What it does: Forensicare (also known as the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health) is Victoria's leading provider of forensic mental health care.
Mission: Empower recovery for all Victorians living with mental illness who are at risk of entering, or have entered the justice system, to lead safe and meaningful lives free from offending.
Size and presence: Our services deliver a range of mental health programs targeted at patients with different needs at different stages of recovery; from early intervention and prevention to inpatient care, rehabilitation, and community transition support.
These services are delivered through:
Thomas Embling Hospital, a secure forensic mental health hospital
Prison Mental Health Services
Community Forensic Mental Health Service
Best known for: Our services deliver a range of mental health programs targeted at patients with different needs at different stages of recovery; from early intervention and prevention, inpatient care, rehabilitation, and community transition support.
The good bits: Great salary and benefits (plus a "bonus" twice per year), work-life balance, professional development opportunities, and health/safety
The not so good bits: Work-life and culture have had their ups and downs but are improving due to the gradual roll-out of new initiatives
Culture & vibe
Forensicare is guided by the values established by the Victorian Public Sector Commission for the public sector and promotes behaviors consistent with these values at all times and in all circumstances. These values are:
Responsiveness
Integrity
Impartiality
Accountability
Respect
Leadership
Human rights
Recruitment process
Submit the job application.
Resumes are reviewed and shortlisted
Face to Face Interview:
Reference Check
Employment Check and Contract
Managers to contact candidates.
Career prospects
A career in the forensic mental health sector is diverse, challenging, and rewarding. A career at Forensicare will be like no other. You will be a part of a caring and supportive team, making a real difference to people living with the dual stigma of mental illness and offending. We approach our work with curiosity and a commitment to understanding the unique needs of our consumers, families, carers, and supporters.
Working across community, hospital, and prison settings, you can learn, apply your specialist skills, conduct research, and advance in your profession.
Benefits
Excellent supervision and investment in the skill development of managers and supervisors.
Celebration and reward for good performance, through employee recognition.
A leading, multi-faceted approach to safety, with unparalleled strategic, practical, individualized, and team-based supports to minimize risks and fear and maximize safety and security, underpinned by our workplace health and safety strategy.
A mentoring program to support your career development at Forensicare.
A buddy system to help you build connections across the organization.
An employee support network providing kind, confidential and informal support and helping you navigate workplace issues.
Access to an employee assistance program – an external, confidential, self-referral employee wellbeing program, for personal or work-related matters.
A mental health and wellbeing program providing psychological support, peer support, and critical incident response programs, as needed.
A holistic onboarding and induction program.
Ongoing personalized support from your People and Culture team business partner.
A Personal Leave Donation Bank – where you may benefit from donations by other colleagues or donate unused leave for those experiencing severe hardship and needing extra time off work.
Monthly reflective practice sessions to discuss and share with colleagues to discuss your work and how to best manage the potential impacts that working with complex forensic mental health cases may have on you.
Excellent continual professional development training opportunities, to suit your career goals.
Hands-on opportunities to build all the skills in your specialty, through a deep study and long-term relationships with consumers.
A further study scheme and financial support for relevant postgraduate education, upon application.
A best-practice model of care that underpins all our work.
Secondment opportunities to diversify your experience, in hospital, prison, community, and corporate settings.
A learning-focused environment with opportunities to collaborate with multidisciplinary experts at all stages of your career, from student placements to advanced career specialism.
State of the art, welcoming facilities.
An opportunity to work in diverse settings: hospitals, prisons, communities, and corporate head office.
Centrally located venues across Melbourne’s inner, northern and western suburbs, plus some regional locations across Victoria.
Expert corporate support, to enable you to perform effectively, including responsive IT support and in-house payroll support available five days a week.
Free parking, gym, and swimming pool access (at selected locations).
Additional payment of up to $2,200 per year for completion of forensic skills-related professional development training.
Generous paid leave packages, including annual leave, long service leave, personal leave, emergency services leave, parental leave, compassionate leave, and family violence leave.
Competitive salaries (as per Enterprise Bargaining Agreements), salary packaging, and Super.
Access to a range of special offers and benefits from our bank, industry super fund, and salary packaging providers.
Social Contributions
The Women’s Care Program is the first of its kind in Australia and one of the few internationally. The program provides acute psychiatric care and treatment in a safe, supportive and secure environment. The program recognizes the dilemmas surrounding the realities of mental illness and the consequences for women, as well as the relevance mental illness can have to offending behavior. The program is responsive and flexible to the individual needs of women.
Healthstream provides individually tailored and structured fitness programs for patients and staff at the Thomas Embling Hospital. The programs are centered around the indoor swimming pool, sports hall, cardio, and strength rooms, that are located in the gymnasium on the secure campus of the Hospital.
In addition, the Healthstream instructors offer unit-based programs that incorporate specialist programs for women. With a growing move towards health education and promotion, Healthstream also offers a 10-session interactive education program that focuses on health and wellbeing.
Patients can access the gym and swimming pool under the supervision of Healthstream staff seven days a week. With modern equipment and a motivated and energetic staff group, the Healthstream gym facility provides an excellent addition to the clinical programs for patients at the hospital.