Senior Welfare Officer

Indie Education; Greater Bendigo; On-site; AUD 86,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging via Maxxia

15 days paid personal leave

Parental leave provisions

Company Benefit Leave

Long Service Leave after 5 years

Wellness program access (Sonder)

Full-time position Monday to Friday

Uniform provided

Internal mobility opportunities

Job summary

Indie Education is seeking a Senior Welfare Officer for Indie Academy Bendigo to support student wellbeing and create a safe, inclusive learning environment. You will provide holistic welfare services, advocate for student needs, and collaborate with School leadership and welfare teams.

Requirements include a Diploma in related field, strong interpersonal skills, and experience working with young people. The role is full-time, with generous leave, salary packaging options, and benefits.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience and passion in providing individual support and working with young people.
• Strong interpersonal skills including negotiation and conflict resolution.
• Ability to use Microsoft Office suite for reporting and documentation.

Responsibilities

• Act as main support person for Indie Academy students.
• Facilitate enrolment processes and assist families with enrolment paperwork.
• Assess student needs and coordinate appropriate welfare support and referrals.
• Develop and implement structured welfare programs to support student wellbeing.
• Educate students on safe practices and when to seek help across welfare matters.
• Liaise with carers/parents/guardians and schools to resolve welfare-related issues.

Education

Diploma in Community Services, Counselling, Youth Work, Social Science, Social Work or related discipline

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Make a Lasting Difference in the Lives of Young People

Indie Education is seeking a passionate and experienced Senior Welfare Officer to join our team in Indie AcademyBendigo. If you're driven by purpose, committed to student wellbeing, and looking to grow your career within a values-led organisation, we'd love to hear from you.

About the Role:

At Indie, we recognise that wellbeing and education go hand in hand. Through meaningful wellbeing support, we help students overcome barriers, build confidence and resilience, and achieve their personal and educational aspirations.

As our Senior Welfare Officer, you'll play a pivotal role in creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment where students can thrive. Working alongside our Welfare Officer and Head of Schoolyou’ll provide holistic wellbeing support, advocate for student needs, and help foster positive outcomes for young people facing complex challenges.

What You'll Bring:

We're looking for someone who is empathetic, proactive, and passionate about supporting young people to reach their full potential. You'll have strong relationship-building skills, a solution-focused mindset, and the ability to navigate a range of wellbeing challenges with professionalism and care.

Indie Academy provides young adults with the opportunity to learn in a supportive environment using flexible learning and individualised education plans tailored to each student's own education and life circumstances. 1:1 teaching and small class sizes allow students greater opportunity to identify their strengths.

The Indie Academy is an innovative educational program that is integrated into Indie school campuses nationwide.

Our shared mission is to respond to the learning needs of Australian communities in a positive manner, underpinned by strong corporate governance and financial management. Our core values ofRespect,Innovation,Self Development,andTeamworkunderpin every aspect of our work.

Core Workplace Objectives:

• Monitor and support the holistic wellbeing and welfare needs of the students.
• Ensure students receive the social and emotional support required to develop knowledge, understanding and skills that support learning, positive behaviour and constructive social relationships.

Key Responsibilities:

As a Senior Welfare Officer, you will:

• Act as a main support person for Indie Academy students.
• Facilitate student enrolment into Indie Academy, conduct interviews, and assist students and families to complete enrolment paperwork.
• Assess studentneeds, facilitate access and negotiate appropriate support and referral to services as required.
• Develop and implement structured welfare programs to support studentwellbeing.
• Educate students about safe practices, how to seek further assistance and guidance across a range of welfare related matters.
• Identify, monitor, and develop intervention strategies for at risk students.
• Liaise with students, carers/parents/guardians and other stakeholders to resolve studentissues.
• Work closely with the administration support team to ensure compliance with the enrolment and withdrawal processes for students and record keeping requirements of the relevant department of education.
• Follow up enrolment enquiries and liaise with the Head of School to ensure that students are enrolled into the education program that best suits student educational needs and engagement levels.
• Liaise with the Head of School to provide training for teachers and support employees across welfare related areas including how to respond to and manage a range of challenging situations.
• Pro-actively liaise with referring welfare agencies and schools to raise awareness of Indie Academy as an alternative registered school for students who find mainstream schooling too challenging.
• Establish and maintain a database of referral agencies and attend regular welfare sector networking events.
• Provide monthly reports to Welfare Manager.
• Complete annual professional development that is provided by Indie.

For this position applicants must:

• Have demonstrated experience and passion in the provision of individual supportandworking with young people.
• Have skills and experience in working with Microsoft Office (including Excel spreadsheets, Word, PowerPoint, Publisher and Outlook).
• Have a high level of interpersonal skills including the ability to negotiate and resolve conflict.

For this role, applicants must be willing and able to obtain:

• Current Driver’s licence.
• National Police Check (issued within 3 months prior to appointment) and renewed annually.
• Relevant State Working with Children’s Check.
• A minimum qualification of Diploma in Community Services, Counselling, Youth Work, Social Science, Social Work or related discipline.

Benefits and Perks:

• As a registered Public Benevolent Institution (PBI), we offer access to salary packaging via Maxxia: up to $15,900 per (FBT) year (plus up to $2,650 for meals & entertainment) to significantly boost your take-home pay!
• 15 days of paid personal leave, plus comprehensive paid parental leave provisions.
• 5 days Company Benefit Leave on top of your annual leave entitlements to be used over the 3 week Company Shut Down Period in December/January.
• Long Service Leave after 5 years of continuous service with Indie.
• Unlimited access to a complimentary wellness program via Sonder for both you and your immediate family, featuring confidential, professional counselling, diverse mental health resources, and broader wellbeing initiatives designed to support personal and family resilience.
• Permanent- Full Timeposition, Monday to Friday.
• Uniformprovided.
• Large national organisation with internal mobility opportunities.

Hours of Work:

• Monday to Friday – 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Remuneration:

• Level 5 (Indie Education Enterprise Agreement 2026 – 2029), currently $101,419 per annum plus superannuation.

Commitment to Safety & Inclusion:

Indie Education is proud to be a child-safe organisation committed to the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all students. Applicants should familiarise themselves with our child safety policy, code of conduct, and commitment to child safety, available on our website.

Indie embraces diversity and encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally diverse backgrounds, and people with disabilities.