Professional Identity of the Guidance Counsellor within the Public Education Sector

1. Professional Identity of the Guidance Counsellor within the Public Education Sector Jennifer McKenzie - Director, NCGE University of Limerick - ESRC Seminar Series 9th June 2011

2. NCGE • Agency of Department of Education and Skills • Remit to advise and inform on policy • Develop and support practice • Provide CPD • Euroguidance Centre for Ireland • Represent DES / Ireland at International level • ELGPN designated representative

3. Guidance counselling in public education sector • Post Primary • Post Leaving Certificate / College of Further Education • Adult education - Literacy / Community / Second Chance Education • Higher education - IoTs / Universities / HETAC • NOT employment Sector – not HR / Career coaching / Employment Agencies

4. Definitions of Guidance … Guidance facilitates people throughout their lives to manage their own educational, training, occupational, personal, social, and life choices so that they reach their full potential and contribute to the development of a better society (NGF 2007)

5. Definitions of Guidance ……. The definition of guidance as referring to a continuous process that enables citizens at any age and at any point in their lives to identify their capacities, competences and interests, to make educational, training and occupational decisions and to manage their individual life paths in learning, work and other settings in which those capacities and competences are learned and/or used. Guidance covers a range of individual and collective activities relating to information-giving, counselling, competence assessment, support, and the teaching of decision-making and career management skills (EU Council Resolution 2008)

6. Definitions of Guidance … Guidance in schools refers to a range of learning experiences provided in a developmental sequence, that assists students to develop self- management skills which will lead to effective choices and decisions about their lives. It encompasses three separate, but interlinked areas of personal and social development, educational guidance and career guidance … Counselling is a key part of the school guidance programme, offered on an individual or group basis as part of a developmental learning process and at moments of personal crisis ... Counselling in schools may include personal counselling, educational counselling, career counselling or a combination of these. (DES 2005)

7. Professional Identity – role

8. Academia Experiences and Workshop and other EU experiences

9. Some Guidance Counsellor Roles (Titles) in the Public Education Sector Guidance Counsellor Career Guidance Teacher Adult Education Guidance Co-ordinator / Counsellor Career Development Adviser Careers Adviser

10. Identity – role

11. Qualifications • Competence • Supervision / reflective practice • CPD • Boundaries / referral • Membership of professional body • Code of Ethics / Standards • Record keeping

12. Client • One to One • Group work • Appropriate • Follow up • Feedback / Client Voice • Referral • Advocacy

13. EU • Lifelong guidance integrated into lifelong learning • Quality assurance • Access • Co-ordination and co-operation • Career management skills National • National Centre for Guidance in Education – policy, support, cpd • Education Act 1998 • DES Circular ppt 12/05 • DES Guidelines – Whole School Guidance Planning • White Paper on Adult Education • DES Circular 07/2004 • National Guidance Forum Report 2007 - Quality Guidelines/Competency Document Local / Regional • VEC Education Plan / School Plan

14. Organisation • Strategic • Integrated • Co-ordinated • Feedback • Innovating systems change • Advocate / broker • Communication • Quality assurance systems

15. What it is not … X • Short training course/Certificate in “Guidance” • Therapy • Role existing in isolation or vacuum

16. Future of Professional Identity of Guidance Counselling • Within the Lifelong Guidance Framework … • Focused / Accredited CPD programme, Post Qualification • Integration into education sector requires team approach – with co-operation with and guidance awareness for education providers / teachers / lecturers • Research in Guidance Counselling – effectiveness / outcomes / evidence based practice • Quality Assurance System

17. Future of Professional Identity of Guidance Counsellor • Guidance Counsellor as Lifelong Learner • CPD leading to Higher Skills Development (expand abilities, broaden career & deepen knowledge) • Research – Evidence Based Practice • ICT - Skills and Use in Guidance Provision • Career path for Guidance counsellor- academic, management, policy development, research, supervisor, cpd delivery………

19. Thank You Jennifer McKenzie NCGE www.ncge.ie Email: Jennifer.McKenzie@ncge.ie

20. Useful Links Department of Education and Skills, Guidelines for Second level Schools on the implications of Education Act 1998, Section 9 (c) page 8 http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/pp_guideliines_second_level_schools_9c.pdf DES circular on Guidance Provision in Second Level Schools. DES Circular ppt 12/05 http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/ppt12_05.doc Planning the School Guidance Programme (2004) http://www.ncge.ie/reports/Pl_Sch_Gui_prog_leaf.pdf EU Council Resolution 2008   http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/educ/104236.pdf

21. Useful Links Government’s White Paper on Adult Education, Learning for Life (Department of Education and Science, 2000) http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/fe_adulted_wp.pdf?language=EN Pay and Conditions for Adult Education Guidance Counsellors and Adult Guidance Coordinators DES Circular 07/2004 http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/fe70_04.doc National Guidance Forum's Final Report Guidance for Life: An Integrated Framework for Lifelong Guidance in Ireland 2007 http://www.nationalguidanceforum.ie/documents/NGF_Guidance_for_Life%20final.pdf