Senior Welfare Officer

Indie Education; Ipswich City; On-site; AUD 95,000 - 107,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging

15 days personal leave

Parental leave

Job summary

Indie Education Ipswich is seeking a Senior Welfare Officer to lead holistic wellbeing support for students aged 15-18 at Indie College Ipswich. You will collaborate with the Welfare Officer, Area Manager, and Lead Coach to create a safe, inclusive environment where students can thrive. The role demands empathy, proactive problem-solving, and strong relationship-building to advocate for student needs. Mon-Fri with a strong commitment to safety and inclusion.

Qualifications

• Empathetic and proactive practitioner with a focus on young people.
• Strong interpersonal skills including negotiation and conflict resolution.
• Experience delivering wellbeing support and welfare programs.

Responsibilities

• Act as main support for Indie College students aged 15–18.
• Facilitate enrolment, interviews, and assist paperwork for students and families.
• Develop and implement welfare programs to support student wellbeing.
• Liaise with caregivers, teachers and welfare agencies to coordinate support.

Skills

Empathy

Proactive problem-solving

Relationship-building

Solution-focused

Education

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

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 College Ipswich.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, Area Manager, and Lead Coach, you'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.

About Indie College:

Indie College is a not-for-profit Registered Training Organisation (RTO) that delivers nationally recognised training.

Indie College supports young people and adults to re-engage back into education who may have disengaged or are impacted by a variety of personal or health circumstances. We explore individual goals related to pathways back into school, employment or further accredited training, whilst assisting the development of Language, Literacy and numeracy skills and building confidence.

Indie courses are delivered in either one-on-one, small or large group settings.

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 College students aged 15 - 18 years.
• Facilitate student enrolment into Indie College, 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 Lead Coach to ensure that students are enrolled into the education program that best suits student educational needs and engagement levels.
• Liaise with the Lead Coach 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 College 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.
• 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.
• Travel opportunities to visit other sites across Australia.
• Permanent - Full Timeposition, Monday to Friday.
• Uniform, laptop and mobile phone provided.
• 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.