Student counsellor (2-3 days - negotiable)

Occupation: Health and allied health

Reference: 1530628

Selection Criteria

KSC1 - Qualifications and experience in youth counselling, student support services or social work, preferably within a secondary school context.

KSC2 - Understanding of and the demonstrated ability to implement effective and evidence-based counselling techniques and approaches.

KSC3 - Capacity to undertake intake/risk assessments.

KSC5 - Personal qualities of integrity in working with a range of stakeholders in a diverse community and of adaptability in working in an evolving and growing school.

Role

Attendance requirement is 2 days minimum, negotiable up to 3 days.

An opportunity exists for a short-term contract due to staff leave within the Wellbeing Team at Vermont Secondary College.

The Counsellor/Social Worker will undertake intake, short-term support with students and families experiencing difficulties accessing their education. In addition the successful candidate will carry a case load requiring case management skill and interest with a key focus on school engagement and refusal.

The VSC Student Wellbeing in 2026 consists of:

• A Leading Social Worker - Head of Student Wellbeing
• Three ES Social Workers
• Two teachers with counselling training.

This team is co-located in a for-purpose office suite with adjoining counselling spaces.

The successful candidate will work as part of the broader Student Services team by:

• Providing direct support to students and families that addresses social and emotional needs, such as psycho-social assessment, critical incident response, advocacy and support for students and families and liaison with external community service providers.
• Collating and distributing student wellbeing data to members of the Student Services Team.
• Contributing to the delivery of student support services within our multi-disciplinary team.
• Contributing to the development and implementation of student support services policy across the school.
• Supporting the school and staff in the development of educational programs, particularly in respect to students with additional needs.

Providing advice to the leadership of the school about student support service needs.

• Liaising with community service organisations, DFFH, hospitals, specialist programs and other professionals as directed by the team.

Responsibilities

Provide high-quality counselling and student support services to high school students presenting with a range of issues which may be self-referred, teacher-referred or parent-referred.

Referrals to appropriate agencies for student and family support when needed.

Consultation with families about their child's needs and the interventions to address those needs.

Keep thorough, extensive and confidential case notes to create transparency and accountability while following the school's communication processes.

Provide authoritative professional advice in relation to issues involving student wellbeing, including helping to build student resilience and positive mental health.

Assist students experiencing difficulties with well‐being at school, at home, or out in the community.

Participate in staff support, supervision, learning, development and knowledge sharing activities as a member of the school team.

Provide feedback and advice to staff on the wellbeing of students referred within the relevant privacy laws.

Who May Apply

Required

• Applicants must be qualified as a psychologist, social worker, mental health nurse, occupational therapist or counsellor of a prescribed class. Specifically:
  • For Psychologists, applicants must hold full registration with AHPRA
  • For Mental Health Nurses, applicants must hold full registration with AHPRA and hold a postgraduate qualification in mental health
  • For Social Workers, applicants must be eligible for membership with the Australian Association of Social Workers
  • For Occupational Therapists applicants must hold full registration with AHPRA
  • For Counsellors applicants must have completed a Bachelor or Master of Counselling and be a practising member of either the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) or the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)
• Demonstrated direct counselling experience
• A current Working With Children Check.
• For Psychology applicants, specialisation in educational and/or developmental psychology.
• For Mental Health Nurse applicants, holding a Mental Health Nurse Credential and membership with the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses.
• For Social Work applicants, membership with the Australian Association of Social Workers and an Accredited Social Worker Trade Mark.
• For Occupational Therapy applicants, a Better Access to Mental Health Endorsement.
• For Counselling applicants, Level 3-4 registration (ACA) or a Registered Clinical Counsellor endorsement (PACFA).

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) viamarrung@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:

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:

• 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

Vermont Secondary College is a large, single campus, co-educational secondary college of over 1710 students located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

Vermont Secondary College enjoys an exceptionally high level of parent and community support. General Satisfaction with the College, as measured by the Parent Opinion Survey, remains high and in 2025 was 84%.

VSC Statement of Values & Philosophy

Our VSC Statement of Values & Philosophy ensures that everyone in our school community will be treated with fairness and respect. In turn, we will strive to create a school that is inclusive and safe, where everyone is empowered to participate and learn.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land we live, work and travel upon and we pay our respects to the Elders, both past and present, and we recognise, acknowledge and respect the history, culture, diversity and value of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands people.

Vermont Secondary College (VSC) is committed to providing a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for all students, staff and members of our diverse community. Our school recognises the importance of our partnership with parents and carers to support our students in their wellbeing, engagement and achievement in learning. We share a commitment to, and a responsibility for, creating an inclusive and safe school environment for our students.

VISION:

The VSC Motto ¿ Lift up thine eyes

Our college motto Lift up thine eyes provides the vision of our college community. We aspire to be progressive and optimistic in our endeavours and interactions, constantly open to the improvement of wellbeing, engagement and achievement. Together, we are building the capacity of our community to engage meaningfully and contribute positively in an increasingly complex world.

VSC Vision for Learning & Teaching:

Our community creates rich and rigorous learning experiences that empower us all to participate with curiosity, purpose and insight.

This will be achieved through the implementation of the VSC Instructional Model, which underpins our pedagogical practice to guide us in implementing more consistent, high quality, innovative curriculum, assessment, teaching and learning practices with clear expectations for staff, students and parents.

Mission

VSC is proud of its status as a high-performing neighbourhood state school. The goal of VSC is to draw on the qualities of the young people at the college, providing a curricular and co-curricular program that allows them to flourish in areas of strength and to develop in areas of weakness. We strive to support all students to develop the ability to recognise and manage emotions, develop caring and concern for others, make responsible decisions, establish positive relationships, act creatively, engage fully with learning, contribute to community, develop high expectations for self, and handle challenging situations with resilience and respond effectively.

VSC Values

Our endeavours and interactions are guided by our College Values of:

Integrity ¿ (of self)

Respect - (for others / community)

Excellence ¿ (in achievement / learning / endeavours)

Applications close Tuesday 23 June 2026 at 11.59pm