Guidance officers
The department's focus on creating opportunities for every learner to be successful is supported through the provision of a comprehensive guidance and counselling service provided directly to students and their families in all primary, secondary and special schools and other departmental facilities across the state by
guidance officers.
Chaplains and student welfare workers
Chaplaincy/student welfare services are optional and provide students and staff with social, emotional and spiritual support, provide an additional adult role model in the school and enhance engagement with the broader community including parents.
The
Chaplaincy and student welfare services policy statement and supporting documents provide assistance for schools implementing a chaplaincy/student welfare service (paid or voluntary).
Community education counsellors
Counsellors work closely with guidance officers and their local communities, and provide a significant service to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. More than 100 community education counsellors are located generally in schools with significant numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, as well as in clusters of schools throughout the state.
District community education counsellors advocate on behalf of students where a community education counsellor is not available. Parents can
contact the school or local district office for further information.
School-based police
School-based police officers form partnerships within the school community to identify and develop appropriate community safety and crime prevention strategies that address local issues and are aimed at ensuring Queensland school communities are safe and secure.
School-based youth health nurses
The Department of Health funds the School Based Youth Health Nurse program, which operates in state secondary schools across Queensland, including Schools of Distance Education. The program, which focuses on whole of school preventative health and health promotion, is coordinated locally through the
Hospital and Health Services.
State schools registered nurses
The Department of Education provides a
nursing service to state schools to support reasonable adjustments for students with specific health needs to attend and safely participate in all aspects of schooling. Nursing services may include support with risk assessment, development of individual (daily routine) and/or emergency school health plans, provision of training in managing student health needs and performing health procedures, supervision and ongoing support (including refresher training) as required.
Youth support coordinators
The purpose of the Youth Support Coordinator Initiative (YSCI) is to support retention and attainment of young people in Years 10 to 12 who have disengaged, or who are at risk of disengaging from education. The initiative enhances opportunities for further education and sustainable future employment.
State high schools that receive a YSCI allocation can use the funds to:
- directly employ a youth support coordinator (YSC)
- purchase the services of a YSC through an
Accredited Employing Authority (AEA)
- purchase programs, courses or training for students in the target group.
The
YSCI operational guidelines provide further information about the initiative, including the way that an allocation may be used.
The role descriptions for
Regional Youth Support Coordinators and
Youth Support Coordinators provide information about the different tasks carried out by the coordinators in schools. Additional information about the YSC role in schools can be found on OnePortal (Staff access only).
For more information about the YSCI in a specific region, please contact the Regional Youth Support Coordinator through the
regional office.
All staff working with students in the YSCI need to seek student consent using the form below:
For schools choosing to use the services of an AEA, the following two forms should be used to establish the contract with the AEA, and agreements with the individual staff member: