Student Wellbeing & Pastoral Services

The Student Wellbeing & Pastoral Services for the schools of Townsville Catholic Education are a number of teams of dedicated professionals committed to providing quality specialist support for students, families and staff of our Catholic Schools. The Student Wellbeing & Pastoral Services refers to the Manager, three Team Leaders and a Leader, School Pastoral Support who are all employed centrally through TCE, along with a network of 31 Guidance Counsellors embedded in positions across all of the 30 schools in the Diocese.

The Team Leaders for our Guidance Counsellors have an important role to manage, advise and support a team of Guidance Counsellors to enable the effective and efficient provision of guidance counselling services to schools and students. They facilitate professional supervision of Guidance Counsellors (in alternative teams) to support their professional growth and development. The role works collaboratively with peers to develop consistent approaches and standards to service provision, workforce management and professional development. Team Leaders will provide support to their direct reports to carry out their roles in alignment with the relevant Code of Ethics and Professional Practice and TCE requirements. This role acts as the point of contact for Guidance Counsellors to support the development, implementation and evaluation of plans and programs to assist students in achieving positive educational, developmental and lifelong learning outcomes. Team Leaders will be expected to spend an element of their time working across the schools of their direct reports, supporting the Guidance Counsellors in their team and providing additional services during critical incidents and staff shortages. Therefore, the Team Leader, Guidance Counsellors will be required to collaboratively negotiate, develop, and implement programs for students that have a focus on preventative and early intervention strategies; are responsive to identified personal, social, emotional and educational needs; and aim to foster resilience and personal skills development.

Our Guidance Counsellors form a network of qualified staff employed to provide direct and indirect services to their schools.  Guidance Counsellors provide professional expertise, leadership and support to the school community in the development, implementation and evaluation of plans and programs to assist students in achieving positive educational, developmental and lifelong learning outcomes. They will collaboratively negotiate, develop and implement programs for students that have a focus on preventative and early intervention strategies; they are responsive to identified personal, social, emotional and educational needs; and aim to foster resilience and personal skills development. Guidance Counsellors are guided by a specific theoretical orientation influenced by their global view of the school and the services available to it.  Any intervention with Primary and Secondary school students has to take particular notice of the student within the context of the family.  The focus is on the student within this and other contexts, realising that the responsibility for each student’s welfare and progress remains within the family and local school.  A particular emphasis will be on empowering school communities to assist students in crisis or with diverse learning needs. The records of all Guidance Counsellors are stored securely and separately from school records and are only accessible to those Guidance staff within their school and nominated leadership staff within the TCEO Office. TCE recognises the important contribution Guidance Counsellors make in the Diocese and where possible endeavours to employ staff who will live and work within the school community they support.

Guidance Counselling Service Guidelines Brochure can be found here. 

The Leader, School Pastoral Support has an integral role to provide system-level coordination and to develop and implement a framework for pastoral support in schools. By taking a proactive approach to student wellbeing, this role will carefully plan for the support and success of every student by developing effective pastoral care programs and supporting and providing guidance to pastoral and wellbeing staff in schools. The Leader will effectively develop, implement, and take responsibility for TCEO’s catalogue of pastoral and student wellbeing programs. They will advise on and coordinate pastoral care and wellbeing programs to support and restore the wellbeing of students including programs to promote resilience, develop social and emotional wellbeing of students.  The Leader will provide direct advice and support to school leaders and pastoral staff as they navigate complex student pastoral issues. In addition to these important tasks, they will continuously monitor and analyse trends regarding emerging and common student mental health and wellbeing needs, to develop and tailor specific programs to address these needs, and shift towards a proactive approach to pastoral care and student wellbeing across all schools in the Diocese. This role will work collaboratively to ensure pastoral leadership and staff, principals, and teachers, have the understanding and capability to support students’ mental health.