Since 1994, Youth Focus has provided counselling services to vulnerable youth in Western Australia. In 2011, they provided one on one counselling to around 1,000 young people and more than 200 families. Youth Focus is continually developing new strategies, additional prevention services, and expanding their existing office sites regionally.

To facilitate this growth, they are seeking to appoint a General Manager Operations to lead a dedicated team of professionals by providing the necessary support to ensure quality service outcomes are achieved.  This is an excellent opportunity to ensure the delivery of consistent, compliant and quality mental health services across all sites in order to maintain Youth Focus’ brand integrity and community trust.

Key competencies include:
• Proven senior management skills at a level commensurate with the position of General Manager;
• Significant experience gained within a clinical/health services setting;
• Track record of delivering organisational performance against key indicators;
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to foster innovation and manage change; and
• Recognised tertiary qualification/s in health, psychology or a related field.

This senior appointment is being co-ordinated with the generous support of Gerard Daniels.  All enquiries may be directed to Lloyd Smith  at Gerard Daniels on 08 9322 0888 quoting ref WA11145.

Please apply at www.gerard-daniels.com/register and quote ref WA11145.

• Competitive Salary Packaging
• Attractive Staff Benefits and Recognition Program
• Be part of A Dynamic Team
• Great Office Environment
• Free Parking in Central Location

Youth Focus is an independent charitable organisation providing proven therapeutic and support services to young people and their families, at risk of suicide, self harm and depression.

 We are currently seeking an experienced Health Promotions Officer for this unique position which offers both autonomy and a hands-on approach.  You will be a flexible team player and have the ability to work unsupervised, as well as the ability to look into the finest of details.

 Key functionalities of the Health Promotions Officer role include:

• The delivery of a range of mental health training programs to corporate, community and educational groups
• Consultation with clients to develop tailored training programs
• Input into the design and preparation of tailored training programs
• The delivery of Gatekeeper and Youth Mental Health First Aid Training programs

 The successful candidate must possess the following:

• Previous experience in a similar role
• Relevant tertiary and industry qualifications
• Demonstrated knowledge of adult and youth learning styles (Mandatory)
• Demonstrated ability to professionally deliver and evaluate group programs and community based workshops
• Knowledge, skills and experience appropriate to working with young people and families
• Sound organisational and time management skills

 If you are looking for a rewarding career and would like to be part of a professional team, we would like  to hear from you today!

Applications addressing the above selection criteria should be submit their CV and cover letter for the attention Ailsa Womack our Human Resources Officer via ailsa.womack@youthfocus.com.au or via post to 54 Goodwood Parade, Burswood  WA 6100.  Short listing will commence immediately, however applications will close on the 5^th February  2012.

Due to the high volume of applications received for our advertised positions, only those applicants who are shortlisted will be contacted.  To those applicants not shortlisted, we extend our appreciation for considering Youth Focus as a potential employer.

Youth Focus will be hosting a free community event on 25th January which allows parents, guardians and anybody interested in the mental health of young people to learn about teenage depression and anxiety from practicing mental health professionals.

Click here for an e-flyer.

We recognize that educating the community, whether it be parents, grandparents, teachers, sports coaches or employers is a key strategy to improving the mental health of our community, especially in our young people.  As a result Youth Focus has developed a range of new training initiatives designed for adults working or living with adolescents.

These programs have been successfully rolled out  to a range of companies and community organisations over the past 12 months.  Participants learn the signs and symptoms of a range of mental health problems, including where and how to get help.

Youth Focus can tailor a mental health training program to suit your needs including time and budget.

Our next scheduled two-day Youth Mental Health First Aid course will be held on 9th and 10th February 2012. Please see below for more information.

 
Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is targeted at individuals and parents within the community who live or work with young people, or would like to learn more about prevalent youth mental health issues.

Not restrictive to mental health workers or community workers, this course is designed to up-skill and educate absolutely anyone who is interested in prevalent mental health issues in young people and how to notice and react to symptoms, signs of distress and mental health crises whilst providing appropriate support and information.

