School Counsellor

Centacare Catholic Family Services; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 105,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

SCHCADS Award 2010 Level 5

Salary packaging

Leadership support

Ongoing training

Employee Assistance Program

Parental leave

Health insurance discounts

Job summary

Centacare is seeking an experienced School Counsellor to support children and young people in Catholic schools. The role may be 0.8 FTE across two locations or two 0.4 FTE positions, with travel between sites. This fixed-term assignment runs until January 2027 with possible extension, depending on funding.

Hours typically 8:30 am–4:36 pm, Monday to Friday, with the option for flexible arrangements. The workplace will be the assigned schools, with administrative support at the Noarlunga office

Qualifications

• A degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counselling, or another relevant discipline.
• A current DHS Working with Children Check.
• A current driver’s licence.

Responsibilities

• Apply a thorough understanding of child development and a child-focused approach when working with children and families.
• Work proactively and collaboratively with the school Principal and/or leadership team.
• Apply knowledge of family dynamics and the influence of broader systems on individuals and families.
• Provide counselling to students experiencing relationship, family, or educational challenges.
• Support students, families, and school staff through proactive, responsive, and crisis-based interventions.

Education

Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counselling, or another relevant discipline

Job description

Make a lasting difference for young people. Join our supportive team as a School Counsellor, with flexible 0.8 FTE or 0.4 FTE options.

About the role

We are seeking an experienced counsellor to join our School Counselling team and provide therapeutic support, practical assistance and referral pathways for children and young people in Catholic schools.

The opportunity may be appointed as one 0.8 FTE position working across both school locations, which requires travel between sites, or as two 0.4 FTE positions, with one counsellor based at each location. We welcome applications for either arrangement and will consider the best fit for the successful candidate or candidates. This is a fixed term opportunity until January 2027, with the possibility of extension subject to funding.

In your cover letter, please indicate whether you are applying for the 0.8 FTE role across both locations, or for the 0.4 FTE role at one site. If applying for a single-site position, please nominate your preferred location.

Working within the school environment, you will build strong partnerships with students, families, school leadership, and external agencies. Your primary workplace will be the school or schools assigned to you, with access to our Noarlunga office for administrative support.

If you are committed to supporting student wellbeing, resilience, and value a collaborative, child-focused working environment, we would welcome your application.

Hours are generally worked between 8:30 am and 4:36 pm, Monday to Friday. Specific working days and hours will be determined by the school location or locations assigned.

Responsibilities

• Apply a thorough understanding of child development and a consistently child-focused approach when working with children and families.
• Work proactively and collaboratively with the school Principal and/or leadership team.
• Apply knowledge of family dynamics and the influence of broader systems on individuals and families.
• Provide counselling to students experiencing relationship, family, or educational challenges.
• Support students, families, and school staff through proactive, responsive, and crisis-based interventions.

See attached position description for full details.

What you need to bring

Essential

• A degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counselling, or another relevant discipline
• A current Department of Human Services (DHS) Working with Children Check
• A current driver’s licence

Desirable

• Responding to Abuse and Neglect – Education and Care (RAN-EC) training.
• Eligibility for membership of a relevant professional association, such as AASW or APS.
• Experience working with parents, children, and young people.
• Experience working in a school setting.
• A current First Aid Certificate.
• Experience using the Penelope electronic client management system.

What's in it for you

• SCHCADS Award 2010 Level 5 remuneration of $53.43 per hour, plus superannuation.
• Generous salary packaging arrangements to help increase your take-home pay.
• Experienced and supportive leadership.
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities.
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Six weeks of parental leave for primary carers and two weeks for secondary carers.
• Health insurance discounts with Bupa.

Who we are

Each year, we support more than 20,000 people through community services in metropolitan and regional South Australia, operating within a strong ethical framework. We are client focused and provide support regardless of race, economic circumstance, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious belief or ethnic background.

Centacare is a Child Safe, Quality Accredited Organisation and is a registered NDIS provider. We value the uniqueness of individuals, we consult, collaborate and operate with integrity and professionalism. Centacare is committed to cultivating a harmonious workplace free from harassment and discrimination. Equal opportunity principles align with our mission, vision and values. We believe that treating our workers fairly has a positive impact on our clients and maintains our reputation as a great place to work.

To learn more about us, explore our Who we are pageand our organisational video.

Applicants from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.