School Social Worker

Job Description

Livonia Public Schools is seeking a highly qualified school social worker who will help students address personal, emotional, and social problems that interfere with adjustment to school and enable them to enjoy the fullest benefits of the education offered. The school social worker may have responsibilities for evaluation, consultation, and other services to Students in pre‑school through post‑secondary levels.

Livonia Public Schools employs approximately 1,900 staff members, serving about 13,300 students pre‑K to post‑secondary. The district has 15 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 3 high schools, 1 career technical center, 1 early childhood center, and 1 vocational and transition center. The annual budget is $175 million with state funding of $9,608 per pupil.

• Traditional pension and tax‑deferred retirement savings with employer matching.
• Personal Healthcare Fund (PHF) with dollar‑for‑dollar match on first 2% contributions.
• Medical insurance including prescription drug coverage; district pays 100% of premiums for all employees.
• Dental, vision, and life insurance, all paid 100% by the district.
• Long‑term disability coverage, paid 100% for employees working 20+ hours.
• Employee Assistance Program: confidential short‑term counseling available 7 days a week at no cost.
• Paid holidays; earned vacation, sick, and bereavement days; longevity pay; paid “act of God” days such as snow days.
• Children of employees working 20+ hours outside attendance boundaries are eligible to attend Livonia Public Schools via schools of choice.

• Master of Social Work with current approval as a School Social Worker.
• A passionate commitment to improving learning for all students.
• Demonstrated positive interpersonal relationships and ability to establish working relationships with stakeholders.
• Superior verbal and written communication skills.

• Creates a welcoming and positive classroom climate and culture.
• Provides school social work services to any student to actively identify and address systemic barriers to learning.
• Directly intervenes during crises (e.g., suicidal assessments) to ensure safety or in tragedies (e.g., traffic fatalities) to lower distress.
• Responds to threatening behaviors, investigates reasons, and recommends interventions to reduce violent behavior and eliminate provoking behaviors such as harassment or bullying.
• Contributes to initial problem identification or the likely nature of a student, classroom, or school problem to help develop intervention efforts as part of a problem‑solving team.
• Accurately identifies, through comprehensive evaluations, students’ specific strengths and weaknesses, evidence‑based intervention options, and eligibility for an accommodation plan (504) or special education.
• Systematically gathers information needed to determine need for a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) or variations such as Antecedent Intervention Plan.
• Meets with colleagues to develop classroom‑based approaches to help students with academic, emotional, behavioral, social, and/or physical difficulties.
• Teams with colleagues for extended interventions to help with implementation, monitoring, modification, and evaluation of plans.
• Contributes to problem‑solving procedures for determining need for ongoing intervention or further assessment for students suspected of a disability.
• Provides professional development on specific disabilities (e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorders, Anxiety Disorders) and service delivery systems (e.g., Positive Behavior Support, Trauma‑Informed Care).
• Presents annual review of abuse/neglect and suicidal policy procedures and serves as a resource on these subjects.
• Provides individual or group counseling services to students.
• Acts as primary contact for parents in crisis and connects them to community resources when needs exceed school services.
• Provides feedback, consultation, and recommendations to parents about student strengths and weaknesses to help them overcome obstacles.
• Shares information with parents, families, and community about child development, academic skills, motivation, and learning resources.
• Faci…