Purpose of the Post
Ensure that the people of Gwynedd are at the heart of everything we do.
Provide a counselling service for children and young people within Gwynedd secondary and primary schools and the community.
 
 Responsibility for functions  . e.g. staff, budgets, equipment
Responsibility for functions  . e.g. staff, budgets, equipment
 
 Main Duties
Serve as a team member to provide an effective, professional and statutory counselling service for young people .
Provide a face to face and/or virtual counselling service for individuals that can benefit from counselling:
Provide and arrange one-to-one assessments in compliance with BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) regulations.
Comply with and offer a limited number of sessions in compliance with service guidelines and BACP regulations
Ensure that every client is assessed and is either offered a counselling service or is referred to another appropriate service.
 
Act in a manner that complies with recognised standards of counselling providers:
Comply with the BACP Code of Practice and Ethical Framework (or another accredited professional body, e.g. UKCP, HPC, or NCPS)
Follow recommendations of the Welsh Government Toolkit 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:
Collate 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 procedures to obtain the user's opinion on the service.
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 Child Safeguarding 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 to 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 Health and Safety rules in the workplace 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.
Responsible for managing information in accordance with the Council’s information management guidelines. Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
Commitment to reducing the Council’s carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council’s Carbon Footprint.
Undertake any other reasonable duty which corresponds to the salary level and responsibility level of the job.
Responsibility to report any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused.
 
  Special Circumstances  . e.g. the need to work unsociable hours, special working arrangements etc.
Some meetings could be outside normal working hours.