School Counsellor

Job Title: School Counsellor

Salary grade: TBC

Time currently employed p.a.: Part time

Responsible to: DSL (Deputy Headteacher)
Purpose of the job:

• To provide a professional and confidential counselling service to pupils, in order to promote emotional health and well-being and enable them to develop a resilience to help them cope with the difficulties they face
• To work closely with the Deputy Headteacher (DSL), Heads of Year and the Pastoral Care Team in order to coordinate and implement strategies for counselling support

Principal responsibilities:
Counselling

• To offer pupils individual counselling and support
• To work with a diverse range of issues including bereavement and loss, transition, eating disorders and self-harm, depression, anger management and erratic behaviour, abuse of any kind, anxiety and fears
• To uphold good practice as described by the BACP ethical guidelines
• To take the lead in professional consultations with staff, parent/carers, general practitioners, psychiatrists, mental health workers, social workers and educational psychologists
• To perform duties within the codes of practice and ethics recommended by the BACP, UKCP or equivalent organisation
• To promote a caring and supportive environment where such concerns may be explored thereby promoting mental and emotional health
• To be alert to trends and patterns of problems and to be willing to identify causes and recommend corrective action
• To attend meetings or discussion sessions with parents/carers if asked and as appropriate within agreed confidentiality guidelines

Safeguarding

• To work with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (Deputy Headteacher) and liaise with external agencies and parents/carers to support pupils and students
• To play an active role in Safeguarding children adhering to school policies
• Working in consultation with other school staff regarding the school child protection policy and related safeguarding documents
• To maintain confidentiality (except in those circumstances, in line with BACP practice, where this should be breached)

Collaboration with school staff/external agencies

• To provide consultation and training to staff whose role it is to support pupils / students in distress
• To liaise with the Heads of Year and other relevant staff e.g. SENDCO, as and when appropriate
• To provide relevant information to the Deputy Headteacher in advance of any Multi-Agency meetings, e.g. Child Protection Reviews / Conferences
• To liaise, where appropriate and with the pupil’s consent, with members of staff
• To network with personnel from other agencies with a view to easing referrals and accessing specialist consultants

Record keeping, reporting and assessment

• To keep suitable case records on counselling in a secure place
• To be responsible for producing an annual report, including writing an annual review that reflects current trends and the counselling services’ performance, and presenting the report to the Senior Leadership Team
• To ensure continued compliance with BACP Registrations and Accreditation schemes
• To undertake regular evaluation and monitoring of all aspects of the clinical delivery of counselling and where appropriate make or recommend changes. This will include reviewing operational policies for the counselling service with the Deputy Headteacher (Inclusion)

Professional development

• To maintain a high level of knowledge and awareness of changes and developments in the fields of counselling and education and their impact on the delivery of counselling
• To be responsible for their Professional Development maintenance and updating knowledge and awareness through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
• To attend INSET as required and to participate in the school’s annual Performance Appraisal System

Administration

• To hold responsibility for all counselling activities at NLGPS
• To devise and, where appropriate, deliver a programme of training to support and develop the counselling service
• To contribute in any other reasonable fashion to promote the safety and wellbeing of the pupils
• To undertake any other duties reasonably requested by the Deputy Headteacher

Supervision

• To be arranged and undertaken monthly by the school counsellor and charged to the school

Equalities
Be aware of and support differences and ensure that all students have equality of access to opportunities to learn and develop.
Health and Safety
Be aware of and comply with policies and procedures relating to child protection, health and safety and security, confidentiality and data protection; and report all concerns to the appropriate person.
Disclosure and Barring Service
This post is classed as having a high degree of contact with children or vulnerable adults and is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. An enhanced disclosure will be sought through the Disclosure and Barring Service as part of the school’s pre-employment checks.
Job context
Currently, there is a full-time highly qualified counsellor who undertakes counselling for pupils, students, parents and staff. Further mentoring, for less serious cases, is undertaken by other members of staff, supervised by the current post holder. Referrals for counselling come from varied sources, including self-referral by the students themselves and referrals from the Heads of Year who are often the first port of call for worried Students. Members of the SLT may also refer pupils following information from parents or a marked change of behaviour. To provide effective and confidential counselling to staff.
Additional Information
The jobholder is required to contribute to and support the overall aims and the ethos of the school.

All staff are responsible for the safeguarding of pupils and for compliance with the school’s code of conduct.

All staff are required to participate in training and other learning activities and in performance appraisal, as required by the school’s policies and practices.

This job description is current at the date shown and may change if any further re-structuring takes place. Employees will be expected to comply with any reasonable request from a manager to undertake work of a similar level that is not specified in this job description.

Employees are expected to be courteous to colleagues and provide a welcoming environment to parents/carers, visitors and telephone callers. The school will endeavour to make any necessary reasonable adjustments to the job and the working environment to enable access to employment opportunities for disabled job applicants or continued employment for any employee who develops a disabling condition.
Person Specification SCHOOL COUNSELLOR
Qualifications

A Counselling qualification at diploma or equivalent recognised by the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP)

Essential

Educated to A level or equivalent (minimum) with GCSE in English and Maths

Essential

Completion/working towards a qualification in Counselling with Children and Young People

Desirable

Accreditation with The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy or equivalent governing body

Desirable

Knowledge and Experience

Successful recent working experience with children of relevant age

Essential

Understanding of relevant policies/codes of practice/ legislation

Essential

Skills and abilities

High levels of literacy and numeracy

Essential

High level of organisational skills, able to prioritise manage and own workload

Essential

Possess excellent communication skills (verbal and in writing) and have the ability to work with both staff and pupils

Essential

Build rapport with adults and children

Essential

Work calmly and effectively under pressure and be flexible

Essential

Use own initiative and work independently

Essential

Motivate, inspire and have high expectations of pupils

Essential

Approach problem solving creatively, adapting quickly and effectively to changing circumstances/ situations

Highly desirable

Critically evaluate own performance and learn from this

Essential

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent
Part-time hours: 28 per week

Salary: From £17,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted or free food
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Sick pay
• Transport links

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• London: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 10/06/2023
Reference ID: School Counsellor