School Social Worker

Leona • Melvindale, MI

303d

About The Position

The primary focus of the school social worker is to assist students whose emotional/ social problems interfere with their ability to obtain maximum benefit from the educational program. The social worker may also act as a liaison between parents/ guardians, school, and public or private agencies responsible for student care and services in order to assist parents in taking advantage of services available in the school and community. Serve as a mentor to less experienced Social Workers; serve on Leona-wide crisis response team to provide support to other schools in the event of major incidents of crisis.

Requirements

• Masters in social work and licensure/certification with a School Social Worker endorsement or eligibility for temporary or full approval as a school social worker.
• Two or more years' successful school social work experience.
• Skill in individual and group assessment and treatment techniques as acquired through experience.
• Ability to formulate eligibility recommendations for students with emotional/social problems.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in written communications.
• Knowledge of positive behavior intervention strategies and successful experience in writing and implementing behavior intervention plans.
• Knowledge of social skills needed to change behavior and ability to integrate training into classroom activities.
• Knowledge of community resources and experience with a variety of agencies.
• Ability to handle stressful situations and carry out responsibilities during times of crisis.
• Ability to work effectively as a team member in developing and providing services to students.

Responsibilities

• Conduct social work evaluations with students suspected of having emotional/behavioral problems which may qualify them for special education services.
• Participate in Multi-Disciplinary team meetings to review the results of evaluation(s) and make recommendations relative to eligibility.
• Participate in Individual Educational Planning team (IEP) meetings to identify the amount of social work support a student may require; develop annual goals/short-term instructional objectives related to the social/emotional needs of an eligible student.
• Provide social work services as described in IEPs related to specific goals and objectives; provide written evaluations on student progress.
• Conduct functional behavior assessments and write behavior intervention plans in cooperation with IEP team members.
• Provide training for staff and assists staff in carrying out behavior intervention plans.
• Maintain appropriate confidential records for each student served.
• Develop and plan activities with general education and collaborative teachers to facilitate inclusion of special education students with behavior problems in the general education classroom.
• Mentors other social workers eligible for temporary approval as school social worker(s) during their first year(s) of employment.
• Provide pre-referral consultation to teachers and school leaders regarding students with behavior/adjustment issues and join the child study team when students with behavior problems are referred for interventions.
• Provide consultation to parents/guardians regarding family and community adjustment and utilization of community resources.
• Provide training and assistance to teachers related to classroom management skills to more effectively address student behavior issues.
• Serve as a liaison between the school and community service agencies.
• Make home visits for family consultation and evaluation.
• Assist school teams in developing and carrying out crisis response plans.
• Assist staff and parents in adjusting to crises/trauma. Serve on Leona-wide crisis, trauma and loss response team(s) to address major incidents.
• Assist the school team in developing and implementing school-wide behavior intervention strategies. Provide training on Conflict Prevention and Intervention or other strategies to assist school staff in effectively addressing problem areas.
• Provide social skills training to students as part of school-wide behavior intervention strategies.
• Other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
• Education Level: Master's degree