Are you passionate about supporting the wellbeing of children and young people from Defence families? Do you have a strong understanding of the Defence lifestyle and a desire to make a meaningful impact in a school community?
The Cathedral School is seeking a compassionate and proactive Defence School Mentor (DSM) to join our team. This role is part of the national Defence School Mentor Program (DSMP), funded by the Defence Member and Family Support (DMFS) Branch of the Commonwealth Department of Defence.
About the Role
The DSM provides specialised, on-site support to meet the unique needs of Defence students and their families. Embedded within the school’s wellbeing team, the DSM plays a vital role in helping students feel connected, supported, and understood throughout their educational journey. The role is a part-time term-time contract working 15 hours per week.
Key Responsibilities
The DSM position will be required to fulfil the following primary objectives:
- Support the integration of new Defence students into the school environment.
- Support Defence students experiencing any social, emotional or academic challenges.
- Support Defence students experiencing the impacts of Defence-related parental absence and relocation.
- Direct students to school, Defence or external programs, services or opportunities that meet their support needs.
- Increase the awareness and appreciation of the unique Defence lifestyle and associated challenges for students in schools and local communities.
Essential Criteria
The Defence School Mentor will be required to meet the following criteria.
- Hold a current Working with Children Check (Blue Card).
- Working knowledge about wellbeing principles for young children and young adults.
- High level of oral and written communication skills, and the ability to communicate effectively with students, families, DSM supervisors, principals, and school staff.
- Ability to effectively plan, organise, and deliver innovative and creative programs, resources and activities relating to Defence students, families and the school community.
- Strong initiative and the ability to organise their own work, set priorities, meet deadlines, and be able to work independently and within team environments.
- Ability to quickly acquire an understanding of the school context and student population.
All staff at Cathedral are expected to support the philosophies of the School and must either hold or be able to obtain a Blue Card and/or be registered with the Queensland College of Teachers. Applicants will be subjected to blue card screening, referee checks, identification verification, and will be required disclose any information relevant to their eligibility to engage in activities involving children and young people.
Interested applicants who would like to be part of a thriving professional community can obtain further information by visiting our "Employment" page at https://cathedral.qld.edu.au/about/employment/
Applicants wishing to apply for the position are required to submit a cover letter and resume outlining their experience providing 3 work references to which the school can contact. We will assess applications as they arrive, so please apply today!
