Position overview

Mental Health, Justice Health and Alcohol and Drug Services provides support to youth and adults via inpatient and outpatient settings, community health centres, justice health facilities and other community settings.

We partner with our health care consumers, their family, carers, government, and community organisations to ensure that they receive the best possible care during their treatment and recovery.

All care that we provide is driven by our values of being kind, reliable, respectful, and progressive. We’re also guided by contemporary mental health and human rights legislation which means we operate within a framework that ensures the rights and dignity of people are promoted and protected.

Forensic Mental Health Inpatient Services (FMHIS) including Dhulwa Mental Health Unit (DMHU) provides high quality inpatient mental health care to people from 18 to 65 years of age. The values and aims of FMHIS is outlined in the FMHIS Model of Care (2026).

The Dhulwa Mental Health Unit (DMHU) is a 25-bed forensic mental health facility that first opened in November 2016. DMHU provides 24-hour, contemporary, evidence-based mental health care for people who require secure inpatient treatment. This includes consumers transferring from custody for assessment and stabilisation and forensic consumers requiring longer term rehabilitation. DMHU provides a therapeutic and recovery-based approach, focused on individually tailored treatment programs to maximise mental health care outcomes for consumers.  The service aims to provide collaborative care involving the person, their carers, and other key services.

Forensic Mental Health Inpatient Services is part of the continuum of Forensic Mental Health Services (FMHS) in the ACT which also includes Custodial Mental Health Services and Community Forensic Mental Health Services and as such have access to professional support including clinical and group supervision from the broader FMHS program area.

Key Responsibilities

At this level it will be expected you will understand issues related to the care and rehabilitation of patients with moderate to severe mental illness and complex comorbid issues including trauma, psychosocial disadvantage, substance use, personality disorder, and criminal offending and have a sound understanding of the legislation relevant to mental health and be able to communicate effectively with relevant government and non-government agencies engaged with the public mental health system.

Under limited direction of the Allied Health Manager, You will:

1. Provide appropriate skilled clinical assessment, practical social support, and social and family intervention across a range of clinical areas with complex mental health clients at various stages of their rehabilitation and recovery journey.
2. Exercise independent professional judgement in solving complex problems, prioritising needs, and managing cases in collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team.
3. Liaise with carers, external service providers and agencies to facilitate effective service provision and transition to community in line with the principles of recovery.
4. Assist in the supervision and education of Health Professionals, social work students, and other clinical and non-clinical staff as required to enhance patient care.
5. Participate in professional supervision, continuing professional development and performance management in line with the standards set by both AASW and CHS.
6. Actively participate in and facilitate internal and external education programs relating to clinical service delivery.  Including clinical governance activity, quality improvement projects, research programs and health promotion in areas relevant to service.
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.

• Adaptability and flexibility to accommodate change and respond to novel situations.
• Ability to communicate effectively and with influence on clinical issues
• Resilience and calm in the face of conflict or uncertainty.

Qualifications

Essential

• Tertiary Qualification in Social Work
• Professional membership or eligibility for professional membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
• Registration under the ACT Working with Vulnerable People Act 2011

Desirable

• Postgraduate study or other training in Forensic Mental Health or a related field.
• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 3 years clinical experience post qualification.

Desirable

• Previous experience in public mental health service or forensic/custodial service.
• Previous experience in an inpatient mental health facility.
• 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.

1. Proven ability to provide high quality social work assessments, group and individual interventions which are relevant and responsive to both patient needs, contextual and systemic factors, and which employ established principles of social work theory.
2. Proven ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, prioritise workload according to clinical indicators and organisational requirements, and demonstrate reflective clinical practice.
3. Demonstrated knowledge of the NDIS and ability to liaise with family, carers, service providers and external community agencies, to develop partnerships for service delivery and to provide a continuum of care.
4. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of Mental Health legislation, other legislation relevant to working within public mental health, and the role of National Standards for Mental Health Services in ensuring evidenced based/ best practice approaches in mental health.
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.