Presentation Suggestions
This Power point is designed for use
by school social workers who may be
making presentations about school social
work to various audiences such as school
boards, parent or community groups,
school staffs, legislators or policy makers,
etc.
Users should feel free to modify
slides to fit the practice of school social
work in their school district or add or
delete slides according to their own
preference.
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The California Association
of
School Social Workers
in cooperation with the
The School Social Work Association
of America
present
2
California School Social Workers
Develop Successful Students
and
Engaged Families and Communities
with our Public Schools
3
ALL CHILDREN
• Want to learn and
succeed in school!
• Have families that
want them to succeed
in school and in life!
4
YET MANY FAIL
In 2002 only 32 percent of fourthgraders could read skillfully at
grade level as measured by the
National Assessment of
Educational Programs
• (United States Department
of Education, 2004).
5
BECAUSE OF BARRIERS TO LEARNING
40% of American children are at risk
for school failure due to poverty, race,
immigration, poor English language
skills, living in a single-parent family,
parents with little education or health
problems
(National Commission on Children, 1991)
6
EMOTIONAL BARRIERS
About 19% of all children
seen by Primary Care
Physicians have behavioral
and emotional problems.
1 in 5 have a diagnosable mental,
emotional, or behavioral disorder.
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BUT FEW RECEIVE
HELP…
• Fewer than 1 in 5 of the 17.5
million children needing
mental health services
actually receive them.
(Report of the Surgeon General’s Conference
on Children’s Mental Health, 11/8/01)
8
ECONOMIC BARRIERS
• One in five children under five
years old, living in the US in 2003
lived in poverty
One in 10 American families in the
US in 2003 lived in poverty
(US Census, 2003)
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ONE TEACHER SAID,
“I cannot teach the
head when the heart
is broken or the mind
is troubled”
Parkway School District
Missouri Teacher of the Year
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TEACHERS CAN’T DO IT ALONE!
“No teacher having a
problem with a student
should feel responsible
for solving it alone.”
Smith Mills Elementary School
Henderson County, Kentucky
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SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS
Help teachers,
students &
families
overcome
barriers to
learning.
California School Social Workers
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A RESOURCE FOR STUDENTS
IN SCHOOLS
School social workers
are mental health
professionals licensed to
provide services that promote
social, emotional and
behavioral adjustment in
school and in society.
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SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS
HELP STUDENTS DEVELOP INTERNAL ASSETS
Individual and group counseling
to develop:
• positive social skills
• anger management
• improved self concept
• self advocacy
• time management
& study skills
• stress management skills
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School Social Workers Help Students
•
Facilitate activities that increase:
• the motivation to learn
• attachment to school
• community involvement
• mental and physical health
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DEVELOPING EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE
•
Jason is a 15-year-old boy in a special education
class. His skills have improved and he could return
to the regular class. But Jason is overweight and
embarrassed. He has anxiety attacks when he is
around other students because he thinks they are
making fun of him.
•
The school social worker teaches Jason how to
relax when he gets nervous. She also planned a
service learning project for Jason and invited several
students from the regular class to join him. With her
help Jason started making friends. When they
completed the project he returned to his regular
class.
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SUPPORTING TEACHERS
• Providing information about the mental
health needs of students
• Showing how poverty, race,
language or disabilities
affect learning
• Helping build partnerships
between teachers and parents
• Listening to their concerns
• Supporting their effort
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SUPPORTING TEACHERS
•
Sue Sweet, a second grade teacher, privately
tells the school social worker in her building that
she is afraid to talk to the Principal about
problems with students because she thinks that he
doesn’t like her.
•
The social worker helps Sue to look at how the
principal interacts with other people. Sue realizes
that the principal has a way of being sarcastic
with people, even people that he likes. After her
talk with the school social worker Sue feels more
comfortable sharing her concerns with the
Principal.
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HELPING FAMILIES BUILD ASSETS
 Connecting students and families with
community support services
 Listening to family concerns
 Responding to crisis
 Providing parent education
programs
 Showing families ways to support
their child’s learning
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HELPING FAMILIES BUILD ASSETS
• Bridging the gap between schools
and culturally diverse families
• Empowering families to be
advocates for themselves
and their child
• Bringing families together
to support one another
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BUILDING UNDERSTANDING
•
Mr. and Mrs. Culpepper didn’t listen when Veronica’s
kindergarten teacher recommended a special program, just as
they hadn’t listened when school staff told them that Veronica
wasn’t ready to start kindergarten.
