About the Opportunity

Parkes Shire Council has an opportunity to join our Central West Childcare Services team as the Inclusion Support Educator. The role will be full-time or can be a job-share arrangement for a twelve month period working a combined 5 days per week during the school term.

As the Inclusion Support Educator you will assess and support Central West Childcare Services in the care for children with designated/diagnosed supported needs.

This role will see you providing practical support for learning and other inclusion support activities, helping the children develop their academic, social and emotional skills, in line with the child's individual learning outcomes. You will also engage with Allied Health services to assist with these outcomes. 

Further information on the role and accountabilities are contained in the Inclusion Support Educator Position Description.

Remuneration and Benefits

The appointment will be in accordance with the Local Government (State) Award and Parkes Shire Council's policies and conditions of employment. 

The role has been evaluated as being within Grade 9 of Council's salary structure, and offers a starting salary for a five day working week of $63,235 per annum (or $33 per hour) and ranges up to $$75,265 per annum (or $38 per hour).  In addition 11.5% superannuation will be paid into a complying fund of your choice. The starting salary, within the grade, will be determined upon the qualifications, skills and experience of the successful candidate/s. 

Benefits of working at Council include:

• 38 hour working week 
• Four weeks annual leave per year to be taken during school holidays
• Access to Salary Packaging options through Salary Packaging Australia (SPA)
• Health and Wellbeing Initiatives including two (2) Health and Wellbeing days available per year
• Relocation assistance available
• Training and professional development opportunities

About You

The successful applicant will require excellent administrative, organisational and time management skills to provide a high level of service to Council's customers while ensuring appropriate levels of confidentiality and discretion to uphold Council's values and policies.

You will need to have flexibility and willingness to attend meetings and events outside of business hours. 

To be successful in this position you will need to have:

• Vocational qualification/s in Children's Services or related discipline. 
• Demonstrated experience in early childhood education
• Sound knowledge of child development and current practices in childcare
• Sound knowledge of Education and Care Services National Regulation
• Sound knowledge of the National Quality Frameworks
• Demonstrated written and oral communication skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• First Aid Certificate
• CPR Certificate
• Current and maintained NSW Drivers Licence
• Current and maintained National Police History Check
• Current and maintained Working with Children Check

It will be highly desirable if you possess any of the following:

• Experience in a similar inclusion support role
• Knowledge of Harmony software
• Knowledge of Electronic Records systems
• Child protection certificate
• Food Handling Certificate

About Parkes Shire Council

Parkes Shire Council is a progressive and innovative organisation that embraces new ideas and has adopted a philosophy of continuous improvement. Council is committed to delivering progress and value to our community through living our corporate values of Community, Innovation, Integrity, Respect, Safety and Teamwork. 

Council has been acknowledged for Excellence in Local Government as the winner of the prestigious AR Bluett Memorial Award in 2016 which recognises the most progressive rural council in the state, based on all council operations and services.

Council values our position as a progressive, cohesive and well respected employer of choice.  We are proud of our corporate values which guide the work we do, the choices we make and how we interact with each other and the community. For our employees we provide career development and succession planning opportunities across a large range of trades and professions.

Council embraces a LEAN philosophy across its operations in an effort to maximize the value and service we deliver to our community with a commitment to best practice work health and safety for our staff and stakeholders. In our quest for improvement Council has achieved formal accreditation under  ISO45001:2018 framework for our Work Health and Safety Management System.  This highly regarded accreditation recognises the dedication and commitment from Council staff to ensure safety management systems are robust and efficient and more importantly that a safe workplace is provided for our staff, contractors, visitors and volunteers.

Find out more about working at Parkes Shire Council and why Parkes is a smart move:

About the Parkes Region

The Parkes Region is a great place to live and raise a family with affordable housing and lifestyle properties, diverse employment opportunities, modern health services, quality educational facilities, a strong sporting culture and first class community facilities.  You can download the Relocate Brochure for all you need to know about benefits of relocating the Parkes Region.

How to Apply

Before you apply for this position, please read the position description carefully to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position. You will be required to answer a few questions that relate to the criteria on the online application below. You will also be asked to attach your current Resume which should include two recent employment related referees. Please note that you cannot submit your application without attaching your resume. A cover letter is not required. Council will only accept applications submitted on line.

Parkes Shire Council operates a merit-based recruitment process and proudly promotes the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity. 

Interview Process

Applications will be shortlisted as they are received. You will be contacted by phone if you have been selected for interview.  You will be required to bring with you a copy of all relevant certificates and qualifications. The interview panel will consist of a panel of three.

If you have not been selected for interview you will be advised by email. 

Pre-employment Screening

In the event you are shortlisted for an interview, and are then selected to progress to the next stage following interview, you must be prepared to undergo the following pre-employment screening processes as part of the selection process:

• A pre-employment physical examination (at Council's expense), including a hearing and drug and alcohol test

• Please include two work related referees in your resume for reference checking purposes - please ensure your referee details are current

• Undertake any other applicable screening that may be relevant to the role

• Council may also check authenticity of certificates and qualifications

• Provide the applicable Working with Children Check number as the role may involve working with work experience students 

• Provide the applicable Police History Check number as the role may have privileged access to systems and data

Working with Children Check

To create a child safe environment, all Council employees will require a Working with Children Check number. Applicants need to possess or express a willingness to apply for a Working with Children Check. More information can be found at www.newcheck.kids.nsw.gov.au. 

Privacy Statement

As part of the recruitment process, Parkes Shire Council will be collecting information about you. This information is private information for the purposes of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act. This information will be included in the recruitment file, and accessed by Council Records Staff and members of the Recruitment Selection Panel. Applicants may request their information be returned to them at the conclusion of the recruitment process.

Other Important Details

For a confidential discussion regarding this opportunity, contact Central West Childcare Services Coordinator, Ann-Marie Winter on (02) 6862 3111.

Closing Date: 11.00pm AEST on Sunday, 19 January 2025

PLEASE NOTE THAT ONCE YOU START TO COMPLETE YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION, YOU CANNOT SAVE IT AND RETURN TO IT LATER.

Good luck and we look forward to receiving your application!