The course includes an interactive, in-depth look at depression, eating disorders, psychosis, anxiety and substance misuse disorders along with crucial information regarding adolescent development and behaviour.
Participants are not required to have any prior knowledge of mental health issues nor experience working with young people. The course is about awareness and up skilling our community to assist people to access appropriate mental health care. Another beneficial element of this course is that it can be easily applied to adults as the principle of support remains the same.

Youth Mental Health First Aid informs and teaches a model of support that is both appropriate and safe when working or coming across a person who is experiencing a mental health issue or crises. Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is a nationally recognised program that is now facilitated in over 12 developed and developing nations across the globe and is supported by Orygen Youth Health Research Centre and Melbourne University.

For further information and a full overview of the course please visit the Mental Health First Aid Australia website: http://www.mhfa.com.au/Youth_mhfa.shtml

COURSE INFORMATION:
WHEN: Thursday 9th & 10th February 2012
TIME: 9:00am – 4:30pm both days
WHERE: Youth Focus, 54 Goodwood Parade, Burswood WA
              
Youth Focus is conveniently located a leisurely 300m walk from the Burswood Train Station. Plenty of free street parking is also available. Please do not park in the red paved parking bays directly in front of the building as they are reserved for clients.

COST: $275 per person; includes GST, all catering and course resources (participants will receive a comprehensive YMHFA handbook).
* 100% of the course must be completed in order to warrant a completion certificate.

HOW TO REGISTER: Please complete the YMHFA registration form and scan to elaine.liebetrau@youthfocus.com.au, or fax to Youth Focus on 6266 4300 attention to Elaine: YMHFA Rego.

Confirmation of registration will not be guaranteed until payment is received in full.

RSVP BY:  Thursday 2nd February 2012. First in first serve basis. Confirmations will be emailed to the address listed on the registration form.

Postal Address: 54 Goodwood Parade, Burswood WA 6100

For further information please contact Elaine Liebetrau at Youth Focus on 6266 4333.

2011 was another highly successful year for our youth and family counselling team.  In total 950 young people were supported via our ongoing free services however it is regrettable that at the close of the year some 66 young people remained on a waiting list.

The length of average individual engagement with our services remains in excess of eight months which illustrates the significant support provided and the intensity of the issues dealt with.

It was very pleasing that we recorded a 32% increase in calls to our referral hotline during 2011 with most of these calls resulting in accepted referrals.  Funding that will enable us to employ more counsellors remains our largest hurdle in assisting more young people.

As we look ahead to the challenges in 2012 we cannot help but recognize, although we work as hard as we can, there is still so much work to do in supporting vulnerable young Western Australians. Youth Focus’ waiting list is growing, which we view as a mandate to extend our services as far as possible to help prevent the waste of any young life.   

We thank you for your ongoing support to Youth Focus over 2011 and look forward to keeping in touch with you this year.

 In 2008-09, Western Australia had the highest recurrent expenditure of $201 per person on specialised mental health services compared to the national average of $166.30

• There were 25.1 acute hospital beds in WA (the highest rate in Australia) compared to 20.5 beds nationally

• • The mental health unit at Fiona Stanley Hospital will be a 30-bed purpose-built facility adjacent to the main hospital
  • Encourages patient choice by offering access to more communal areas and outdoor places
  • Include tele-psychiatry services for rural and remote patients
  • For more information about the Fiona Stanley Hospital project, visit

http://www.fionastanley.health.wa.gov.au/about/index.cfm or call 1800 659 475

Carillon City have installed a video camera into a Mini Ray and are inviting customers to sit in the vehicle and share with us their “Mini Moment”; why they deserve to win a Mini Ray valued at $28,880 + Mini Prizes. 

The promotion runs daily from 11am to 4pm, and 11am - 8pm on Friday’s. Approved Mini Moments will be uploaded to Carillon City Facebook page.

Ten finalists will be chosen by voting and Carillon City will also allow eleven Wildcard entries (daily Mini Moments that simply ‘make us smile’) to the finals.

Finals will be judged by Carillon City Centre Management and Auto Classic.

Video entries close: Sun 11 Dec at 4pm
Voting closes:  Wed 14 Dec at 5pm
Winner announced:  Fri 16 Dec at 2pm

Visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD567vrGbhA for more!

Click here to see the Mini Moments ad: Carill102_Mini Moment_Lift Pannel