Student Counsellor

**Overview**:
**Work type**:Full time

**Salary**:Salary not specified

**Grade**:Ed Support Level 1-Range 3

**Occupation**: Health and Allied Health

**Location**: Ballarat

**Reference**: 1467621

**Location Profile**:
Mount Rowan Secondary College is located in Wendouree, north-west suburb of Ballarat.

We provide a high quality education for year 7 to 12 students. We are the local secondary school for students living in Wendouree, Ballarat North, Invermay, Clunes, Creswick, Mt Blowhard, Miners Rest and surrounding areas.

The school is structured around four vertical houses. All students and staff are associated with a House. Students are placed in a Home Group within their house and each Home Group is made up of students from year 7 to 12. We pride ourselves on welcoming and accepting all students and work diligently to meet their individual needs on an academic, social and emotional level.

All Mount Rowan staff celebrate learning with our students, not only academically, but guiding our students to be respectful citizens of the 21st Century.

**Selection Criteria**:
SC1 Demonstrated capacity of high level communication skills in liaising with and coordinating relevant systems of care, including the courts, child protection, health and mental health services, and education systems.

SC 2 Demonstrated relevant experience in working with young people and families with complex mental health, trauma and low socio-economic status.

SC 3 Demonstrated ability and skills in triaging, crisis counselling, mandatory reporting, documenting and assessing risk of suicide, self-harm, substance use and family violence.

SC 4 Experience in managing complex caseloads and competing demands.

SC 5 Demonstrated ability to work within a school environment where intuition, initiative, positive communication, organisation skills and flexibility are required.

**Role**:
Range 3 is distinguished by the introduction of management responsibility and accountability for the delivery of professional support services. The role will usually impact beyond the work area or professional field. It seeks to gain cooperation of other staff members or members of the school community to achieve specific objectives, such as in school administration, operations or educational programs.

Direction on targets and goals is provided but the position will have some degree of latitude in determining how they are achieved. This latitude will generally be limited by standard procedures and school policy. Deviation from standard procedures and school policy will require guidance and direction from senior management.

The provision of business management responsibilities becomes a feature at range 3. Management of staff to achieve the expected outcomes is a key responsibility. Staff management issues will be resolved with mínimal reference to senior management, although guidance will be required in more complex cases. Senior management will be provided with timely reports and advice, although this will generally be confined to matters relating to the immediate work area, service provision or educational program and is unlikely to impact substantially on whole of school operations.

This is the minimum range for positions that carry a mandatory qualification requirement of not less than four years. Professional student support positions become a feature at range 3 (e.g. therapists, psychologists) where standard professional services are delivered. Professional support and guidance will be close at hand and deviation from standard procedures and school policy will require guidance and direction from senior management.

An education support class position supports the educational services being provided to students, but must not include duties of teaching as defined in clause 2.6.1 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) or its successor. Supervision of students cannot be required except where it is an integral part of the employee¿s position or involves supervision of students individually or in small groups, in controlled circumstances, where the responsibility for students remains clearly with a teacher.

**Responsibilities**:

- Support families to access local services, navigate systems, improve their parenting skills and meet with the school.
- Liaise with external services as an advocate for students.
- Triage and counsel students and complete risk assessments, safety plans and support plans for students in line with industry best practice.
- Overseeing visiting counsellors & programs (Ie. provisional psychologists, external group facilitators and visiting specialists) Manage school uniform ordering and distribution including monitoring and maintaining stock within the school.
- Manage school uniform ordering and distribution including monitoring and maintaining stock with the school.
- Collect parent and carer feedback to guide program development.
- Maintain professional case notes and contribute updates and data to our student and ma