Parkville Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Service (PYMHWS) is a new, dedicated public youth mental health service and is the first of its kind in Australia. We are looking for a passionate and dedicated individual to join our team.

Youth Forensic Clinical Specialist

 Youth Forensic Assessment Consultation & Treatment Service (YFACTS), Community Forensic Youth Mental Health Service (FYMHS)

Parkville Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Service (PYMHWS)

12 months Fixed-Term | Full-Time 1.0 FTE |📍 Parkville

Shape a statewide forensic youth mental health service and lead early intervention, complex care & system-wide consultation. 

• Shape a new statewide forensic youth mental health early intervention service
• 12 month Fixed-Term| Full-time 1.0 EFT | Parkville based
• Salary Packaging | Monthly ADO | 5 weeks Annual Leave

About Us: 

Parkville Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Service (PYMHWS) is Victoria’s newest public mental health service dedicated to the care of young people aged 12 to 25 experiencing complex mental health challenges.   

PYMHWS is leading a bold and values-driven transformation in youth mental health care across Melbourne’s north and west. We exist to walk alongside young people, their families, carers, supporters and kin delivering care that is accessible, inclusive, developmentally appropriate, evidence-informed, and grounded in lived experience. Our service model is shaped by the voices of young people and their communities, and underpinned by a commitment to safety, equity, and continuous learning. 

At PYMHWS, we are working with our community and partners to build in a future where all young people can access world-class mental health support, close to home. As we grow, we are looking for passionate, skilled, and visionary professionals to join us in shaping a new era of youth mental health in Victoria.   

The Opportunity: 

This is a rare opportunity for an experienced Senior Clinician to help shape a groundbreaking and innovative statewide forensic youth mental health service. 

Embedded within the broader Community Forensic Youth Mental Health Service, the newly expanded Youth Forensic Assessment, Consultation and Treatment Service (YFACTS) is part of a Victorian Government-funded statewide program delivering an innovative early intervention model for young people at risk of involvement with the Youth Justice system. 

YFACTS brings together specialist forensic youth mental health expertise to provide consultation, assessment, care coordination, and targeted intervention. Working in close partnership with key service systems, the model is designed to strengthen responses to vulnerable young people presenting with behaviours of concern and improve long-term outcomes. Positioned within a broader reform agenda across youth justice, education, and child-serving sectors, this role sits at the forefront of system-wide change. 

Why Join PYMHWS? 

• Be part of building a legacy for youth mental health in Victoria
• Work within a highly skilled, multidisciplinary forensic mental health team 
• Salary packaging options, up to $11,600 tax free earnings
• 5 weeks annual leave plus monthly ADO for full time employees
• Flexible working arrangements including remote work options where possible
• Access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and a strong focus on staff wellbeing 
• Fitness Passport membership
• Flexible, inclusive, and supportive workplace culture
• Ongoing professional development, supervision and growth pathways 

About the Role: 

The Youth Forensic Clinical Specialist provides forensic mental health expertise within YFACTS, supporting young people with complex presentations, including neurodevelopmental disorders, trauma-related conditions, emerging personality vulnerability, and significant behavioural disturbance, often in the context of forensic risk. 

Working within a multidisciplinary framework, you will provide primary and secondary consultation, contribute to shared formulation, and support clinical decision-making for high-risk and complex cases. The role may also include the supervision and support of multidisciplinary team members and students, active contribution to clinical governance activities, and involvement in ongoing service development aligned with contemporary forensic mental health frameworks and relevant legislation. 

This position offers a unique opportunity to work at the interface of child and adolescent mental health and forensic practice, contributing to a statewide early intervention model focused on reducing justice-system involvement and improving long-term clinical and functional outcomes for vulnerable young people. 

What You'll Do: 

• Provide specialist forensic mental health assessment, formulation and treatment planning and intervention for young people with complex needs and displaying behaviours of concern.  

• Deliver expert secondary consultation on high-risk and complex presentations across systems. 

• Lead multidisciplinary case formulation and support high-quality clinical decision-making.  

• Supervise and support multidisciplinary team members and students to strengthen clinical capability and practice.  

• Contribute to clinical governance, audit, service development and continuous quality improvement.  

• Collaborate with key system partners to enhance coordinated care and strengthen cross-agency responses. 

About You: 

You are a skilled and thoughtful experienced senior clinician with a strong interest and prior experience in forensic and child and adolescent mental health, committed to improving outcomes for young people with complex needs. 

• Eligible disciplines: RPN, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker Grade 5 / Psychologist Grade 4
• Relevant professional registration (e.g. Psychology with Clinical/Forensic endorsement, Social Work, Occupational Therapy or Registered Psychiatric Nurse)  

• Extensive experience in youth mental health and/or forensic mental health settings  

• Strong expertise in complex assessment, formulation and risk management  

• Experience working within multidisciplinary and cross-sector systems  

• Excellent consultation, communication (both verbal and written) and stakeholder engagement skills  

• Demonstrated ability to provide clinical leadership, supervision and support to others  

• Commitment to trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate and culturally safe care  

• Interest in service development, teaching and system capacity building 

Ready to Make a Difference?

If you’re looking to be part of something truly meaningful and shape the future of forensic youth mental health, we’d love to hear from you. 

For a discussion, contact Olivia Morrow, Team Lead Community FYMHS on (03) 9966 9100.

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Recruitment is ongoing, with interviews commencing as soon as suitable candidates are received. Advertising may cease prior to the closing date.

We provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to support all applicants. If you require any adjustments, please let us know via the application prompts or inform our People and Culture team if you’re contacted for an interview.

To view the full Position Description, please click HERE

All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory Criminal History Record Check and a Working with Children Check. Successful applicants will be required to provide evidence of an immunisation assessment prior to commencement.

PYMHWS stands in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in work and care. We are proud to be a workplace that champions diversity, inclusion and equality for our staff and our community.  Our goal is for our people to feel safe, included and supported so that they can be at their best every single day. We encourage talented people from all backgrounds, abilities, and identities to apply to our vacancies, and will consider adjustments to support such applications.