Overview
Social Worker – Office Jobs in Johannesburg, South Africa at SPARK Schools
Position: Social Worker – SPARK Schools Support Office – 2026
SPARK stands for:
Service, Persistence, Achievement, Responsibility, and Kindness.
We are a mission-driven network of private schools with the ambition to lead Africa’s R-12 education model into becoming an inspiration to the world. We are pioneering an accessible, future-focused approach, believing that success is defined not only by qualifications but by character. In a world of AI and rapid technological advancement, it’s those who can adapt quickly, think critically, work creatively, and handle conflict diplomatically who will succeed – whether in academia, employment, or entrepreneurship.
We’re challenging the traditional one-size-fits-all approach. We focus on our scholars’ social-emotional development creating better, more capable humans not just academic performance. Every campus has a dedicated counsellor, our classes are deeply collaborative and project-based, and our scholars are taught skills like empathy and conflict resolution from an early age. Our academics are underpinned by a blended tech-enabled curriculum, giving teachers the tools and data-backed insight to be responsive to individual scholars’ needs.
Our scholars don’t just graduate, they fly.
We don’t stop there. As a high-performance organisation, our employees undergo regular training and development programmes, we invest in those who invest in us.
SPARK is a high-growth, mission and values-driven entrepreneurial organisation, operating 21 primary schools, 5 high schools and serving over 16,000 families. We are looking for dynamic people who are ready to build the future of Africa’s education landscape – are you the next SPARK to join our team?
Purpose of Role:
Scholar welfare specialist and family support practitioner; identifies, assesses, and supports learners and families facing social, emotional, and environmental challenges that impact learning.
Reports To: Child Protection Officer
Department: Schools
Location: SPARK Primary School / SPARK High School
Purpose of the role:
- Scholars receiving individual support demonstrate measurable improvement in emotional resilience, coping skills, and academic engagement with personalised counselling plans documented, implemented, reviewed, and updated regularly.
- Group counselling and preventive programmes address the most prevalent socio-emotional challenges at the school – with conflict resolution, stress management, mental health awareness, and life skills embedded in the school’s support programme.
- Every scholar in crisis receives an immediate, compassionate, and appropriately coordinated response with multi-agency referrals made promptly and every crisis case documented and followed up until resolved.
- School leadership and teachers receive timely, practical insights and strategies from the Social Worker enabling classroom environments that actively support scholars’ social-emotional development alongside academic performance.
- All psychosocial cases are accurately documented, reported to the Child Protection Officer within required timelines, and supported through the appropriate DSD, SAPS, or community referral channels when external intervention is required.
Responsibilities generally include:
Individual Counselling and Therapeutic Support
- Provide one-on-one counselling sessions for scholars dealing with emotional distress, academic pressures, behavioural challenges, and family difficulties developing personalised counselling plans that address each scholar’s unique needs and build emotional resilience.
- Equip scholars with lifelong tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills ensuring that emotional support extends beyond crisis resolution to building the capacity scholars need to thrive academically and personally.
- Maintain confidential, accurate, and up-to-date records of all individual counselling sessions, interventions, and scholar progress providing regular updates to the Child Protection Officer and school leadership as required.
Group Work, Preventive Programmes, and Community Engagement
- Lead group counselling sessions that focus on building essential life skills including conflict resolution, stress management, peer relationships, and effective study…
Title: Social Worker – Office
Company: SPARK Schools
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Category: