Social Workers in
Schools (SWiS)
Expansion of services
Working together
>Schools are important partners in our work with children, young
people and their families.
>Teachers see children and young people every day, and are
often best placed to notice if something isn’t right, or if families
are struggling.
>There has been strong demand from schools for specialist
support to deal with children’s increasingly complex and
sometimes harmful home situations.
>By working together, we can improve outcomes for vulnerable
children
Overview of SWiS service
>SWiS is a school-based community social work service
>SWiS social workers support children and their
families/whanau
>Social workers are employed by NGO social service
providers, and work in partnership with school staff as part
of the school community.
>A social worker will work in one school, or a group of
schools
Effectiveness of SWiS
> The work of social workers in schools is shown to
contribute to improved outcomes for children, by working
with schools to reduce barriers to learning.
> Evaluations of the SWiS service found that positive
changes, include:
> improvements in children’s behaviour
> Children better able to set positive goals for the future,
and take steps to achieve them
> parents using more positive discipline strategies.
Who it’s for
The SWiS service is aimed at:
>
children who have poor attendance or engagement in
school
>
children with social or behavioural problems
>
children experiencing grief or loss
>
families who may be struggling financially, or with issues
such as overcrowding, gambling etc.
>
at-risk families, including those who have been referred by
Child, Youth and Family for community based support.
Referral process
> Referrals can be made by:
> children and families/whanau (self referrals)
> schools
> agencies such as Child, Youth and Family, nurses,
community agencies working with families.
> Referrals to the service are made with the consent of
families.
> The social worker takes a whole of family approach,
which may include working with siblings
Role of the SWiS worker
>The role of SWiS social workers is to address concerns that
are affecting:
> children’s safety or wellbeing
> children’s ability to learn due to emotional or social
worries
> families’ ability to manage aspects of their lives.
>SWiS work has three key components:
> social work with children and their families
> group programmes
> community liaison and service coordination.
Social work with children and
their families
This component of the service involves:
> development of supportive, trusting relationships with children
and their families
> Working with children and families to develop goals for
change, and teaching strategies for managing difficult
situations
> advocating for children and their families within the school
setting
> keeping child safety paramount, and supporting schools to
make notifications to CYF where appropriate
> Working in partnership with other support services
Group programmes
This component of the service involves:
> assessing the needs of children and families which can best
be met within a group context
> advising the SWiS governance group about referral trends
and proposed group programme responses
> planning, coordinating and delivering group programmes for
children and families
> evaluating the effectiveness of group programmes.
Community liaison and service
coordination
This component of the service involves:
> using networks to connect children and their families to
community supports
> working with other professionals to identify, refer and
address specific problems affecting a child’s wellbeing
> developing a collaborative relationship with local CYF
offices to ensure work with children at risk is coordinated
> providing support to the ‘strengthening families’ process
when children with complex needs require a multi-agency
approach
Role of the SWiS provider
The SWiS employer :
> employs and supports social workers
> provides opportunities for ongoing training and professional
development
> addresses any concerns that may arise between the
school, the social worker, and/or the Provider
> ensures appropriate community liaison and networking links
are made
> links with local CYF sites to share knowledge and expertise
> coordinates SWiS Governance Group meetings.
Role of the school
The school:
> supports SWiS to access client children during the school day
> understands the SWiS service and promotes it to school staff
and families
> gains consent from family/whānau for referrals to the Service
> provides a private room within each school for social workers,
(the base school provides the primary work space)
> supports the delivery of group programmes within the school
> Principal or DP is a member of the local SWiS Governance
Group, and signatory to the SWiS Partnering Agreement
> attends, and contributes to SWiS Governance Group
meetings
> helps address any concerns or conflict that may arise.
Role of Child, Youth and Family
Child, Youth and Family:
> manages SWiS funding
> selects and contracts with approved NGO Providers
> attends SWiS Governance meetings
> monitors service delivery and financial management by the
Provider
> liaises with the Ministry of Education nationally and
regionally
> coordinates meetings with SWiS social workers to share
knowledge and expertise.
Role of Ministry of Education
The Ministry of Education:
> education representatives attend SWiS Governance
Group meetings
> assist SWiS partners to resolve any issues that they have
expertise in, or responsibility for
> work with the school to resolve any issues with
accommodating SWiS in the school.
Governance Groups
> This will involve providers, principals, CYF operations or site
managers, and local representatives from the Ministry of
Education.
> The group will meet regularly to:
> review the service over the previous quarter
> set strategic priorities for SWiS services in their
community
> assess and review the needs of the community
> ensure that services are aligned transitions are smooth
for students
> consider how agencies can work together to share
knowledge and expertise
More information
> More information about the SWiS service is available on the
Child, Youth and Family website
> If you have any questions, please contact:
> Amanda Watson, Project Manager on 04 9163595 or
email Amanda.Watson008@msd.govt.nz
> Diane Garrett, senior advisor ,Social Workers in
Schools on 04 918 9323 or email
diane.garrett008@cyf.govt.nz