Senior Mental Health Clincian - Banksia Ward

The Hospital:

The Royal Children’s Hospital’s (RCH) Vision is “A world where all kids thrive”.

RCH is a cornerstone member of the Melbourne Children’s Campus, partnering with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics and The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

RCH has cared for the children and young people of Victoria for more than 150 years since it was founded in 1870. A full range of paediatrics and adolescent health services are provided plus tertiary and quaternary care for the most critically ill and medically complex patients in Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW and other states around Australia and overseas. The Hospital has more than 6,000 staff, a budget of $850M, 12 wards and 350 beds. Annually, the RCH has 300,000+ Specialist Clinic appointments, 90,000+ Emergency Department presentations and 20,000 elective surgeries.

The RCH is committed to the Child Safe Standards. 

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact.

For further Information on RCH is available here.

Senior Mental Health Clinician – Mental Health Ward  

• Challenging and rewarding work environment
• Ongoing training and development opportunities
• Friendly and supportive team environment

About the Role:

This is a 12 month fixed-term full-time role to backfill parental leave. This position is part of the interdisciplinary clinical team of the Banksia Ward, a 16-bed adolescent inpatient mental health ward of the RCH. The position contributes specific clinical expertise to the care of allocated young people on the ward, providing direct care planning and therapies. 

This important position supports and guides collaborative care planning from admission through to discharge, providing a central point for accountability of care and communication to the ward and specialist input through therapeutic assessments and interventions. This role reports clinically to the Ward Psychiatrist and operationally to the NUM. The role will have professional accountability to senior of the specific discipline employed.

The Senior Mental Health Clinician provides leadership and mentorship to the Care Coordinator team and forms a conduit to the broader multidisciplinary team; communicating care planning, risk assessment and discharge pathways. 

Classification for this position will be multi- disciplinary: OT3/P3/SW3/SP3/RPN4.

What you’ll achieve:

• Enhancing leadership skills
• Contribution to high quality, contemporary mental health care
• Opportunity to collaborate with young people and their carers in their recovery

Your skills and experience:

Essential:

• Tertiary Qualification or equivalent in relevant discipline
• Current Registration as an Occupational Therapist, Psychologist or Registered Nurse with the applicable Health Practitioner Board or a qualified Social Worker or Speech Pathologist. For Psychologists, this means full registration with the Psychology Board of Australia and endorsement as Clinical Psychologist with the Psychology Registration Board of Australia
• Eligibility for Membership in Victoria with an appropriate Professional Body
• Experience in providing quality clinical/professional supervision
• Demonstrated effectiveness in working in true partnership with other community mental health teams and community/family welfare agencies to plan and implement effective interventions for children and young people experiencing complex mental health problems
• Depending on discipline, required years of experience in accordance with EBA will apply

For Psychology applicants only:

• Continuously satisfy the PBA continuing professional development standards 
• Uphold the PBA Code of Ethics
• Psychology Board Approved Supervisor status

Desirable:

• Demonstrated skills, knowledge, and behaviours in successfully leading staff / teams and or change initiatives
• Expertise in a clinical speciality area relating to your discipline
• Completion of the Developmental Psychiatry Course (DPC) & post graduate training in relevant area

For Nurse applicants only:

• Postgraduate diploma in psychiatric/mental health nursing or completion of a specialist undergraduate psychiatric nursing program
• Minimum 5 years' work experience post initial registration in mental health

For Social Work applicants only:

• Meet AASW accreditation standards for Continuing Professional Education
• Uphold the AASW Code of Ethics

For Occupational Therapist applicants only:

• Uphold the OTA Code of Ethics

For Speech Pathologist applicants only:

• Meet the requirements of Professional Self-Regulation program
• Uphold the SPA Code of Ethics
• Entry to practice tertiary qualification
• Demonstrated commitment to work and contribute as part of a team
• Proven capacity for clinical leadership in a team environment and ability to work well as a senior team member

Desirable:

• • Experience in leading others, mentoring and training
  • Post graduate qualification or undertaking a post graduate course
  • Minimum 7 years’ experience in health or related field

If this sounds like you, please click here to view the position description.

About the Department:

Banksia is an acute psychiatric ward that provides wellbeing, and mental health supports for young adolescents experiencing serious mental health and wellbeing concerns. On Banksia, our multidisciplinary team of health professionals have extensive child, youth and family expertise. Our wide range of therapeutic interventions, including music therapy, integrated school program and family clinicians allow a dynamic care approach that is truly patient, and family focused.

What we offer:

• Salary Packaging – Increase your take home pay!
• Employee Assistance Program
• Ability to join Fitness Passport - Your pass to an extensive choice of fitness facilities
• Early Learning Centre childcare
• Parkville location and close to public transport
• Discounted on-site car parking

Other requirements:

• Current National Criminal Record Check, or willing to obtain
• Valid Working with Children Check
• Compliance with RCHs “Staff Immunisation - Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases” procedure

Application process:

To apply, you will need a resume and a tailored cover letter outlining your skills, experience, and suitability for the position in line with the requirements of the position description.

Shortlisting for this position will commence immediately, we encourage you to apply promptly!

For more information about this position please contact Dale Mcvittie, Nurse Unit Manager, via phone:  0481437737 OR email: dale.mcvittie@rch.org.au

Why work at the RCH?

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact. We offer the opportunity to work in world-class facilities, surrounded by Royal Park and only a short tram trip from the heart of Melbourne city.

We also offer staff benefits such as discounted staff parking, salary packaging, and an award-winning health and wellbeing program.

The RCH is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse background, all members of the LGBTQI community and people with disability.

It is a requirement of your employment that you be vaccinated against Influenza annually for Category A and B roles, in compliance with any public health orders in place at the relevant time, unless you have a medical exception in line with those public health orders, which has been accepted by The Royal Children’s Hospital.  Applicants will be required to provide their Australian Government Immunisation History Statement, it is a requirement of the RCH to collect, record and hold vaccination information.

It is also a requirement of your employment that you comply with any direction given by The Royal Children’s Hospital that you be vaccinated against, or prove immunity to, any other disease, unless you have a relevant exemption, and offers of employment are conditional on successful completion of background checks including reference checks. 

Are you ready to join our team?

Apply online by clicking on the “Apply” button

Applications close 06 April, 2026.