This post provides exhaustive information on the job description of a school social worker, to help you learn the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities of the role.
It also presents the important requirements you may be expected to meet to be hired for the school social worker role by most employers.
What Does a School Social Worker Do?
A school social worker is responsible for providing extensive social work services to students, school staff, and parents.
He/she addresses obstacles that inhibit students from accessing maximum benefit from their academic experience.
The school social worker job description entails supporting students in academic learning by rendering essential services that recognize and resolve the environmental and socio-emotional problems that obstruct the educational process.
They execute strategies that enhance students’ practical school adjustment.
This group of social workers is usually employed by educational institutes and school districts where they are responsible for assisting students in coping with personal and psychological challenges that may have adverse effects on their behavior, school performance and socialization process right from elementary stage to the universities.
These professionals employ one-on-one method, classroom or school wide sessions to tackle issues applicable to the student population they are assigned to help.
Such challenges may include alcohol dangers, illicit drug, teen pregnancy, irregular school attendance, as well as adjustment to the school’s social setting, among other things.
An important role they play is to support teachers and administrators in managing attitude or behavioral issues by ensuring effective communication with students to find the reasons behind their distress.
At times, a social worker may offer information to external support services or agencies in order to assist students in coping with emotional, physical or economic challenges when necessary.
The individual aiming for this post may be required to concentrate on specific category of students such as those at risk groups or those with physical disabilities.
In addition to these tasks, the social worker is obligated to assist parents and school staff, working together with them to resolve challenges through communication, provision of and responding to referrals, and assisting families in assessing suitable community resources.
School Social Worker Job Description Example/Sample/Template
The following job description example shows a list of duties, tasks, and responsibilities that form the daily work activities of most social workers in school environment:
- Assist student support teams and committees on education at assigned schools
- Reassess student records to determine past impediments and/or interventions
- Evaluate information obtained from record reviews and inquiries to ascertain environmental effects and befitting resource needs
- Merge information gained into a verbal presentation and/or written report
- Conduct interview involving students and parents to deliberate on issues pertaining to non-attendance and establish a course of action
- Support the school in adhering to school board regulations on truancy and absenteeism
- Regular attendance of student support team meetings and court sessions when necessary
- Develop and accomplish specialist developmental training for parents and educational personnel
- Serve as connection between the school and families to foster positive cooperative processes in educational planning for students by ensuring engagement of parent/guardian in school activities
- Administer psycho educational social skill groups, classroom presentation and meetings on recognized aspects of concern for the students
- Complete functional behavior evaluation reports on identified students
School Social Worker Job Description for Resume
Certain parts of the school social worker resume can be prepared with information from the job description sample given above, particularly the employment history section.
School Social Worker Requirements: Knowledge, Skills, and Requirements for Career Success
Below are some of the important skills and other qualities individual aspiring to the post of the school social worker should possess:
- Minimum of Bachelor of social work with postgraduate education or a Masters of Social Work (MSW) an added advantage
- Minimum of two years field experience in an accredited school
- Sound knowledge on student complications and suitable change tactics to adopt in resolving them
- Ability to connect with school programs and agencies within the community to offer fundamental services for children and families
- A unique understanding of professional issues, school social issues and standards
- An outstanding knowledge of child development in areas of social and environmental conditioning, cultural diversity, psychopathology and family systems
