school for children with moderate to severe disabilities. Yarrabah is located in the bayside suburb of Aspendale. Yarrabah School caters for students from 2.8 to 18 years of age. Yarrabah School believes that all students can learn and experience success. Our education programs tailor to students learning needs using an individual education plan with great emphasis on developing the whole child. Yarrabah maintain a strong focus on developing independence, social skills, life skills, personal skills and play skills.

Learning is delivered in line with the Victorian Curriculum with an emphasis on communication, literacy and numeracy, using an explicit instructional approach. Students participate in additional programs to provide appropriate enrichment and engagement. These include the Visual Arts, Performing Arts (music, dance and drama), Physical education, Stephanie Alexander kitchen garden program, Life Skills Program, Travel Education program, Technology, Nail It program (woodwork), PMP – Perceptual Motor performance program, Swimming, Bike Riding, structured play Based learning program, Interschool sports and extensive camping program.

Yarrabah draws on the REAL (Relationships, Explicitness, Ability and Learning for Life) framework. This framework guides our practice and informs future professional learning. Yarrabah is a SWPBS (school wide positive behaviour support) school that implements PTR (Prevent Teach Reinforce), ALERT program and Team Teach (behaviour support and management approach). Students are encouraged to participate in all programs to optimise the opportunities offered and become valued members within their local communities.

Yarrabah continues to place great emphasis on building positive meaningful relationships with our parent community. Yarrabah staff value a strong partnership of trust and encourage families into our school through ‘come see days’, school council, student support groups, fetes, trivia nights, school dinners, international day, section picnics, parent morning teas, parent information events, school concerts and whole school assemblies.

The school is committed to child safety. Students learn best when they are safe, happy and empowered. We support and respect all students, our staff and volunteers.

Yarrabah School is committed to our legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are concerned about the safety of a student. Our policies, procedures and training support our leadership team, staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments.

School Purpose

To maximise student potential by providing an individualised and safe learning environment that promotes active learning, encouraged adventure, independence and self-esteem.

To provide all students access to curriculum and therapeutic support in preparation for life as a valued member of the community.

Our values

These are behaviours we expect to be displayed for each of our school values by staff, parents and students. Our school should be a place where all members of the community have the right to feel safe, valued and secure. Our school values are tolerance, respect, integrity and care & support.

Because of our schools values, staff are motivated, dedicated and constantly involved in developing their own professional knowledge and skills. They are extremely caring towards the students and there is a very close working relationship between staff, students and parents. This promotes stability and harmony within the school.

About the Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) Demonstration Program

Effective OSHC programs bring a wide range of benefits to children, families and communities. OSHC programs can boost academic performance, reduce risky behaviours, promote physical health and provide a safe, structured environment for children of working parents or carers.

Although OSHC services are an Australian Government funding responsibility, there is a clear gap in care services for students with disabilities in Victoria that needs to be addressed. In the absence of Australian Government supports operating effectively, there is an opportunity for the state to provide temporary assistance to develop appropriate supports for parents and carers who are looking for greater workforce participation.

The OSHC Demonstration program has been funded to pilot an approach to addressing the gap in OSHC services for students with disabilities. Four specialist schools and one mainstream school, in partnership with two specialist schools, have been selected to host the program.

• Officer Specialist School, Officer
• Kalianna Special School, Bendigo
• Yarrabah Special Development School, Aspendale
• Jackson School, St Albans
• Laurimar Primary School, Doreen in partnership with Diamond Valley Special Development School and Concord School

A nationally approved education and care provider will deliver the OSHC services (after hours care and holiday programs) at the nominated schools during term 3 and 4 2018 and throughout 2019. The demonstration program will be evaluated to assess the effectiveness of the operating model and inform further market engagement to ensure sustainable delivery and a report will be provided to the Australian Government outlining the challenges

Key Selection Criteria responses to be no more than 6 pages.

KSC1: Formal qualification in childcare, education, disability support

KSC2: First aid certificate, CPR, Anaphylaxis & Asthma Training (ACECQA approved)

KSC3: Experience working with students with disabilities and / or special needs and their families

KSC4: Excellent stakeholder management skills including the ability to form positive relationships with staff, students, parents and community organisations

KSC5: Well-developed communication skills

KSC6: Proven project management experience

KSC7: Excellent time management and organisational skills

KSC8: Ability to work in a team and embrace collaborative learning practices

KSC9: Computer skills and knowledge of relevant school based software programs.

The OSHC coordinator will apply a depth of knowledge and a broad range of skills, which facilitate the development, and implementation of the OSHC demonstration program. This position reports directly to the school principal. Key relationships also include the OSHC provider, school staff, students, their families, and the department of education (DET).

Objectives will be clearly defined; guidelines will be broad and day-to-day direction minimal. Management responsibility extends to ensuring appropriate support levels are maintained across the program. The success full applicant will provide timely advice to the leadership team and school council and liaise with the general school community, the DET and other agencies and service providers.

Specialised professional roles will carry a high level of independence and accountability where suitable scope is provided to achieve objectives.

An education support class position supports the educational services being provided to students, but must not include duties of teaching as defined in clause 2.6.1 of the Education and training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) or its successor. Supervision of students cannot be required except where it is an integral part of the employee’s position or involves supervision of students individually or in small groups, in controlled circumstances, where the responsibility for students remains clearly with the teacher.

-    Manage the delivery of support services to students, teachers, parents and other school clients.
-    Ensure all external providers deliver the required service.

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

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

Out of School Hours: 2pm to 6:30pm

School Holiday Program: hours to be negotiated