Guidance officers may work directly with the student or with teachers, family, or others depending on the issues to be resolved and the age of the student.
Education in Queensland
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
Guidance and Counselling Services
These are provided directly to students and their families and are available at all Queensland state schools or education programs. This includes early intervention programs with some specific services available to parents or caregivers of children with disabilities from infancy.
Guidance and counselling services focus on fostering positive human change to enable effective learning and teaching. Guidance officers may work directly with the student or with the student’s teachers, support personnel, family, or other specialists depending on the issues to be resolved and the age of the student.
Issues that may be dealt with include personal and social development, diverse learning styles and needs, educational and career plans and choices.
Guidance officers work as members of a support team, which may include a range of other professionals working in schools and in the community. They are committed to providing the best education and training possible for every young Queenslander regardless of their circumstances, and while respecting client privacy and confidentiality.
There are also Community Education Counsellors who provide educational counselling and support services within specific secondary schools to ensure that the best possible assistance services are available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary students and communities.
Youth Support Coordinator Initiative
This aims to establish collaborative relationships between schools, TAFE and community services to enable better responses to the needs of young people experiencing personal or family difficulties. The primary role of youth support coordinators is to assist young people at risk of disengaging prematurely from learning or training. More than 100 youth support coordinators are employed by community-based agencies funded by the Queensland Government. Student involvement is voluntary.
