Student Counsellor/Wellbeing Officer/Chaplain

Department of Education Victoria; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 90,000; Part time

Job summary

Westall Primary School in Clayton South, VIC, seeks a dedicated wellbeing counsellor to join our co-located campus with Westall Secondary College.

You will provide counselling to students, support staff, oversee placement counsellors, coordinate wellbeing initiatives, and collaborate with external providers to promote a safe, inclusive learning environment.

Qualifications

• SC1 Demonstrated ability to deliver care through health, counselling, wellbeing and therapeutic services in a school.
• SC2 Demonstrated ability to assess student needs and provide timely advice to teachers, students and parents.
• SC3 Demonstrated ability to support and assess 4th year placement counselling graduate students.
• SC4 Demonstrated ability to plan wellbeing and positive psychology interventions at the school.
• SC5 Demonstrated ability to research and undertake professional development to strengthen the school's program.
• SC6 Outstanding teamwork and interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with a multicultural community.

Responsibilities

• Coordinating and supporting other wellbeing providers on site.
• Undertake counselling with students and develop a schedule in consultation with leadership.
• Oversee recruitment, induction, monitoring and support for placement counsellors.
• Support school wellbeing initiatives and PD for staff.
• Chaplain duties to support attendance, mental health and referrals.
• Ensure child safe standards are met in the counselling program.

Skills

Counselling

Wellbeing

Teamwork

Communication

Job description

Department of Education Victoria – Clayton South VIC

2d ago , from Department of Education & Training Victoria

Westall Primary School is a vibrant and multicultural educational institution situated in Clayton South, a bustling suburb located nearMonash University and accessible via public transport. At the heart of our school lies a set of values that guides us in everything wedo. These values include kindness, excellence, creativity, and fairness, and we strive to embody them in our teaching practices,school culture, and community partnerships.

As a co-located campus with Westall Secondary College and the City of Kingston Community Hub, our school offers a wide range ofprograms and services that enrich the lives of our students and their families. These include playgroups and kindergarten, childmaternal health services, a local library, and access to secondary college courses. With our community partners, we provide aholistic approach to education that focuses on the whole child, from early childhood right through to graduation.

Recently, we completed a capital works upgrade that has transformed our campus into a modern and state-of-the-art learningenvironment. Our brand-new buildings now include a gymnasium, science and arts facilities, and new junior and senior learningcenters. The school was successful in its application for a $600+ federal government grant for the following year to enhance the schools playgrounds during 2025. These facilities provide students with the resources they need to explore their interests and develop their skills in a safe and supportive setting.

At Westall Primary School, we are committed to providing a safe, caring, and productive environment where students can achievegreat life outcomes. Our school has a strong emphasis on improving outcomes in English and Mathematics for all students. Weprovide a calm and structured learning environment that enables each student to achieve their best, regardless of their backgroundor ability.

In addition, our school hosts an international student program that welcomes students from all over the world. Our internationalstudents learn alongside their peers in a safe and supportive environment, where they are encouraged to explore their interests anddevelop their skills. Additional support for new arrivals with limited English has been a feature of our 2024 program.

Our staff profile consists of a dedicated team of professionals, including two Principal Class members (Principal and Assistant Principal), 20.6 equivalent full-time teaching staff (including 1 Learning Specialist), and 10.8 EFT education support staff. With a 2024 enrolment of 300 students (an increase from 244 in the previous year), the school experienced steady growth in all year levels as the school is increasingly in demand in the local area and for international students. The Student Family Occupation Education (SFOE) of our school is0.7101, which reflects the diverse and multicultural nature of the local community that the school is well known for.

At Westall Primary School, we aspire to be a highly organised institution where teamwork, aligned teaching practices, and resourceswork together to maximize outcomes. Our goal is to create a safe and supportive learning environment where students can thrive.

We provide a range of programs and structured processes that enhance well-being and promote positive behaviour. We also striveto provide a rich internal and external learning environment that connects students to each other, their teachers, the community, andthe environment.

Lastly, our school continues to work with the Coleman Foundation to promote the 'Our Place' model of continuity of learning fromearly childhood right through to graduation. By working together with our community partners, we are able to provide a holistic andinclusive approach to education that benefits all of our students and their families.

