School Counsellor

Salary: GBP 30,392.00 - 31,975.00 per year

Details
Job Advertisement

Gwynedd Council offers an attractive employment package, for more information please click on this Information Pack

Gwynedd Council operates internally through the medium of Welsh, and offers all its services bilingually. The applicant will be required to reach the linguistic level noted as one of the essential skills in the Person Specification.

We encourage everyone who applies for a job with Gwynedd Council to submit job applications in Welsh or bilingually.

( Applications submitted in English only or Welsh only will always be treated equally, but we ask applicants to consider carefully what the linguistic requirements of the job in question is and if it would be more appropriate to submit an application in Welsh.)

For further information about this post please contact Dora Jones on 07815597244

Interview date to be confirmed.

Application forms and further details available from Support Service, Gwynedd Council, Council Offices, Caernarfon, LL55 1SH

Tel: 01286 679076

E-Mail: Swyddi@gwynedd.llyw.cymru

CLOSING DATE: 10.00 AM, 23/10/2024

The Council will request a Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service for the successful candidate.

If you are successful to be short listed for an interview you will be contacted by E-MAIL using the address provided on your application form. You need to ensure that you check your email regularly.

Person Specification
Personal attributesEssential
Excellent communication and listening skills in Welsh and English.

The ability to respect and deal with clients in the strictest confidence.

Knowledge of Protection Procedures with regards to children and young people and how schools work with Safeguarding systems.

Knowledge of the matters that affect and disrupt young people's lives.

The capacity to work through personal motivation and work independently

Ability to form good working relationships with colleagues and other agencies.

An enthusiasm for working with children and young people

Patience, tolerance and sensitivity.

A capacity to work under pressure and to react quickly and competently to unexpected events
Desirable
Ability to develop new skills and make use of unfamiliar software programmes.
Qualifications and relevant trainingEssential
Qualification in Counselling at a Post Graduate Diploma or corresponding level that is recognised by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

Holder, or working towards BACP Accreditation

Higher academic or occupational qualification in a relevant field of study

Registered member of BACP
Desirable
Any specific training required for the post including accreditation

Qualification and/or training in art/drama/play therapy
Relevant experienceEssential
Experience of:

Experience of working as a counsellor

Experience of working with children and young people

Experience of keeping standardised notes

Experience of collaboration with others

Good IT skills and experience of computer and database programmes

Awareness of the principles behind Data Protection/GDPR
Desirable
Experience of working in schools

Experience of offering counselling virtually: video,phone,e-mail

Experience of offering creative therapy
Skills and specialist knowledgeEssential
Counselling/psychotherapy training to a Post Graduate Diploma level
Desirable
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Language requirementsListening and Speaking - Higher
Able to follow a conversation or discussion through the medium of Welsh and English on a professional level and discuss general day to day topics in the field in order to present information and express opinions.Able to give a pre-prepared presentation and respond to any comments and questions on it in Welsh or English.
Reading and Understanding - Higher
Able to understand standard written Welsh and English; both formal and informal.Able to gather information from various sources such as letters, reports, articles through the medium of Welsh and English in order to fulfil the post.
Writing - Higher
Present written information confidently by letter, more detailed and technical report formats, and respond to written requests conveying information, ideas and opinion in Welsh and English (help is available to check the work).

Job Description
Purpose of the post
• To ensure that the children and young people of Gwynedd and Anglesey are central to everything we do.

• Provide a counselling service for young people within Gwynedd and Anglesey secondary and primary schools. At present the service is offered on a virtual basis using video link, chat, telephone and e-mail, training is available to support this.

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Responsibility for functions
• Laptop and mobile phone
Main duties
• Serve as a team member to provide an effective, professional and statutory counselling service for young people when and as needed.

• Provide a face to face and/or virtual counselling service for individuals that are considered to benefit from counselling:

-Provide and arrange a one to one assessment in compliance with BACP regulations

-Comply with the limitation of the number of sessions in compliance with BACP regulations

-Ensure that every client is assessed and is either attended to by the service or is referred to the appropriate service.

• Act in a manner that complies with recognised standards of counselling providers:

-Comply with the BACP Code of Practice and Ethical Framework

-Follow recommendations of the Welsh Government Support Pack on good practice

-Focus on children and young people's safeguarding and protection arrangements

-Maintain a balance between Safeguarding and Ethics arrangements for the benefit of the client

• Keep standardised notes on every case:

-Collating basic notes on every individual case

-Provide data and feedback to input into the service's information management system

-Input client data into the secure online system on a regular basis

-Ensure all notes are kept in accordance with Data Protection

• Follow a procedure by which the user's opinion on the service is obtained

• Maintain firm contact and an agreed system of efficient collaboration with relevant agencies within the boundaries of confidentiality

• Consult with other key workers in the field of children and young people's well-being and mental health and follow an agreed referral system to and from the service.

• Provide information on the counselling service. Raise awareness of children, young people, their parents and other professionals on the existence of the counselling service and how it operates. Raise school staff's awareness about counselling, advising them on the counselling service's website within the range of support services that are available for children and young people.

• Undertake any other tasks related to providing counselling in schools, as can reasonably be expected given the salary of the post, as requested by a line manager.

• Protect clients and others that are at risk of considerable harm:-

• Clients are dependant on the Counselling Service providing a higher level of confidentiality. It is essential that the Counsellor can provide this safe environment whilst keeping a balance between the Ethical Framework and Child Protection Legislation. There is a need to monitor the clients' needs regularly throughout the Therapeutic process.

• Co-ordinate the service on a school level by:

-Arranging and administrating the counselling service in collaboration with the school;

-Communicating with and contact the school's staff, for the benefit of the young individual, and keeping within the client's confidentiality boundaries;

-Act as a resource for school staff by giving them a glimpse of the counselling world and promoting the service wherever possible;

• Maintain and develop a professional practice through regular and consistent management, and supervision and clinical training, and through taking part in evaluations and investigations of the service;

-Assess and control the risks to individuals, and to yourself.

-Monitor, re-assess and control the risks to individuals regularly

-Take immediate steps that are commensurate to dealing with/addressing any behaviour that poses a risk

-Comply with procedures and protection practices of the department and the Local Safeguarding Children Board

-Comply with all the relevant legislations, guidelines, national standards and departmental policies.

-Keep accurate and updated case records and ensure that the files comply with the department's policy requirements on data protection, written records and confidentiality.

-Pro actively contribute in performance evaluation reviews and individual supervision.

-Make a positive contribution to the team, by collaborating with co-workers and the line manager.

-Attend team meetings and take part in any relevant working groups and other departmental and inter-agency meetings as needed.

• General

-Responsibility for self-development

-Ensure compliance with workplace Health and Safety rules in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council's Health and Safety Policy

-Operate within the Council's policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality

-Responsibility for managing information in accordance with the Council's information management guidelines. Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.

-Undertake any other reasonable duty which corresponds to the salary level and responsibility level of the post.

-Respond to any other reasonable request at the request of the Head of Education Service.

- • Responsible for reporting any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused.