Experience in School Social Work

Experience in School Social Work As a member of the student services team, school social workers are a link between the home, school, and the community. School social workers work within multi-cultural contexts with the social functioning and social conditions/environments of students to promote and support the student 's academic and social success. They advocate for and assist students to accomplish tasks associated with their learning, growth, and development toward a fuller realization of their intrinsic dignity, capability and potential. The social worker 's responsibilities are not just to the students with whom they assess, but with the educators, the school 's administrative staff, the parents/guardians, and to the state who employs them. "In response to expressed, assumed, and implicit needs not only of students, but of teachers, administrators, parents, community groups, and other systems that interact with the educational system, school social workers constantly have had to redefine themselves, their practice skills, and their use and understanding of a variety of ecological entities." (Graber, 1990, p.11)The responsibilities differ depending on which aspect of the case is being worked. School social workers are often confused by the general public with school counselors and sometimes psychologists. The school social worker 's responsibilities and goals differ from that of a counselor or a therapist. The role of the counselor or therapist is to be reactive and utilize tertiary prevention. The school social worker 's role is to be more proactive and practice primary and secondary prevention. "Opportunities for continuing education of public school teachers seems largely limited to matters of curriculum and subject matter. The involvement of a social worker with one staff enabled them to transcend these issues and develop insights into their own attitudes and responses to children 's behaviors." (Graber, 1990, p.11) The school social worker takes

References: Graber, A. W. (1990, January,). Describing Children, Describing Ourselves: Helping Teachers Analyze Behavioral Descriptions. Social Work in Education, Vol. 12(Issue2,), p77-87.