• Demonstrated ability to support the general wellbeing of students and the school community.
• Demonstrated experience in delivering care through various health, counselling, wellbeing and therapeutic services to a school.
• Ability to support the school community to identify and develop educational, social and emotional programs to support students. 
• Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills, with the proven ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, as well as liaise effectively with a wide range of providers in the wider community.
• Demonstrated commitment to professional learning and growth.
• Demonstrated understanding of Department of Education policies and procedures specific to Child Safe Standards, Mandatory Reporting and Information Sharing.

Role

Working within the framework of the School Strategic Plan and the Annual Implementation Plan, the Student Wellbeing Officer will work within a multidisciplinary team to deliver care through various health, counselling, wellbeing and therapeutic services within the school.

Responsibilities

Operating under the coordination of the Wellbeing Coordinator and as part of the Wellbeing Team at the school, the Student Wellbeing Officer will:

• Work collaboratively with the Wellbeing Coordinator, the Wellbeing Team and House Leaders, 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
• Be adept at counselling support for students and case management
• Developing meaningful case plans and goal setting with students
• Effective crisis management, when needed
• 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 and acting as a conduit between the young person and the services they wish/need to access
• Following BHS Wellbeing protocol and procedures
• Manage complex cases including undertaking advanced interventions that may require cross-profession or agency collaboration. 

1. Collaborate with the student, teachers, care givers and other relevant services, including the use of interventions such as Behaviour Support Plans, Re-engagement Plans, Safety Plans and group-based interventions.
2. Liaise with families, carers and workers regarding the students wellbeing needs, involving:
   1. Phone contact
   2. Parent meetings
   3. Attending care team meetings and other professional networks to support the student
3. Develop and implement targeted group interventions (including therapeutic interventions) to identified students
4. Promote and facilitate pro-social activities and services, both within the school and in partnership with wider community agencies and support services, including:
   1. Lunchtime activities
   2. Celebration days/events
   3. Information sessions
   4. Assembly presentations
5. Design and deliver small group programs to create happier, healthier and more resilient students
6. Establish effective relationships with students, acting as a role model and responding to the needs of each individual child with empathy and consistency
7. Support teachers to understand and respond to student wellbeing needs
8. Act as resource for teachers to build their capacity in the identification and development of educational, social and emotional supports to assist students who are vulnerable or have additional needs
9. Support student/staff requests for assistance in the application of reasonable adjustments and modifications
10. Act in accordance with DE Child Safe Standards, including Mandatory Reporting legislation.
11. Perform other duties appropriate to the classification, at the Principals discretion

EEO AND OHS Commitment

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.

The Department of Education is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, and diversity and inclusion for all. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, 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 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. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for persons with a disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).

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

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

Conditions of Employment

• 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

Location Profile

Belmont High School is a large single campus co-educational secondary school south of the Barwon River in the regional city of Geelong with enrolments of 1225.2 students in 2023. We share boundaries with Roslyn Primary School and the Barwon Valley School (a specialist setting) and have had increasing cooperation and sharing with both in recent years. Camp programs operate at the school owned Tanybryn Campsite in the beautiful Otway Ranges.  We have onsite access to BioLAB (the Victorian BioScience Education Centre) that specializes in human performance and sport.

A vertical House (pastoral care) system operates for all year levels and is pivotal in delivering management, leadership and wellbeing for students and teachers. The Year 9 Strive Program also supports pastoral care for students with the provision of a significant teacher, and community and pathways based curriculum, as well as a camping program.  We are an RTO to support the delivery of VET programs at the school for our own and other school students and offer students VCE and VCE Vocational Major programs.

Significant leadership opportunities for students at both junior and senior levels of the school exist and an extensive co-curricular program supported by teachers exists to value add to students¿ experiences. This includes many opportunities for overseas travel increasingly with a community focus, including World Challenge. The school has also consistently been the top school in the Geelong region in inter school carnivals and team sport and has a very large and successful music and performance program.

The student population has become more culturally diverse over the past five years. The international student program adds to the cultural mix with students beginning their study in Australia with a school based EAL program in our English Language Centre prior to studying at appropriate year levels with mainstream students

We have experienced continued growth in enrolments as a result of interest in our programs, and pathways at the senior end of the school as well as our growing international fee paying program.  

The school is accredited to offer a Select Entry Accelerated Learning Program, which has now operated for a number of years, and the school operates a student support centre for funded and unfunded students who require additional literacy and numeracy support. The Middle Years program caters for students in Years 7 and 8 and provides an innovative and engaging curriculum and pedagogy with a literacy and numeracy focus and individual learning plans for students.  We offer two languages (Italian and Indonesian) both of which are growing in enrolment and both of which have sister school partnerships that see reciprocal visits.

A small but active parent association conduct monthly meetings that see guest speakers from program areas in the school give regular presentations, and our School Council regularly sees the need for an election. To support our students we employ a Mental Health Practitioner as part of our Student Wellbeing Team. 

The Leadership consists of the Principal and 3 Assistant Principals with discrete portfolios and 16 Educational Leaders ¿ 8 House Leaders, 5 Leaders of Learning and 3 learning specialist. All Educational Leaders have a shared responsibility for addressing the goals of the AIP and SSP.