Mental Health Tribunal
Position description

Consumer and Carer Engagement Officer

Reporting to the Executive Officer of the Mental Health Tribunal the Consumer and Carer Engagement Officer facilitates ongoing interaction between the Tribunal, patients of mental health services and their carers, and members of the lived experience workforce.

The Consumer and Carer Engagement Officer provides advice on the collaborative design of Tribunal strategies, policies and procedures to support the Tribunal’s strategic goals regarding consumer and carer participation and engagement.

The position requires a motivated individual who is committed to the highest level of client service, and is able to set priorities and work under pressure.

Do you have?

•Excellent communication, interpersonal and analytical skills?

•The ability to develop respectful and collaborative working relationships with a broad range of stakeholders?

•Innovative thinking and the ability to contribute to strategic policy direction?

Title / Consumer and Carer Engagement Officer
Classification / VPSG5
Team, unit / Mental Health Tribunal
Branch/area/region
Division / Health Review & Regulation Branch
Regulation, Health Protection & Emergency Management Division
Work location / Level 30, 570Bourke Street
Position number / DHHS/MHT/427180
Employment type / Ongoing – Full time, (76 hours per fortnight)
Part time arrangements negotiable
Salary range / Value Range 1: $90,890 – $100,429 plus superannuation
Value Range 2: $100,431 – $109,969 plus superannuation
Position reports to / Executive Officer, Mental Health Tribunal
Further information / Jan DundonPh. 9032 3200
Closing date / 05 May 2017

Organisational environment

The department develops and delivers policies, programs and services that support and enhance the wellbeing of all Victorians. We take a broad view of the causes of ill health, the drivers of good health, the social and economic context in which people live, and of the incidence and experience of vulnerability.

We are building an inclusive workplace that embraces diversity and difference. All jobs can be worked flexibly and we actively encourage job applications from Aboriginal people, people living with disability, LGBTI and people from varied cultural backgrounds.

Our vision is to support and enhance the wellbeing of all Victorians. We aspire to be an organisation where everyone is committed to achieving our vision and demonstrates our values in all that they do.

  • We are respectful
  • We have integrity
  • We collaborate
  • We care for people, families and communities
  • We are accountable
  • We are innovative

Mental Health Tribunal

The Mental Health Tribunal is an independent statutory body that receives funding and administrative support from the Department of Health & Human Services (department). Staff of the Mental Health Tribunal are employees of the department who report directly or indirectly to the Tribunal President.

Purpose and accountability

Purpose

The role of the Consumer and Carer Engagement Officer is to facilitate the development and implementation of strategies to maximise the participation of consumers, patients and carersin patient hearings, and facilitates the input of consumers and carers into Tribunal strategies, policies and procedures.

Accountabilities

Operating at value range 1, you will:

  • Participate in the identification and implementation of strategies to maximise –
  • consumerand carer participation in hearings;
  • the promotion of consumer and carer rights;
  • Facilitate strategic relationships between the Tribunal, stakeholders and consumer and carer representative organisations, including proactively building and maintaining effective working relationships, ongoing communication and liaison.
  • Manage and support the Tribunal Advisory Group to provide ongoing consumer and carer perspectives in the development of strategies and initiatives at the Tribunal.
  • Undertake a program of consumer and stakeholder consultation and analysis to ensure that co-design underpins the work of the Tribunal.
  • Liaise and work with Health Services, Tribunal management and the department toidentify opportunities:
  • for the Tribunal to improve the way in which the work of the Tribunal is organised; and
  • to conducthearings in a way that supports the rights of consumers and carers.
  • Prepare authoritative advice, quality reports, submissions, briefings, correspondence and recommendations for the President, Executive Officer, Tribunal Members and relevantstakeholders within the department on policy issues concerning the Tribunal and related legislation and policy.
  • Research and develop written and other materials, policies, procedures and tools to assist stakeholders in the implementation of the Tribunal’s strategic and business objectives.

Operating at value range 2, you will perform all the above together with increasing involvement to:

  • Identify and advise the Tribunal on opportunities for the collaborative development of education and information products to meet the Tribunal’s strategic objectives for consumers and carers.
  • Identify and advise the Tribunal on opportunities for broader and/or national consumer and carer engagement development strategies.

