• Two 0.8 FTE Positions

www.concordsch.vic.edu.au

Located in Bundoora, a northern suburb of Melbourne, on two campuses, Concord is a specialist school which caters for students with mild intellectual disability between the ages of 5 and 18 years. Students come from a wide geographical area and a diverse socio-economic background. The Watsonia Campus caters for students aged between 5 and 9 years of age. The Bundoora Campus caters for 9 to 18 year old students. Both campuses are situated in attractive, well-maintained grounds with excellent facilities which include:

The school, with 130 teaching and ancillary staff, has a current enrolment of 460 students. Enrolment is dependent on eligibility criteria as determined by the Department of Education. Concord School supports integration into or from mainstream schools. Support services available to parent/carers and students include access to educational psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists and visiting teacher services. Intensive social competency programs also form part of the core curriculum across the school

Concord School is focused on student achievement and learning. Concord School is recognised as being a leader in the provision of education for students with additional learning needs and, as a specialist school, is highly regarded for its curriculum, learning technology programs and educational leadership.

The students are taught the mainstream Victorian Curriculum (Prep-Year 10) and VCAL (Year 11-12) curriculum however the educational pathway of each student is specifically tailored, through the use of Individual Learning Plans, to meet their targeted learning needs. The students are supported through extensive resourcing, small class sizes of 8-12, education support staff in each classroom and specialised staff including a school nurse, occupational therapists, speech pathologists and student wellbeing coordinators and counsellors.

Student achievement is celebrated to promote increased self-esteem and self-confidence to assist students to become independent in their work and acknowledge participation at school. At Concord we expect that students will develop respect for others and achieve personal excellence.

The school looks forward to continuing to meet the challenge of educating our students so that each can continue `To be The Best I Can Be'.

Selection Criteria

• SC1 Qualifications and experience in child and/or youth counselling, social work or a relevant community health or welfare field.
• SC2 Understanding of common approaches, theories, policies, programs and research relating to student wellbeing in an educational setting or with children who have an intellectual disability.
• SC3 Demonstrated experience in the delivery of high quality student counselling, support and wellbeing initiatives in a school community.
• SC4 Demonstrated capacity to communicate effectively with members of the school community including families, carers and students.
• SC 5 Demonstrated commitment to professional development and the achievement of school goals in the areas of student engagement, wellbeing and transitions.

Role

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 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 employees 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

The Student Counsellors are responsible for the coordination and delivery of psychological and wellbeing services to their delegated sections

Key performance indicators

• Effective delivery of psychological or counselling services utilising a practitioner therapeutic model, founded on current research-based, evidence-based approaches
• Provision of assessments including psycho-educational assessments and report writing
• Initiate regular case planning meetings and case review meetings with all relevant parties and ensuring agreed adjustments to case plans are implemented
• Support staff at Concord School through the processes of mandatory notifications to Child Protection and/or SOCIT
• Provide individual or group-based counselling
• Provision of a range of direct and indirect services to the school population in accordance with the professional competencies, standards and ethical codes of relevant professional bodies for the delivery of psychological, counselling or case management services; and in accordance with guidelines set out by the DET and Concord School
• Provision of consultancy and information to students, teaching teams and parents with respect to new developments in psychology, mental health, interventions and community supports
• Liaison with government and non-governmental support agencies and services, and health specialists
• Participation and provision of active support in response to critical incidents and emergencies and related ongoing support for students in conjunction with the School Principal and Wellbeing teams, DET Emergency and Security Management Unit.
• Contribution to the development of effective policies and practices of a whole-school nature
• Training and development activities with student groups and with teacher groups
• In-house teamwork with: school wellbeing colleagues, other professionals, special educators, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, school nurse and other staff
• Liaison with DET Student Support Services (SSS) and other external agencies as part of effective management of caseload and timely response to referrals; coordinating referrals to SSS psychologists and social workers as required
• Maintenance of accurate and confidential file records in accordance with privacy and health records legislation, professional regulation requirements, and DET and Concord School protocols

Who May Apply

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

EEO AND OHS Commitment

The Department values diversity and is committed to workforce diversity and equal opportunity in schools and all education workplaces. The Department recognises that the provision of family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces.

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 here.

DET Values

The Department’s employees commit to upholding DET’s Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. DET’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 DET values is available here.

Conditions of Employment

• 4 days per week (flexible)
• Salary: Education Support Level 1-Range 3

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/Documents/Salary-EducationSupportClass.pdf

Two positions

1. One vacancy is to replace an employee on parental absence and is for a period of seven years or until the employee absent on leave returns to duty at the school.
2. One vacancy is Fixed Term for 2 years.

The successful applicant will commence on 27 January 2021.

Contact:

Colin Simpson, Assistant Principal Student Wellbeing.
(03) 9467 3972
[email protected] using the subject line: School Counsellor enquiry via EthicalJobs

Applications for either position via Apply Now.

Please address all 5 Selection Criteria