School Social Worker

Description The primary focus of the school social worker is to assist students whose emotional/ social problems interfere with their ability to obtain maximum benefit from the educational program. The social worker may also act as a liaison between parents/ guardians, school, and public or private agencies responsible for student care and services in order to assist parents in taking advantage of services available in the school and community. Serve as a mentor to less experienced Social Workers; serve on Leona-wide crisis response team to provide support to other schools in the event of major incidents of crisis.

Essential functions related to services to students eligible for special education who have emotional/social problems:

• Conduct social work evaluations with students suspected of having emotional/behavioral problems which may qualify them for special education services.
• Participate in Multi-Disciplinary team meetings to review the results of evaluation(s) and make recommendations relative to eligibility.
• Participate in Individual Educational Planning team (IEP) meetings to identify the amount of social work support a student may require; develop annual goals/short-term instructional objectives related to the social/emotional needs of an eligible student.
• Provide social work services as described in IEPs related to specific goals and objectives; provide written evaluations on student progress.
• Conduct functional behavior assessments and write behavior intervention plans in cooperation with IEP team members.
• Provide training for staff and assists staff in carrying out behavior intervention plans.
• Maintain appropriate confidential records for each student served.
• Develop and plan activities with general education and collaborative teachers to facilitate inclusion of special education students with behavior problems in the general education classroom.
• Mentors other social workers eligible for temporary approval as school social worker(s) during their first year(s) of employment.
• Provide pre-referral consultation to teachers and school leaders regarding students with behavior/adjustment issues and join the child study team when students with behavior problems are referred for interventions.
• Provide consultation to parents/guardians regarding family and community adjustment and utilization of community resources.
• Provide training and assistance to teachers related to classroom management skills to more effectively address student behavior issues.
• Serve as a liaison between the school and community service agencies.
• Make home visits for family consultation and evaluation.
• Assist school teams in developing and carrying out crisis response plans.
• Assist staff and parents in adjusting to crises/trauma. Serve on Leona-wide crisis, trauma and loss response team(s) to address major incidents.
• Assist the school team in developing and implementing school-wide behavior intervention strategies. Provide training on Conflict Prevention and Intervention or other strategies to assist school staff in effectively addressing problem areas.
• Provide social skills training to students as part of school-wide behavior intervention strategies.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Masters in social work and licensure/certification with a School Social Worker endorsement or eligibility for temporary or full approval as a school social worker.
• Two or more years’ successful school social work experience.
• Skill in individual and group assessment and treatment techniques as acquired through experience.
• Ability to formulate eligibility recommendations for students with emotional/social problems.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in written communications.
• Knowledge of positive behavior intervention strategies and successful experience in writing and implementing behavior intervention plans.
• Knowledge of social skills needed to change behavior and ability to integrate training into classroom activities.
• Knowledge of community resources and experience with a variety of agencies.
• Ability to handle stressful situations and carry out responsibilities during times of crisis.
• Ability to work effectively as a team member in developing and providing services to students.