School Social Worker

Job Description Position Goal

The School Social Worker serves as a vital diagnostic team member and liaison between family, school and community, ensuring students have the emotional, behavioral, and social support necessary to access the general education curriculum.

• Master's Degree in Social Work with valid state Social Work License.
• Meets the requirements for School Social Work as defined by the Michigan Department of Education.
• Must hold or be eligible to obtain MDE School Social Worker Approval upon hire.
• Responsibility of employee to obtain and maintain all training(s), certificate(s), approval(s), etc. and provide documentation to the business office before expiration date of said document(s).
• Must be able to lift 30 pounds.
• Required to have a physical presence at the designated job site each scheduled work day.
• Must have regular and reliable job attendance, performance, and the physical ability to do the job.

• Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) licensed bachelor-level social worker, be enrolled in a Master of Social Work, with a school social work approval program at an accredited university, work under the direct supervision of the local district administrator of special education programs.
• Must be supervised by a Michigan LARA licensed master-level social worker with full approval as a school social worker and make progress toward the social work Master's degree each year by successfully fulfilling the university obligations to remain in the program.
• Must complete the Master's program in 3 years and receive temporary approval as a school social worker.

Responsibilities within School Systems:

• Identify and coordinate accommodations and modifications of school environment for student's access to general education curriculum and instruction.
• Provide support to facilitate successful transitions in areas that affect students' learning opportunities.
• Provide crisis prevention, planning, and intervention services, including assessments of the impact of trauma on development, learning, and school performance.
• Develop functional behavior assessments and behavior intervention plans to facilitate successful learning and socialization opportunities. Provide services and disseminate information to encourage school-wide positive behavior supports.

2. Roles of the SSW within Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS):

• Implement social work services within a multi-tiered intervention model.
• Provide training, guidance, and modeling to parents and staff regarding student mental health, development, and behavior intervention strategies (FBAs, BSPs).
• Provide ongoing guidance and training services to parents and school staff on topics pertinent to the development, mental health, and learning needs of students.
• Conduct needs assessments and advocate for policies, programs, and services to meet educational and mental health needs of all students, and to support safe school climates conducive to learning.
• Identify issues that may interfere with student development, learning, and school success.
• Actively identify and work to prevent bias, prejudice, and discrimination within the educational process.

3. Special Education Evaluation of Students:

• Provide comprehensive written reports of assessments and evaluations of students that specifically address the reasons for referral. Utilize multiple methods of collecting data, and provide appropriate measurable goals for intervention and anticipated outcomes from service.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary evaluation teams, administrators, and parents to determine special education eligibility.
• Conduct systematic direct student observations across home, community, and school settings.
• Collaborate with parents, multidisciplinary evaluation team members, school administrators, and other community agencies to develop an accurate understanding of a student's disability, the impact of the disability on students' educational performance, and provide information regarding whether behaviors and school performance are attributable to manifestations of the disability.
• Ensure that prevention, assessment, evaluation, and intervention services are sensitive to the diverse needs of the student's multicultural differences.
• Perform systematic direct observation of students.

4. Direct Student Services:

• Provide direct service to students with disabilities consistent with the IEP.
• Provide individual and group counseling to students and their families in need of assistance utilizing an ecological framework addressing variations in development and learning, as well as reciprocal influences of home, school, and community.
• Provide consultation, collaboration, and advisement services to students, their family members and school staff regarding students' social, emotional, and behavioral status impacting learning, development, mental health, and school success.
• Encourage developmentally appropriate student self-determination and self-advocacy.
• Provide…