•
The principal sent the school social worker to tell
Veronica’s parents that she needed extra help. The school social
worker didn’t start by telling Mr. and Mrs. Culpepper anything.
She started by listening to Mr. and Mrs. Culpepper instead!
•
Over the next year the social worker continued to talk to
Veronica’s parents and her teacher. With her help, they began to
understand and respect each other. Her parents decided to
accept some of the school’s recommendations. Her teacher
began to ask her parents for suggestions about ways to help her
learn.
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BUILDING SCHOOL CAPACITY TO:
• Use research based approaches that
prevent problem behavior and create a
safe and supportive school climate
• Implement culturally competent
policies and practices
• Engage families as partners in the
student’s education program
• Connect with community service providers
• Create a safe and healthy environment22
HELPING SCHOOLS SUCCEED
The number of students with
problem behaviors has gone down since
Washington Elementary began
implementing school-wide positive
behavior supports three years ago.
The principal recognized
Washington’s school social worker, Tom
Benson, for his leadership on the PBS
Team. The principal said that Tom’s
enthusiasm and commitment helped the
staff overcome problems to make the
school-wide effort work!
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MANY PATHS TO SUCCESS!
SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS
Assisting Parents & Teachers
Reducing Absences & Dropouts
Improving Student Behavior
Crisis Intervention
Counseling & Mental Health
Interventions
Bullying Prevention
Conflict Resolution
& Anger Management
Helping Students Learn
Social Skills
Accessing Community Resources 24
FUNDING SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK
School social work positions are funded
with:
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• Safe and Drug Free Schools Grants
• Federal at-risk funds
• Medicaid Reimbursement
• Other state and federal programs/grants
• Individual school and/or school district budgets
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THANK YOU
•
For supporting school social
workers in your public
schools!
Together we can
do great things!
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CONTRIBUTORS
• The California Association of School Social Workers
(www.cassw.net)
• The National Association of Social Workers
California Chapter, School Social Work Council
(www.naswca.org)
• The School Social Work Association of America
(www.sswaa.org)
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THE VITAL LINK
• School social workers link home, school
& community to enhance student success
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Pupil Services Resources
• UCLA / School Mental Health Project (Espanol)
•
•
•
•
Center for Mental Health in Schools
Department of Psychology
University of California, Los Angeles
Linda Taylor and Howard S. Adelman, Co-Directors
Write: Center for Mental Health in Schools, Box 951563
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
Phone: (310) 825-3634 Toll Free: (866) 846-4843 Fax: (310) 206-8716
Email: smhp@ucla.edu Website: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu
Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice (CECP)
Website: http://cecp.air.org
Mental Health Education Integration Consortium (MHEDIC)
Website: http://www.units.muohio.edu/csbmhp/mhedic/index.html
National Alliance of Pupil Services Organizations (NAPSO)
Website: www.napso.org
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (Espanol)
booklet “Parents and Teachers as Allies”
Website: www.nami.org
Phone: (703) 524-7600
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Pupil Services Resources
• Council for Children with Behavior Disorders (CCBD)
Website: http://www.ccbd.net
• Center for School Mental Health Analysis and Action
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Website: http://csmha.umaryland.edu
• National Institute of Mental Health (Espanol)
Website: http://www.nimh.nih.gov
• National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
Website: http://www.nichcy.org (Espanol)
• National Assembly on School-Based Health Care
Website: http://www.nasbhc.org
• Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s
Mental Health
Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.rtc.pdx.edu
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CA Pupil Services Organizations:
•
California School Nurses Organization (CSNO)
–
•
California Association of School Psychologist (CASP)
–
•
•
•
http://www.casponline.org
California Association of School Social Workers (CASSW)
–
•
http://www.csno.org
http://www.cassw.net
California Association of Resource Specialist and Special Education
Teachers (www.carsplus.org)
California Association of Pupil Personnel Administrators
California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and Attendance
(www.cascwa.org)
•
California Speech-Language-Hearing Association (www.csha.org)
National School Social Work Organizations
School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA)
(www.sswaa.org)
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
(www.nasw.org)
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