Student Wellbeing Officers
SWOs
Creating our best connections for your school and OSHC, with an approach that integrates each school’s values and needs.
We recognise that families benefit from access to holistic, wraparound support. Through Jabiru’s broader services, families and school staff can access supported playgroups, individual case management and access support, early intervention referrals and other health and wellbeing initiatives designed to strengthen connection and support successful education transitions. Our team includes qualified staff accredited in facilitating, Bringing Up Great Kids: Parenting Adolescence, Circle of Security and Triple P.
Jabiru is also an approved provider of Student Wellbeing Officers (SWOs).
The SWO is an essential member of the school student services team, working in collaboration with other professionals in the school, such as inclusion support specialists, teachers, deputies and principals, as well as other experts such as speech therapists, guidance officers, behavioural support and school-based psychologists.
This is our promise.
Student Wellbeing Officers bring together our strengths in OSHC & Community Services.
Student Wellbeing Officers (SWOs) are community-based practitioners who support primary school children and families experiencing vulnerabilities to feel safe, connected and able to access resources for their health and wellbeing. They can provide an invaluable connection between the school and their Jabiru OSHC —when these two come together, it reinforces our ability to deliver on our purpose: We nurture children’s sense of self and inspire them to live with purpose by co-creating tailored services with them, their families, schools and communities.
Because our SWOs follow the day-to-day expression of our Jabiru values – Collaborate, Respect, Evolve, Connect and Trust (CRECT) – they are aligned to the need for flexibility when it comes to developing programs for different schools in the North Brisbane catchments. They’re ready to collaborate with respect, evolve when necessary, connect the people who can positively influence a child’s world, and earn the trust of that entire community.
Many SWOs provide one-to-one support, using resources to identify and strategise for each child’s needs. They also facilitate small groups with students, exploring themes such as self-regulation, anxiety and managing friendships. They identify local resources of support and gather information for schools and families, while providing the school with valuable information on a range of local community services that they can access when needed.
Connecting in the right places
It’s common for the SWO to run lunchtime activities and to support other school events or initiatives. Education Queensland Guidelines indicate that they may be involved in any of the following:
Social and emotional support
Mentoring
Community development
Educational support
Extracurricular activities (e.g. sports carnivals).
Qualified to connect
Jabiru Student Wellbeing Officers have a minimum Diploma-level qualification. Most have Bachelor’s degrees and experience in various community sector roles, including mental health, art therapy, teaching, child development, social work or human service work.
Connect with Jabiru Student Wellbeing Officers
Our Community Connection Team can visit your school to deliver workshops or information sessions for families and staff, supporting positive relationships and parenting practices. Each school has a referral process for students to access Jabiru’s Student Wellbeing Officer Program and every child requires a consent form signed by a parent or guardian before engagement. Parents, teachers and other school staff can make a referral.
Many SWOs provide one-to-one support, using resources to identify and strategise for each child’s needs. They also facilitate small groups with students, exploring themes such as self-regulation, anxiety and managing friendships. They identify local resources of support and gather information for schools and families, while providing the school with valuable information on a range of local community services that they can access when needed.
