Background

In light of the increasing incidence of mental ill-health and substance use disorders in the Victorian community and the resulting recommendations of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s mental health system, the Department of Health has initiated a Pilot program designed to test the implementation of an evidence-based model of care known as the Comprehensive Continuous Integrated Model of Care (CCISC).

In May this Pilot was awarded to a partnership of 10 care providers working in the South-Eastern region of Victoria within the mental health and addiction sectors and (importantly) adjacent service providers such as those providing crisis accommodation, child and youth services, inpatient detox services and Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health services among others. This partnership will be led by First Step, an organisation noted for its multi-disciplinary, client-centred model of care.

The Opportunity

This position offers the opportunity to be in at the beginning of genuine reform in the Victorian mental health and alcohol and other drug (AOD) landscape.

The Project Manager will play an important role in the successful co-ordination of the pilot group as they progress though the model in the collection of information around such things as workforce development requirements and structural, policy and attitudinal barriers that will need to be addressed in the reform process.

The CCISC model is a vision driven, transformation process that seeks to re-design behavioural health (and related) services using available resources, resulting in services that are focused on the needs of the individuals and their families seeking assistance dealing with complex co-morbidities. It strives to create integrated partnerships among service providers and ultimately to provide a system of care for clients & consumers that is welcoming, recovery oriented, integrated, trauma-informed, hope-filled and culturally competent at a minimum. More information about CCISC can be found here.

The pilot will include First Step and 9 partner organisations from City of Port Phillip and neighbouring suburbs and will inform future delivery of this program by the Department of Health across the broader mental health sector. The Project Manager will be responsible for shepherding each of the 10 organisations through this process which includes auditing each organisation and the network itself against CCISC standards (using purpose-built CCISC tools). The Manager will be a key conduit of support and information in addition to ensuring that the pilot group progresses through the CCISC model in a timely manner.

Position Details:

Purpose: You will work with a diverse group of organisations including the Department of Health (among others) to explore the possibilities and limitations of the CCISC model of care in the Victorian MI & SUD setting according to an agreed set of KPI’s. The aim of this Pilot is to develop a gold standard of care among service providers where the emphasis is on optimal end user experience and seamless collaboration among service providers delivered within an existing set of resources.

Classification: Salary negotiable, subject to skills & experience

Reports To: CEO, First Step

Location: 42 Carlisle St, St.Kilda VIC 3182

Employment Status: 1 year fixed term contract

Hours: Part time 0.8 FTE approximately 30 hours per week

Probationary period: 3 months

Key responsibilities:

The Project Manager will be responsible for all aspects of the Pilot delivery including:

• Co-ordinating the implementation team to maintain engagement & enthusiasm

• Coordinating & delivering (approximately) 9 detailed planning workshops across the 12-month pilot timeline, and fortnightly brief progress meetings.

• Playing a key role in the development of the scope of project deliverables (ie working with parties to determine what constitutes a 'successful’ pilot) and ensuring all relevant processes are put in place such that each of the key metrics are both measurable and measured. This will include both the implementation of the tools provided by Zia Partners but also any other metrics deemed important or necessary by The Department or by consensus among the participating partners.

• Facilitating communication among change agents at each organisation. To assist in the development of rapport & collaboration among change agents and to ensure that they are adequately supported in their role such that organisational change is facilitated at every level.

• Assisting in the development of an interagency consumer group and to facilitate their voice to the executive management team where necessary.

• Ensuring that the project timeline is adhered to, to ensure that the completion date and outcomes are delivered in a timely way.

• Organising educational briefings & support ahead of each of the 12 steps outlined for CCISC implementation.

• Facilitating the collection & delivery of resources and manuals to be used as a resource base for change agents & peers (where appropriate).

• Identifying risks to the successful outcome of the pilot and to implement procedures to anticipate and mitigate those risk.

• Overseeing the development, production & delivery of the final report.

Qualities sought:

• Exceptional communication skills and ability to build relationships at all levels.
• Outstanding organisational & trouble-shooting skills
• Commitment to a vision of truly integrated, collaborative and comprehensive care for clients that will ultimately enable each person that passes through the MI/SUD sector to emerge with the resources, resilience and hope necessary to achieve their best life
• Possesses an in-depth understanding of both the current mental health and addiction landscape in Victoria and a good understanding of its current failings as outlined by the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System
• The ability to envisage a new landscape in Mental Health (big picture thinking) while also maintaining attention to detail.
• Preferred: experience delivering multi-level projects involving in-depth cultural & systemic change
• Desired (training will be provided): an understanding or previous experience of the CCISC model of care

Project Manager qualifications / requirements:

• Minimum of 5 years business management, project management, business administration skills or similar.
• Qualifications or experience in a relevant area of health care (especially mental health and/or alcohol and other drugs) is desirable.

key selection criteria:

Please outline answers to the following in your application letter:

• What professional experience do you have in the fields of mental health, alcohol and other drugs or related fields?

• What is your understanding the current failings of the Victorian Mental Health Sector (please be sure to include the AOD sector in your appraisal) most relevant to this pilot, and of the key recommendations for improvement as outlined in the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System 2021?

• What experience do you have in the coordination of multidisciplinary teams on a challenging project?

• What expertise do you have in project management, change management, implementation of evidence-based systems and/or action research.

*Please note: It is mandatory for the successful applicant to hold a current Working with Children Check and be prepared to undergo a National Criminal History Check prior to commencement

First Step is an independent for-purpose organisation that provides a safe and nurturing work environment for people of all backgrounds, genders, religions, sexualities, ethnicities or any other factor. Anyone with relevant experience and interests is encouraged to apply.

*Applications that do not address the Key Selection Criteria will not be considered

**Note this position will close as soon as a suitable candidate is found

A position description is attached.