School Social Workers serve as a liaison within the school system between the student and school staff and outside the school system with the parents and community resources.

 The Role of the School Social Worker is to:

• Facilitate individual counseling to students on a short-term or on-going basis or in response to a crisis.
• Lead or support group counseling for students with similar needs
• Monitor student attendance
• Develop social and case histories
• Confer with teachers, school nurses and other school staff members about methods for helping a student
• Build good home school connections through work with parents/families
• Links parents with appropriate resources within the school or community
• Plan meetings for parents, focusing on topics of child behavior, parenting techniques and relevant community concerns
• Collaborate with foster care, family, welfare, probation and other social services agencies that are involved with the student and family
• Member of the multidisciplinary team when mental health issues are involved and works closely with school counselors, psychologists and instructional staff in delivering counseling services

How do students receive School Social Work Services?

Accompanied by written parent consent, school counselors refer students for services

and/or

The IEP team identifies a need and includes social work services in the plan 

Topics addressed by School Social Workers include, but are not limited to: 

• Anger and conflict resolution
• Grief and loss
• Parenting
• Positive peer relationships
• School refusal
• Self esteem
• Social skill development
• Student attendance concerns
• Substance abuse
• Transition issues