Job Description

St. Vincent’s Mental Health (SVMH) provides high quality, recovery-oriented services across an adult and older adult mental health service for the inner-city areas of Yarra and Boroondara. The service utilises the Strengths Model of recovery and this model is embedded across all parts of the mental health service. In addition, the acute inpatient service utilises the Safewards Model. St Vincent’s is also committed to the ongoing development of a strong peer support workforce.

The mental health service components are:

• 44 bed Acute Inpatient Service (AIS) located on the St. Vincent’s Hospital site. The Acute Inpatient Service includes 5 beds designated to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and are linked to the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service.
• 20 bed Footbridge Community Care Unit (CCU).
• North Fitzroy PARC.
• Two community mental health services (CMHS) at Hawthorn (Hawthorn CMHS) and East Melbourne (Clarendon CMHS). Community mental health services comprise the Triage and Crisis assessment and Treatment (CAT) service, Continuing Care (CCT), Mobile Support and Treatment (MST) and Homeless Outreach (CHOPS) services. The Primary Intervention and Care Team (PICT) includes Primary Mental Health, Extended Triage and HOPE (Suicide Prevention).
• Consultation & Liaison Service.
• NEXUS Dual Diagnosis Advisory Service.
• Body Image and Eating Disorders Assessment and Treatment Service (BETRS).
• DePaul House – Drug and Alcohol Detox Service
• Normanby House – Older Adult Acute Inpatient Service
• State-wide services are the Victorian Dual Disability Service and the Victorian Transcultural Mental Health.

St Vincent’s Mental Health is committed the recruitment and retention of high-quality staff. We aim to support staff to maintain and develop their skills to provide excellent clinical care and to meet their own personal and career goals. The service has a strong education and research focus, in addition to affiliations with universities and educational institutions. All St Vincent’s Mental Health clinical staff are expected to be familiar, and practice in a manner consistent with the National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce.

As a participant of the St Vincent’s Mental Health Allied Health Graduate Program (Social Work) you will have the opportunity to participate in two 6x month rotations over 12 months. The program is designed to support newly graduated social workers to develop mental health competencies and successfully transition to practice in mental health.

You will be supported by a Social Work Clinical Educator with a strong focus on growth learning, professional development, reflective practice, supervision, and self-care. This will include regular individual and peer supervision, localised mentoring, and regular professional development opportunities within the wider Mental Health Social Work Team.

The positions are located within clinical Adult Mental Health Community and Acute Inpatient settings, working closely with Grade 2 and Senior Social Workers and as part of multi-disciplinary teams. This enables learning and development in real-life practice related content in a positive and supported environment.

An individualised learning plan is designed to work towards meeting targeted social work competencies in the mental health program.

Following the program, you will be supported to apply for ongoing, long term employment opportunities within St Vincent’s Mental Health.

• Skilfully engage consumers, carers, families and supports
• Engage in mental health focused biopsychosocial assessments, family sensitive practice and interventions to promote Recovery
• Work collaboratively with consumers, carers, families and supports in the development and implementation of individualised recovery plans designed to promote, foster, and sustain personal recovery
• Undertake comprehensive mental state evaluation and risk assessment to inform planning and safe practice
• Contribute to multidisciplinary clinical reviews, meetings, handovers, and case conferences
• Provide social work consultation and support to other services, teams and agencies as required to promote appropriate service delivery and care
• Engage with and support community services and resources to facilitate effective community integration and referral
• Engage in reflective supervision and practice – individually, with social work colleagues and with allied health graduate colleagues. Participate in ongoing professional development sessions to ensure up to date skills and knowledge of contemporary recovery focused interventions in mental health
• Engage in the development of a comprehensive individual learning plan, working towards meeting the expected social work mental health graduate competencies
• Demonstrate relevant family violence practice according to St Vincent’s Mental Health guidelines. This aligns with the Multi-Agency Risk assessment and Management (MARAM) Framework, the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVIS) and Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) legislative requirements

In order to apply for this position, you must be eligible for AASW membership and hold a Bachelor of Social Work or Masters in Social Work (Qualifying), as well as a current Driver’s Licence

• Strong interest in mental health and well-being and considering a career in mental health
• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written)
• Ability to work as a team member and contribute to team decisions, as well as the willingness to take advice and direction
• An interest in understanding the range of issues experienced by people experiencing mental illness presenting with high level needs, and a commitment to helping meet the needs of consumers and families/carers
• Computer literacy

Commitment to:

• The Values and Health Care Philosophy of the Sisters of Charity
• The Principles of the St. Vincent’s Hospital Patient Care Model
• The Hospital’s Code of Conduct

Closing Date:

5 September 2026 11:59pm

Reconciliation Action Plan:

At St Vincent's we acknowledge the importance of creating a work environment that is welcoming, safe, equitable and inclusive for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Employees. As part of our Commitment to Reconciliation and Closing the Gap in employment related outcomes, we encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

For further information, visit https /www.svha.org.au/about-us/reconciliation or get in contact at indigenouscareers@svha.org.au

View Reconciliation Action Plan

Code of Conduct:

View Code of Conduct