SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER - ELEMENTARY

School Social Worker

Job Description

Purpose:

The School Social Worker promotes and enhances the overall academic mission by providing services that strengthen home, school, and community partnerships and address barriers to learning and achievement. The School Social Worker significantly contributes to the development of a healthy, safe, and caring environment. Such an environment is achieved by advancing the understanding of the emotional and social development of children and the influences of family, community, and cultural differences on student success along with the implementation of effective intervention strategies.

The major functions of the school social worker job description incorporate the North Carolina State Board of Education guiding mission that every public-school student will graduate from high school globally competitive for work and postsecondary education and prepared for life in the twenty-first century.

Reports to: Director of Student and Family Health

Primary Job Responsibilities:

The School Social Worker's principle task is to empower students, families, and school personnel to access available opportunities and resources that develop each student''s potential. Integrated into all major functions are home, school, community assimilation; diversity and cultural competence; dropout prevention; graduation awareness; and adherence to federal and state statutes, professional development and practices, School Social Work Standards and the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.

• Assessment of Student, Family, and School Needs

Effectively and appropriately assesses and addresses the needs, characteristics, and interactions of students, families, LEA personnel, and community.

1.1 Conducts assessments and evaluations in accordance with family and student rights.

1.2 Uses student, family, and school assessment results to identify needs that affect student learning.

1.3 Uses assessment and evaluation results to develop appropriate interventions for students, families, schools, and communities.

1.4 Develops long-term and short-term intervention plans consistent with curriculum; students' needs, strengths, diversity and life experiences; and social and emotional factors.

1.5 Uses a variety of appropriate formal and informal tools and techniques including observations and interviews to evaluate the progress and performance of students and families.

1.6 Addresses the needs of the school, student, families, and community by collaborating with the Student Support Services Team to design a holistic approach to any barriers or problems with the educational process.

• Direct Services/Service Delivery

Uses knowledge and understanding of the reciprocal influences of home, school, and community to intervene for student success via such practices as assessment, crisis intervention and response, home visits, conflict resolution, individual and group counseling, consultation, program development, dropout prevention, graduation awareness, and coordination of school and community services.

• Promotes family support of students' learning experience within the context of multicultural understanding and competencies.
• Provides services to students in ways that build upon individual strengths and offers students maximum opportunities to participate in the planning and direction of their own learning experience.

2.3 Develops and provides training and educational programs that address the goals and mission of the educational institution.

• Advocacy

Advocates for appropriate services for students and their families.

• Advocates and facilitates change that effectively responds to the needs of

students, families, and school systems using appropriate statutes, case law, policies, and procedures.

• Promotes services to students and their families within the context of

multicultural understanding and competence that enhances families' support of students learning experiences.

• Assists students and their families in gaining access to formal and informal

community resources.

• Utilizes research and technologies to assist students, families, schools, and

communities.

• Consultation and Collaboration

Consults and collaborates with stakeholders on behalf of students and their families.

• Consults with stakeholders to facilitate an understanding of factors in the home, local education agency, and community that affect students' educational experiences.
• Consults on such issues as attendance, diversity, mental health, behavior management, delinquency, crisis intervention, homelessness, child abuse, neglect, and the importance of confidentiality.
• Initiates and supports activities to overcome institutional barriers and gaps in services as leaders and members of interdisciplinary teams with the unique contribution of bringing the home, school, and community perspective to the interdisciplinary process.
• Works with internal and external individuals, groups, and organizations to develop programs or systems of care that support and enhance the health, social and emotional well-being, and safety of students.
• Promotes collaboration among community health and mental health service providers and facilitates student access to these services.
• Uses extensive knowledge of community resources, enabling the school social worker to play a critical role in facilitating the provision of community services in the local education agency.
• Helps to build effective school-community teams and orients community providers to school climate, culture, structure, and to the laws and regulations governing practice in educational settings.
• Program Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation

Effectively plans, implements, and evaluates programs that promote student and family success.

• Applies knowledge of environmental factors in planning programs.
• Conducts individual and/or system-wide surveys to assess the school and/or community needs.
• Plans school and/or system-wide programs to promote a safe, healthy, caring school climate that fosters academic success.
• Assists the school and community in planning programs that alleviate situations that may interfere with the learning process of students.
• Assists in the evaluation of effective departmental, school-based, system, community, and statewide programs.
• Accountability

Advocates, facilitates, and contributes to School Social Worker accountability for outcomes aligned with local, state, and federal policies and guidelines.

• Conforms to the National Association of Social Work (NASW) Code of Ethics and Standards for School Social Work practice.
• Maintains accurate case records and documentation.
• Maintains current knowledge of federal and state laws and regulations and abides by said laws and regulations with emphasis on persons with disabilities, child welfare, mental health, confidentiality, and student and parent rights.
• Organizes time, resources, energy, and workload in order to meet responsibilities.
• Evaluates own practice and disseminates the findings to consumers, school districts, the community, and the profession in order to maximize the effectiveness of services and resources provided to students. By reflecting upon and evaluating one''s practice, more effective services, and resources will be provided
• Participates in appropriate professional development activities to improve knowledge and skills.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Extensive knowledge of human behavior, social systems and social work skills. General knowledge of the principles of organization and administration.
• General knowledge of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Skill in counseling, motivating students and talking with parents.
• Ability to manage culturally sensitive topics.
• Ability to coordinate the efforts of support services personnel and outside agencies.
• Ability to maintain complete and accurate records and statistics and to develop meaningful reports from that information.
• Ability to effectively express ideas orally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.

Qualifications:

• Must be licensed in the State of North Carolina in social work

Disclaimer:

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to this job.

Term of Employment: 10 months

Salary: NCDPI Certified Salary Schedule