All State Primary Schools, Preschools and Special Education Centres in Queensland are provided with the services of a Developmental Guidance Officer who is responsible for planning, negotiating and delivering Guidance and Counselling Programs appropriate to the needs of their students.

A major emphasis of their role is to work with school personnel in supporting student’s educational, social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. The Developmental Guidance Officer usually focuses on working with children form preschool through to early adolescence (just prior to secondary school entry). They provide support mainly through Primary and Special School Campuses.

The Developmental Guidance Officer works as part of a much larger team within the school campus which is made up of personnel such as the Classroom Teacher, Learning Support Teacher, Special Needs Teacher, Administration, Advisory Visiting Teacher and Speech Language Pathologist. As part of this team, they work with students who, for a wide variety of reasons, may not be achieving at their best. The Guidance Officer’s role may involve assisting students to engage more readily in classroom projects. Alternatively, it may involve working with students to build resilience, or to overcome social or emotional difficulties. The Guidance Officer will also work with students when their families are experiencing other issues that impact negatively on the student’s personal welfare and school outcomes.

The day-to-day role of the Developmental Guidance Officer may include activities such as:

§ Attending Special Needs Meetings with other school personnel in order to discuss the extra needs and support requirements for different students

§ Interviewing parents, teachers and administrators in order to develop a better understanding of their concerns

§ Counselling students individually or in small groups

§ Conducting further educational and cognitive assessments in order to better inform curriculum decisions that may benefit student learning

§ Closely observing and collating information and data on individual students and their needs

§ Assisting both families and students to access other community support as may be required through referrals to external agencies

§ Assisting Advisory Teachers for Behaviour in providing support for students exhibiting behaviour difficulties

§ Collaborating with school personnel and external community bodies and professional support personnel with an aim to assisting students achieve higher quality outcomes

The Developmental Guidance Officer’s work in each school aims to be consistent with that school’s over-riding philosophy. Guidance Officers therefore endeavour to work in collaboration with each school’s administration team. They negotiate priorities regarding their roles and responsibilities within each school according to the perceived requirements of each campus.