Social Worker

ABOUT GORDONSTOUN JUBAIL ISLAND

Gordonstoun has been leading the way in character education for more than 90 years. At Gordonstoun Jubail Island (GJI), academic excellence is combined with outdoor education and adventure, service to others and character development. The School is committed to creating a safe, inclusive and ambitious environment in which every student can flourish. GJI also embraces the spirit of Al Sanaa - authentic Emirati customs, traditions, respect and hospitality - and expects all staff to model the School values of Compassion, Courage, Integrity, Service and Respect. Staff are expected to contribute actively to the wider life of the School and its community.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Social Worker provides non-therapeutic social care and welfare support to students and their families, particularly where personal, family, social, behavioural, attendance, safeguarding or wider contextual factors may be affecting a student's wellbeing, participation or access to education. The role acts as a professional link between the School, families and relevant community or external services and supports early intervention, effective case management and coordinated student support. During GJI's opening phase, the Social Worker will be the School's principal dedicated social care professional. Until a School Counsellor is appointed, the postholder will support wider non-therapeutic student welfare needs within the scope of the role and coordinate appropriate external referrals where counselling, therapy, clinical assessment or other specialist support is required. The Social Worker does not provide therapeutic counselling unless separately qualified, licensed and formally appointed to do so.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Student Welfare and Casework

• Provide timely, student-centred non-therapeutic support to students experiencing difficult personal, family, social or community circumstances.
• Receive, assess and manage referrals relating to student welfare, social circumstances, attendance, behaviour, family concerns and other barriers to participation or engagement.
• Undertake age-appropriate student meetings, family discussions and case reviews, maintaining clear professional boundaries and acting in the best interests of the child.
• Develop and monitor individual support or action plans where appropriate, ensuring actions, responsibilities and review dates are clear.
• Escalate concerns promptly where a matter falls outside the scope of school-based social work or requires specialist, statutory, therapeutic or clinical intervention.

Safeguarding and Student Protection

• Act as an active member of the School's Student Protection / Safeguarding Team and contribute to safeguarding case discussion, risk assessment, information sharing and follow-up in accordance with GJI and ADEK requirements.
• Identify, record and escalate safeguarding or child protection concerns immediately through the School's approved reporting procedures.
• Support the Designated Safeguarding Lead and relevant leaders with welfare-focused casework, family liaison and coordination with external agencies where required.
• Maintain accurate, secure and confidential records, applying appropriate professional judgement regarding consent, confidentiality and safeguarding-related information sharing.
• Contribute to safeguarding awareness, prevention and student protection education as appropriate to the role. The post does not automatically carry the Designated Safeguarding Lead role unless separately appointed.

Family, Community and External Agency Liaison

• Build constructive, respectful and culturally sensitive relationships with parents and carers, including in complex or sensitive circumstances.
• Support families in understanding school processes, available support and appropriate community or government services.
• Coordinate referrals and communication with relevant social care, community, government and specialist services, ensuring effective follow-up and continuity of support.
• Participate in multi-agency meetings and case conferences where appropriate, representing the School professionally and maintaining clear records of agreed actions.
• Develop and maintain an up-to-date network of trusted external services and referral pathways relevant to children and families in Abu Dhabi.

Attendance, Behaviour and Student Engagement

• Work with Pastoral, Inclusion and academic colleagues to identify social or family factors contributing to persistent absence, disengagement, behaviour concerns or barriers to school participation.
• Support early intervention with students and families, including structured follow-up and coordinated plans to improve attendance, engagement and wellbeing.
• Contribute social-context insight to relevant student support meetings while ensuring information is shared on a need-to-know basis.

Collaboration within the School

• Work closely with the Head of Inclusion, Head of Pastoral / Designated Safeguarding Lead, teachers and other student-support colleagues to ensure a coordinated response to student need.
• Contribute to admissions and transition discussions where significant social, family or welfare considerations may affect a student's successful entry to or movement through the School.
• When a School Counsellor is appointed, maintain clear referral boundaries and work collaboratively so that social care, counselling, Inclusion, safeguarding and pastoral support are appropriately coordinated.
• Provide professional advice to staff on social care matters, referral thresholds, family engagement and community resources within the scope of the role.

Prevention, Education and Community Engagement

• Contribute to proactive student wellbeing, safeguarding and prevention initiatives informed by emerging casework themes and student needs.
• Support age-appropriate parent education, workshops or guidance on relevant social and welfare topics where appropriate.
• Contribute to Gordonstoun service and community initiatives and help build meaningful relationships with local organisations that support children, families and the wider community.
• Use casework trends and anonymised data to identify emerging needs and recommend preventative actions to school leadership.

Professional Practice, Records and Compliance

• Maintain professional, accurate and timely case notes, referral records, action plans and supporting documentation in accordance with school policy, confidentiality requirements and applicable regulation.
• Ensure practice remains within the professional scope of a Social Worker and complies with applicable ADEK, Department of Community Development (DCD), safeguarding and data-protection requirements.
• Maintain all professional licences, approvals and continuing professional development required for the role.
• Participate in supervision, training, audits, inspections and quality assurance activity relevant to social care, wellbeing and student protection.
• Undertake other reasonable duties aligned to the purpose and level of the role as directed by the Head of Inclusion or Principal.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Pathway: 1

Qualification: QFE 7 Bachelor's Degree in Social Work or Social Service

Experience: 2 years of experience in youth-related social work.

Pathway: 2

Qualification: QFE 7 Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Counselling, Youth Development, Sociology or a related subject

Experience: 4 years of experience in youth-related social work.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

Professional eligibility: Meets one of the ADEK Social Worker qualification/experience pathways. Holds, or is eligible to obtain, the applicable DCD professional licence and any other approval required before commencement.

Experience: Youth-related social work experience as required under the applicable ADEK pathway (except where the UAE National exemption applies). Demonstrable casework experience with children, young people and/or families.

Safeguarding: Strong understanding of child protection, safeguarding, professional boundaries, confidentiality, and referral and escalation procedures.

Case management: Ability to assess needs, manage cases, document interventions, coordinate referrals and follow actions through to resolution and review.

Communication: Excellent written and spoken English. Able to communicate sensitively with children, families, staff and external professionals.

Regulatory and cultural: Able to work within regulated school and social-care frameworks and to demonstrate cultural sensitivity in the UAE context.

Personal attributes: Empathy, sound judgement, discretion, resilience, calmness under pressure, strong boundaries, integrity and a student-first mindset.

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS

Professional eligibility : An existing DCD licence or prior approval to practise in Abu Dhabi.

Experience: School-based or comparable child/youth-setting experience (strongly preferred). UAE school experience.

Safeguarding: Experience contributing to a school or multi-agency safeguarding or student protection team.

Case management: Experience with school attendance, behaviour, family support or student welfare casework.

Communication: Arabic language skills.

Regulatory and cultural: Knowledge of ADEK requirements, DCD processes and Abu Dhabi community services.

Personal attributes: Experience in a start-up, founding-school or rapidly evolving environment.