TeenHealthFX - Answers - Interested In School Social Work

Career Paths And Working / Question
Published: October 14, 2009

Dear TeenHealthFX,

Today in class we were talking about different professional options and they had people from the school come in a talk to us briefly. I was really interested in the School Social Worker's job, and I want to find out more. I would go to him directly, but I don't have any periods off, and it sounded like his scheduale is kinda wierd becuase sometimes they need him at a moments notice and he works all over our district. So do you have any info I could use to maybe narrow down a college search?

Signed: Interested In School Social Work

Dear Interested In School Social Work,

FX thinks that it would be great to find a way to speak to your school social worker because he would be able to tell you first-hand what his educational background is, what his specific responsibilities in the school are, what he finds to be the pros and cons of the job, and more. FX suggests that you ask him if you could be pulled from one of your class periods briefly to speak to him, or ask if it would be possible to meet with him before or after school so you can ask your questions. If it seems it is just too difficult to arrange a meeting, perhaps you can ask if he can leave any written information for you in the front office that would give you a starting point for some research on this career. In addition, FX suggests you check with your guidance counselor. One of the jobs of your guidance counselor is to help you in determining what schools would best suit you based on what career you would like to pursue, your financial means, and your academic performance in school. Your guidance counselor should have a wealth of information for you – or should, at the least, be able to refer you to someone who can be of more help.

As for the information we can provide, here it goes:

What Is School Social Work?

School Social Worker Association of America:

School social work is a specialized area of practice within the broad field of the social work profession. School social workers bring unique knowledge and skills to the school system and the student services team. School social workers are instrumental in furthering the purpose of the schools: To provide a setting for teaching, learning, and for the attainment of competence and confidence. School social workers are hired by school districts to enhance the district's ability to meet its academic mission, especially where home, school and community collaboration is the key to achieving that mission. The School Social Work Association of America was founded in 1994.

United States Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-2009 Edition, Social Workers.

Child, family, and school social workers provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the well-being of families and the academic functioning of children…

In schools, social workers often serve as the link between students’ families and the school, working with parents, guardians, teachers, and other school officials to ensure students reach their academic and personal potential. In addition, they address problems such as misbehavior, truancy, and teenage pregnancy and advise teachers on how to cope with difficult students. Increasingly, school social workers teach workshops to entire classes.

Child, family, and school social workers may also be known as child welfare social workers, family services social workers, child protective services social workers, occupational social workers, or gerontology social workers. They often work for individual and family services agencies, schools, or State or local governments.

What Is The Education Involved In Becoming a School Social Worker?

To become a school social worker generally a person would have to complete four years of college and then a 2 year full-time graduate program to obtain a masters in social work (MSW). Some schools offer programs where if you do a four year college program to get your bachelors of social work (BSW), you are then only required to do one year of graduate work to get your MSW.

Graduate programs in social work generally offer a mix of coursework and field placements where you will do actual work related to social work at a school, hospital, or other mental health facility.

To search for schools that offer masters degrees in social work, go to the following webpages:

· Gradschools.com webpage Social Work (MSW) Graduate School Programs. You can use this webpage to do a search of the social work schools in your area.

· US News & World Report shows a Ranking of the top Social Work schools. This publication lists the top schools of social work in the country.

What Kind of Work Do School Social Workers Do?

School Social Workers have a variety of responsibilities. They can include:

· Crisis management. School social workers may be called upon to deal with students in emotional crisis. This might mean arranging a transfer for the student to a local emergency room, contacting the parents, and at times, involving child protective services.

· Meeting with students for individual and/or group clinical work.

· Assisting the child study team in evaluating and placing students with special needs.

· Keeping notes on students that have been provided with counseling services or writing reports on special education students.

· Some school social workers are asked to go into classrooms and give presentations on various topics related to mental health and social skill issues.

· Meeting with parents, teachers, and students to ensure any emotional issues that are present for a student are being dealt with so that student’s academic functioning is not compromised.

Some extra points about School Social Work & Social Work in General

· School social work jobs can be competitive because there are not that many of them. Many schools have only 1 or 2 school social workers on staff, and some even have 1 or 2 for the entire district.

· Working on the school calendar is often an appealing part of the school social worker job. Especially for people with children who want to be home in the evenings and have the summers off to be with their kids.

· Having an MSW gives you lots of options. If you pursue school social work, but then find that line of work is not for you – there are lots of other choices you can look into with an MSW. You can work in an outpatient or inpatient mental health facility, in a hospital with mental health or medical patients, you can work for child protective services, do administrative work, home visits, focus on public policy, and more.

For additional information you can contact your state or regional school social work association. You can do a search on the SSWAA webpage State, Regional and International Associations.

Signed: TeenHealthFX