Position overview

The Division of Mental Health, Justice Health and Alcohol and Drug Services (MHJHADS) is a clinical division of Canberra Health Services. The Division provides a range of health services directly and through partnerships with community organisations. The services provided range from acute crisis support through to treatment, rehabilitation, recovery and harm minimisation. Services are delivered at several locations, including hospital inpatient and outpatient settings, community health centres, detention centres, and other community settings including people’s homes. These services include (and are not limited to):

• Rehabilitation and Speciality Services
• Adult Community Mental Health Services (ACMHS)
• Adult Acute Mental Health Services (AAMHS)
• Alcohol & Drug Services (ADS)
• Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• Justice Health Services (JHS)

The Allied Health Clinical Educator positions operate within the Office of the Director of Allied Health (ODAH), MHJHADS, and report directly to the Assistant Director of Allied Health. The ODAH provides strategic leadership, governance, and advocacy for Allied Health staff in MHJHADS and works collaboratively with the Directors of Nursing and Service and Transformation to ensure alignment with divisional priorities.

These roles play a key part in fostering interprofessional learning, supporting career development and embedding a culture of continuous improvement and best practice.  This includes facilitating, coordinating, designing, implementing, and evaluating education programs aligned with workforce needs and strategic objectives.

The Allied Health Clinical Educator roles work closely with clinical leaders, educators, external and internal partners, and multi-disciplinary teams to ensure education initiatives align with the overarching CHS strategy, MHJAHDS divisional priorities and evolving workforce needs.

While the ODAH is based at the City Community Health Centre, 1 Moore Street, Canberra, the roles require attendance across multiple sites within the division.

Key Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Lead the planning, design, delivery, and evaluation of high‑quality clinical education for the allied health and multi-disciplinary workforce, ensuring programs reflect best practice in adult learning and clinical education, and maximise opportunities for interprofessional learning.
2. Provide leadership in consulting, collaborating and coordinating with stakeholders to identify, prioritise, deliver and broker education and training needs, including specialised training for the allied health workforce.
3. Manage interdisciplinary allied health education portfolios, including students, early-career programs, career transition points, supervision, compliance and capability training for the broad allied health workforce within MHJHADS and promote and facilitate clinical education research and/or quality improvement projects that align with CHS Values.
4. Build workforce capability by promoting a culture of continual learning and supporting allied health staff to plan, deliver and engage in high quality education and training.
5. Contribute to broader CHS and MHJHADS education initiatives through engagement with the CHS Allied Health Clinical Education Unit, external stakeholders and relevant educational institutions in relation to clinical teaching, practice standards, Mortality and Morbidity recommendations, legislation changes, curriculum development and research.
6. Monitor, record and improve education activities by ensuring accurate data reporting, facilitating compliance with mandatory training requirements, and applying evaluation and quality improvement methodologies.
7. Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.

Competencies

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to the following.

• Ability to develop, deliver and evaluate clinical education and foundational skills training.
• Demonstrated commitment to education and training, with a strong understanding of the principles that underpin adult learning.
• Ability to utilise teaching media and technology effectively.
• Strong teaching and presentation skills.
• Strong organisational skills and a high degree of initiative.
• Flexible, proactive and adaptive approach to work.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to facilitate a collaborative approach, within an interdisciplinary team.

Qualifications

Essential

For Social Work:

• Degree in Social Work.
• Professional membership or eligibility for professional membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).
• Be registered under the Working with Vulnerable People Act 2011 (ACT).

For Psychology:

• Be registered or eligible for general registration with Psychology Board of Australia under AHPRA.

For clinically relevant Allied Health Professions such as Creative Arts Therapy, Exercise Physiology and Speech Pathology:

• Hold the recognised tertiary qualification for that profession.
• Professional membership or eligibility for professional membership of the peak body for that profession.
• Be registered under the ACT Working with Vulnerable People Act 2011 (ACT).

For Occupational Therapy:

• Be registered or eligible for registration with Occupational Therapy Board of Australia under AHPRA.
• Be eligible for professional membership of Occupational Therapy Australia.

Desirable

• Post graduate qualifications, or working towards, in education, training and assessment or equivalent.
• Post graduate qualifications in an allied health clinical practice speciality.
• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

Experience

Essential

• Have a minimum of 5 years’ experience post qualification, including clinical experience working in a mental health setting.
• Sound understanding of education and adult learning principles.

Desirable

• Relevant experience in providing clinical education in a health care setting.
• Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework, and all other related frameworks.

Prior to commencement

Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances:

• Pre-employment National Police Check.
• Current registration issued under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 is required.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
• Comply with CHS credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for allied health professionals.

Important information

All employees are required to:

• Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct.
• Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.

CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.

What you Require (Key Selection Criteria)

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience and must be addressed in your application:

1. Proven extensive clinical experience in providing a high standard of allied health services in a mental health, justice health and/or alcohol and drug service setting.
2. Proven experience in the development and provision of clinical education for interdisciplinary and allied health workforce, new graduates and students including demonstrated ability to provide appropriate support, learning and development options and standards for clinical supervision.
3. Demonstrated ability to provide professional leadership, through the facilitation of evidence-based practice, including participation in quality activities and/or research, and the professional development of other staff.
4. High level communication and teamwork skills in an interprofessional context, including the demonstrated ability to establish and maintain relationships with internal and external service providers and stakeholders.
5. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, work, health and safety (WH&S) and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful and kind.

Work environment description

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.