Selection criteria

Knowledge and skills

Innovation and Originality

  • Innovative thinking and analysis influences developments within area of responsibility
  • Creatively develops options in a changing organisational environment

Communication

  • Conveys specialist concepts and policies in an appropriate way to clients, staff and stakeholders
  • Initiates and maintains strong relationships with peer and senior internal and external stakeholders
  • Focuses on understanding stakeholder issues

Rules, Guidelines, and Frameworks

  • Contributes to strategic business planning
  • Provides advice and analysis which influences the development of Tribunal policies, information, practice guidelines and tools

Policy and Projects

  • Contributes to strategic policy development within a specific field of expertise
  • Advocates policy options to maximise consumer and carer participation and engagement
  • Manages projects, usually under limited direction

Knowledge and Proficiency

  • Sound understanding of the Tribunal’s operating environment and its statutory role under the Mental Health Act 2014 and other relevant legislation.
  • Uses specialist knowledge within a confined field to challenge Tribunal policies and professional concepts.
  • Applies complex concepts to Tribunal policy development or research

Personal qualities

Consumer/carer focus

  • Seeks and listens to feedback from consumers,carers and other stakeholders
  • Is solution-focused and actively seeks to meet consumer and carer needs
  • Seeks ways to improve Tribunal services, operations, processes and procedures
  • Committed to delivering high quality outcomes for consumers and carers

Initiative and accountability

  • Proactive and self-starting;
  • Seizes opportunities and acts upon them
  • Takes responsibility for own actions

Relationship Building

  • Establishes and maintains positive relationships with people at all levels
  • Promotes harmony and consensus through diplomatic and sensitive handling of disagreements
  • Forges useful partnerships with people across business areas, functions and organisations
  • Builds trust through consistent actions, values and communication

Empathy and Cultural Awareness

  • Pays attention to words, expressions and body language
  • Paraphrases messages to check understanding
  • Shapes responses to individuals
  • Communicates well with, relates to and sees issues from the perspective of people from a diverse range of cultures and backgrounds.

Teamwork

  • Cooperates and works well with others in the pursuit of team goals
  • Collaborates and shares information
  • Shows consideration, concern and respect for others’ feelings and ideas
  • Accommodates and works well with the different working styles of others
  • Encourages resolution of conflict within group.

Specialist Expertise

Mandatory

  • Lived experience of mental illness and recovery is mandatory.
  • Extensive experience working in a declared lived experience role with consumers or carers is mandatory.

Highly desirable

  • Personalexperience of appearing before the former Mental Health Review Board or the Tribunal as a consumer is highly desirable, but not mandatory.
  • Completion of the Health Issues Centre Consumer Leadership or the Graduate Certificate in Consumer Engagement course, or equivalentis highly desirable, but not mandatory.

Safety screening

  • All competitive applicants are subject to a satisfactory National Police History Check as part of the recruitment assessment process.
  • Applicants who have lived overseas for 12 months or longer during the past 10 years are required to provide the results of an international police check. Applicants should contact the relevant overseas police force to obtain this and submit as part of their application. Details of overseas police agencies are available on the Department of Immigration website can be searched for under the phrase, ‘penal clearance certificate’.

Conditions and benefits

People who work for the department must comply with the Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees 2007 and agree to work according to our values of quality, collaborative relationships, responsibility, client focus, professional integrity and respect.

Employees of the Department of Health & Human Services can enjoy a range of generous Victorian Government employment benefits. These include attractive salaries, flexible leave arrangements and training and development opportunities. Please see

The department promotes diversity and equal opportunity in employment. If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander applicant, or if you have a disability, and require advice and support with the recruitment process, please contact our Diversity Unit on .

How and where to apply

The Department of Health & Human Services prefers job applications submitted electronically to best manage administrative and environmental resources. If you are unable to apply online, please follow the instructions below to submit a paper copy.

  • Online – existing staff: click through to the job opportunities page from the department’s intranet homepage.
  • Online – external applicants: visit the job search page at
  • Paper copy – all applicants: complete a Hard Copy Application for Employment form available via the links above or the contact for further information noted on page 1 of this document. Paper applications should quote the job reference number on the outside of the envelope and be posted to: Recruitment Officer, Mental health Tribunal, Level 30, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne

•If you are unable to apply online or having difficulties accessing the information online, please phone the Office Manager on 03 9032 3200 for assistance.

Other relevant information

For other important information about the recruitment process, please read the department’s Information for applicants page at or request a copy from the contact for further information listed under the ‘Position details’ section of this document.

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