Job Description

• Permanent Part Time Contract - 9 day fortnight for real work/life balance
• Location: Garramilla (Darwin) NT 0800
• Salary: $81,169 + super + NFP salary packaging benefits
• Make a meaningful difference to the lives of Australians in need

Life at Mission Australia

When you join the team at Mission Australia, you become part of a community who are determined to end homelessness and ensure people in need can thrive. United by our Christian purpose and values, we advocate for a fairer Australia, to meet the growing needs of people across the country. Together we’re building hope and possibility for all.

Find out more about us and our purpose

Your Opportunity

When you join ForWhen (Connect and Care) in Darwin as a Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner, you will provide a vital role in delivering a national mental health helpline that supports expectant and new parents experiencing, or at risk of, perinatal mental health challenges. This service focuses on early intervention, prevention, and improving access to appropriate support for parents navigating complex experiences such as birth trauma, miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss.

Working as part of a nationally connected program, you will provide compassionate, evidence-informed support primarily via phone while also building local presence through regular engagement at Royal Darwin and Palmerston hospitals. This is an on-site position, offering a unique blend of direct clinical contact and system navigation, where you will ensure families are safely connected to the right services and supported through their mental health journey.

Through your work, you will contribute to improving service accessibility, enhancing mental health literacy, and reducing stigma, while ensuring culturally safe and inclusive care for diverse communities across the Northern Territory.

Your Key Responsibilities:

• Provide intake, screening, and structured mental health assessments for expectant and new parents via the national helpline.
• Deliver triage and navigation support, connecting families with appropriate local services and maintaining engagement until handover is complete.
• Offer early intervention and prevention support to parents experiencing or at risk of perinatal mental illness, including those affected by trauma or loss.
• Conduct proactive follow-up to ensure families are progressing safely and receiving the required level of care.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with health professionals, hospitals, and community services to support effective referral pathways.
• Maintain accurate records, case notes, and data within systems in line with service and compliance requirements.
• Participate in outreach activities, including regular on-site engagement at local hospitals and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.

Requirements for Success

• Qualifications in nursing, midwifery, social work, psychology, or a related field, with a minimum of three years’ relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience or strong understanding of perinatal and infant mental health, including pregnancy, birth, and post-natal challenges.
• Ability to conduct mental health assessments, risk identification, and apply appropriate escalation pathways.
• Strong knowledge of child development, parenting, and trauma-informed care approaches.
• In-depth understanding of how social factors affect the health and well-being of infants, children, and families.
• Proven ability to work independently, particularly in a phone-based service environment supporting highly distressed clients.
• Well-developed communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage sensitively with families and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.
• Established knowledge of, or ability to quickly build, local service networks and referral pathways within the Northern Territory.
• First Aid certificate is desired but not required.
• Full driver licence with no restrictions.

Before starting work with us, you will need to undertake a national police history check, qualifications, and referee checks, and have a clearance to work with children/vulnerable people.

Your Benefits

To ensure our employees feel valued, empowered, and celebrated, we provide a range of employee benefits including:

• Rewarding work – every day you know you’re making a real difference
• Not-for-profit salary packaging, reducing your tax (details via AccessPay)
• Free external, confidential counselling and access to chaplaincy support
• Volunteering opportunities
• Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave
• Extra leave including: Mission Australia Thank You Day & Work Anniversary Day off

Our Culture

Our innovative and inclusive culture will ensure you feel valued at Mission Australia as you help Australians in need and develop in your career.

We prioritise the safety and wellbeing of everyone, both within our team and the individuals we serve.

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive working environment. We actively support and encourage people of all backgrounds; gender, age, ethnicity, race, cultural background, disability, religion, and sexual orientation to submit an application and aim to ensure that the recruitment and employee experience is as accessible and inclusive as possible. So, whoever you are, if you’re skilled and actively support our purpose and values, you would be welcome at Mission Australia.

If you live with disability and require support to submit your application, please email talentattraction@missionaustralia.com.au or visit our Careers page for additional contact details.

We strongly encourage applications from people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. For culturally safe support or assistance with your application, please contact us at Deadlycareers@missionaustralia.com.au

Find out more about a career with Mission Australia

How to apply

Click ‘Apply’ and send your application today!

As a committed Circle Back Initiative employer, we will respond to your application.

Applications for this role are shortlisted as received and we are interviewing through the advertising period. Please apply as soon as possible to be considered. Thank you