Eoi - Guidance Officer - Lowood State High School

This temporary vacancy is open to Expressions of Interest and any extensions to this appointment will not exceed 12 months.

**About the School**:
Lowood State High School is a large rural Queensland school educating students from Year 7 through to Year 12. The school was established in 1983 and is located 32 km north-west of Ipswich. Our students' primary school experiences range from one teacher schools to large primary schools. A large percentage of our student population travel to school by bus. Lowood State High School is committed to providing high quality education which encourages students to achieve to the best of their ability, 'Creating the Future'. Our focus is on preparing students with 21st Century Skills, attributes and qualifications that allow them to progress successfully to the next phase of their life; university, an apprenticeship or traineeship, further training or employment. We are determined to provide successful learning opportunities, in a manner that is consistent with recent research on effective adolescent learning. We provide a diverse range of curriculum opportunities to cater for all students, by offering academic and vocational pathways. We develop and empower students to be healthy and confident young people who can successfully navigate a more complex world.

**About the Role**:
As the Guidance Officer you will have responsibility for the following:

- Advocate, provide counselling, psychoeducational assessment and individual student support, recommendations and advice to students, teachers and parents concerning educational, behavioural, career development, mental health and family issues.
- Work as part of a multidisciplinary team and facilitate effective working relationships and partnerships with parents, school personnel and external support agencies in order to provide a comprehensive support, case management and referral service that optimises students' access and engagement in educational programs.
- Provide a counselling and referral service to assist students in decision making about critical educational, personal, social, emotional and career development, and provide ongoing support during the implementation phase of their decision.
- Conduct activities such as student observation and psychoeducational assessment in order to determine the nature of student learning difficulties, disability, developmental levels or psychological and emotional status in order to make recommendations for educational adjustments and interventions.
- Assist schools in the implementation of student protection, gifted and talented education, behaviour support policies and risk management processes that may involve the development of individualised student plans, including Educational Support Plans.
- Provide specific support in secondary schools that may include involvement in the process of Senior Education and Training (SET) planning, career development and future pathway options counselling.
- Balance the ethical issues of privacy and confidentiality for each student with the appropriateness of sharing information with others, and maintain a comprehensive and professional record keeping system that complies with policy and legal requirements of parental and legal access to official records.
- Participate in relevant professional development, and prepare and implement professional and personal skill development programs and in service activities for administrators, teachers and parents.
- Provide leadership and specialised support in response to student protection issues; critical incidents and emergencies; and the transition of students into alternative education programs, and their reintegration back into mainstream schooling.
- Guidance Officers (Intensive Behaviour Support) work collaboratively with other school based support personnel to assess and address the needs of students requiring the most intensive behaviour support

For a full list of mandatory requirements please see the attached role description.

**Interested? To apply**:

- A brief resume (maximum 3 pages) including contact details for 2 referees (one of whom should be your current supervisor)
- Attach a maximum 2 page written response outlining your suitability for the role referring to the key capabilities identified in the attached role description.

Applicants need to be a current Queensland Government employee to be eligible to apply. Applications from recruitment agencies will not be accepted.This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License.