Youth Worker ES1-3 (EFT 0.2)

Government schools; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Keysborough Secondary College in Melbourne is seeking a Youth Worker to support student wellbeing across years 7–12. You will deliver 1-1 counselling, case management, and targeted group interventions, while liaising with families and external agencies to promote engagement and resilience.

Under the Student Wellbeing Manager, you will run lunchtime activities, monitor progress with sensitive case notes, and help implement safety standards and wellbeing programs in a diverse school community.

Qualifications

• KSC1: Well-developed counselling/therapeutic and case management skills with secondary students.
• KSC2: Experience in education settings and building relationships with students.
• KSC3: Ability to provide information and support to coordinators, families and external professionals.
• KSC4: Sensitive and responsive to needs of young people and families.
• KSC5: Strong communication and interpersonal skills for team collaboration.
• KSC6: Commitment to professional learning and growth aligned with school vision.
• KSC7: Ability to promote safety and wellbeing of all children per Child Safe Standards.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Student Wellbeing Manager and the wellbeing team to meet student needs with appropriate intervention.
• Participate in team meetings and share best practice.
• Receive and act on referrals for wellbeing support.
• Provide brief counselling support and case management.
• Develop meaningful case plans and goal setting with students.
• Crisis management when needed and liaison with other team members.
• Maintain case notes and monitor progress to support plans.
• Advocate for students and coordinate external referrals when required.
• Engage families, carers and workers through phone calls, meetings and networks.
• Develop and run targeted group interventions and lunchtime activities.

Skills

Counselling

Case management

Student wellbeing support

Communication

Teamwork

Adaptability

Job description

Location Profile

Keysborough Secondary College is a multi-campus school with one campus in Keysborough (Acacia Campus) and one in Springvale South (Banksia Campus). Both campuses offer programs for students in years 7-12 with an organisational structure arranged around Junior and Senior sub-schools. Enrolments in the College stand at around 2300 and are growing. The College provides a broad range of VCE, VCE-VM and VET subjects for our students across the two campuses. The College also has a significant International Students Program with its own ELC. Student achievement and engagement is generally above Like School groups and retention is high. Our student population is culturally and linguistically diverse and characterised by families of high SFOE as a result of which the college attracts significant Equity Funding. General Satisfaction with the College, as measured by the Parent Opinion Survey, is consistently high and in 2024 was 86%.

Our college Vision states that: At Keysborough College, we are a diverse learning community where every student thrives. Our RED values (Respect, Excellence, and Diversity) are at the heart of our college. By prioritising wellbeing and fostering student agency, we empower students to take ownership of their learning through meaningful and individualised pathways. Through the promotion of the RED Values, implementation of the SWPBS framework, our students thrive. At Keysborough Secondary College we promote teaching and learning that is collaborative, technology rich, reflective, purposeful and personalised that prepares students for our rapidly changing world.

Our Teaching and Learning model employ evidence-based practices aligned with the VTLM 2.0 to create engaging learning environments that foster academic and personal growth. We have a strong emphasis on teaching teams through the Professional Learning Communities and Domain Teams, which enables staff to work collaboratively to provide an engaging and rigorous curriculum. Provision of opportunities for targeted intervention, and extension and enrichment are included in the learning program to ensure that students are supported at the point of need. Keysborough Secondary College has undergone an extensive renewal program with the construction of two Junior Village neighbourhoods, a Senior Village neighbourhood, and a purpose-built STEM Centre on each Campus. Construction or refurbishment of a Food Technology, The Arts and Technology Centre on each campus has also been completed. The final stage has been completed for the new Administration Centre on the Banksia Campus and the refurbishment of the Music area at the Acacia Campus.

Selection Criteria

• KSC1 - Well-developed counselling/therapeutic and case management skills when working with secondary aged students, including those presenting with complex mental health issues, Trauma and disengagement from school.


• KSC2 - Experience of working in an education setting and demonstrated ability to build successful relationships with students and implement proactive wellbeing programs across all year levels


• KSC3 - Demonstrated ability to provide information, advice and support to Year level coordinators, families and external professionals who are supporting/working with students experiencing difficulties with their social and emotional wellbeing


• KSC4 - A demonstrated ability to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of young people and their families, with well-developed skills in engaging families in the development of case plans for their child


• KSC5 - Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills, with the proven ability to work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team


• KSC6 - Demonstrate a commitment to professional learning and growth relating to your role and in line with the schools vision.


• KSC7 - Demonstrated ability to actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all children in line with the Child Safe Standards.

Attendance will be from 8.00am - 4.06pm. Under the direction of the Student Wellbeing Manager, the Youth Worker will be an active member of the school wellbeing team working to provide a range of wellbeing programs for students across all year levels, including 1-1 support and case management, specific group interventions, organising and facilitating celebration/awareness days and running lunchtime activities. The Youth Worker will hold a caseload of referred students, including but not limited to students who have/are experiencing trauma, family violence, mental health, cultural and socio-economic factors. Working within the college wellbeing protocols, the Youth worker will deliver both brief counselling support and effective case management. The promotion of students' social, emotional and behavioural development is a core purpose of this role, as is implementing and evaluating support strategies to minimise disengagement from school and foster resilience. The Youth Worker will demonstrate an ability to plan thoughtful 1-1 sessions and engage students in conversations about their wellbeing and goal setting, using a variety of strategies and techniques. The Youth Worker will develop and deliver a range of dynamic and engaging group programs and lunchtime activities that support and reinforce self-esteem and confidence in students, increase engagement with school, their teachers, their peers and build partnerships between the school and wider community agencies and support services.

Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with the Student Wellbeing Manager who will also be your direct line manager and the College Wellbeing team, to ensure that student needs are met with appropriate intervention in a timely manner.


• Participating in all team meetings with regards to referral discussions and sharing best practice.


• Receive and act on referrals for assistance from Student Wellbeing Manager


• Be adept at brief counselling support for students and case management


• Developing meaningful case plans and goal setting with students


• Effective crisis management, when needed


• Strong liaison with other key team members regarding cases


• Keep relevant, professional and up-to-date case notes on identified students in order to monitor progress and develop robust support plans.


• Advocate for students were appropriate and facilitate further external referrals – acting as a conduit between the young person and the services they wish/need to access.


• Following College Wellbeing protocol and procedure.


• Liaise with families, carers and workers regarding the students wellbeing needs, involving:


• Phone contact


• Parent meetings


• Attending care team meetings and other professional networks to support the student


• Develop and implement targeted group interventions (including therapeutic) to identified students


• Promote and facilitate pro-social activities and services, both within the school and in partnership with wider community agencies and support services, including:


• Lunchtime activities


• Celebration days/events


• Information sessions


• Assembly presentations


• Establish good relationships with students, acting as a role model and responding to the needs of each individual child with empathy and consistency.


• Support teachers to understand and respond to student wellbeing needs.


• Attend school excursions and camps as required.


• Perform other duties appropriate to the classification, at the principals discretion.

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 (see Workplace 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 [email protected]

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