Selection Criteria

• SC1 Demonstrated ability to deliver care through various health, counselling, wellbeing and therapeutic services to a school(s)
• SC2 Demonstrated ability to assess student needs and provide timely relevant advice toteacher, students, and parents to support students behavioural, educational, emotional, psychological development.
• SC3 Demonstrated ability to support, provide guidance and assess the competency of the 4th year placement counselling graduate students at the school.
• SC4 Demonstrated ability to plan and organise a range of wellbeing and positivepsychology-based interventions at the school including workshops for students and professional development for staff.
• SC5 Demonstrated ability to research and undertake a range of professional developmentactivities to further strengthen own practice and the schools program.
• SC6 Outstanding teamwork and interpersonal skills - to be able to communicate effectivelyand build strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders in a multicultural localcommunity.

Role

Attendance requirement for this position- 3days per week

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 minimal 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

COORDINATING AND SUPPORTING OTHER WELLBEING PROVIDERS

• The school is co-located with a high school and community centre on-site (with maternal child care and kindergarten).
• A site wellbeing group will be developed to promote a site wide wellbeing approach - to support the work of all the entities on site, and provide opportunities for examining needs, collaboration, case conferencing, joint programs and sharing of expertise. The counsellor will participate in these meetings as part of the broader team.
• In liaison with assistant principal (wellbeing) the counsellor will connect with students and their families, and were possible their external providers to be the central point of contact between the school, family and support providers.
• The Wellbeing Coordinator will work closely with the external providers to engage with our students in refurbished meeting rooms that have been reconfigured as child friendly consulting suites. This will include NDIS providers, Speech therapists, Counselling, Occupational therapists, DFFH, Site wellbeing group.

COUNSELLING

• Undertake counselling with students.
• Develop a counselling schedule for students in consultation with the Assistant Principal
• Consult with students, teachers, and parents regarding student support needs.
• Track and gauge impact of counselling on students, provide summary analysis to the principal at regular intervals.
• In liaison with the assistant principal, ensure appropriate referral and follow up is undertaken for mandatory reporting and other needs that emerge.

OVERSEEING AND SUPPORTING THE MONASH PLACEMENT COUNSELLORS

• Assist on recruitment panels for placement counsellors.
• Oversee and induct new student counsellors.
• Monitor and support placement counsellors, provide direction and assistance.
• Assess competency of counsellors and provide feedback to counsellors and school about their strengths and areas for future growth.

SUPPORTING SCHOOL WELLBEING INITIATIVES

• Assess student needs using observations and established tools - provide feedback to teachers/parents/the school about best approaches to support students. E.g. i.e. ABC analysis of student with autism.
• Support staff to develop confidence in undertaking an ABC analysis (provide PD if appropriate)
• Oversee the consulting rooms and ensure that they are child friendly to enhance therapy opportunities.
• Research positive psychology initiatives that could be undertake with individual and small groups and provide advice/direction regarding this to the Principal and Assistant principal.

CHAPLAIN

• Providing support in areas such as student attendance, engagement, and mental health
• Providing students, their families and staff 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 which 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.

Ensure child safe standards are met in the counselling program.

Other duties congruent with the role as directed by the principal.

Who May Apply

Individuals with the aptitude, experience and/or qualifications to fulfill the specific requirements of the position.

Diversity and Inclusion

The department is committed to diversity and inclusion and developing a workforce that is representative of the community we service. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQA+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the Department.The Department recognises that the provision of safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work and diversity across all schools and Department workplaces.It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for staff with disability (seeWorkplace adjustment guidelines).

Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via*******@education.vic.gov.au

Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if they are the successful candidate, request a reduced time fraction. Such requests will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.

Child Safe Standards

Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. All schools have a Child Safety Code of Conduct consistent with the department's exemplar available at:

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/child-safe-standards/policy

DE Values

The department's employees commit to upholding the department's Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values complement each school's own values and underpin the behaviours the community expects of Victorian public sector employees,including those who work in Victorian Government Schools. Information on the department values is available at:

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/values-department-vps-school-employees/overview

Other Information

• All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
• Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
• A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.
• Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/Pages/default.aspx