School Welfare/Counsellor Role

**Position description**

The roles and responsibilities are:

- Work as a member of the school's wellbeing team in the delivery of student wellbeing services
- providing support in areas such as student attendance, engagement and mental health
- providing students with support and/or appropriate referrals in difficult situations such as during times of grief, or when students are facing personal or emotional challenges
- providing pastoral care and guidance to students about values and ethical matters, referring students, or sourcing appropriate services to meet their needs, which may involve access to services in the community
- supporting students and staff to create an environment that promotes the physical, emotional, social and intellectual development and wellbeing of all students
- supporting students and staff to create an environment of cooperation and mutual respect, and promoting an understanding of diversity within the range of cultures and relevant traditions.
- To provide informal support; this includes during recess and lunch breaks
- To work with teachers on behavioural support for the best management of individual students and their needs
- To provide support to teachers as required
- To provide workshops to students; this includes such things as social skills and resiliency
- To provide informal support during school hours including the school's scheduled recess and lunch breaks
- To work with teachers on behavioural support for the best management of individual students and their needs
- To provide workshops to students around social skills and resiliency

**Specific tasks**
- Maintain regular communication with the employer (onPsych).
- Report all leave, incidents, concerns and other pertinent matters immediately ton onPsych management.
- Remain familiar, via regular reviews, of the National chaplaincy guidelines.
- Remain familiar, via regular reviews, of the OnPsych Chaplaincy Operations manual.

**Location and hours of work per week**
- Location is to be discussed with the school representative and confirmed by OnPsych Management. Generally the primary location with be on the school grounds of the allocated school.
- Hours of work are to be discussed and confirmed with the school representative Note: the funding is from the National Chaplaincy program for the 400hrs over the year. OnPsych will have the final confirmation of hours to be worked in accordance with direction from the National Chaplaincy program.

Program runs throughout the school year

Generally 35 per week

Here is some context:

- Government, co-ed, highly multicultural school of 950 students
- Approx. 12% Aboriginal and over 50% EALD
- Diverse, but generally low socio-economic index
- Significant number of complex cases, often including family dysfunction and associated need e.g. food security, housing instability and transience, neglect, parental drug and alcohol abuse
- Significant volume of mental health concerns including suicide risk, NSSI, anxiety, depression, psychosis, personality disorder etc.
- Prevalent gender and sexual diversity issues
- Highly professional, cohesive and supportive Student Services team who work together to meet all of these students needs

We are looking for a person who can:

- Work full time
- Work well in a team but take the initiative and be autonomous
- Run a breakfast club before school
- Run our Activity Room during breaks
- Deliver individual pastoral care including suicide risk assessments, low-level structured support and collaborative referrals to external agencies as required
- Deliver targeted group interventions e.g. grief, resilience, anger management
- Support school activities such as excursions and camps (bus licence would be great)
- Thrive in a challenging environment within a high-performing, supportive team

**Job Types**: Contract, Casual

**Salary**: $35.00 - $40.00 per hour

Schedule:

- Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person