A Day in the Life of a School Social Worker by Tonya Gardner-Hernandez

Develop ideas for implementing effective school social work services. What services should be provided, and how can they be integrated into the school setting?

tonyagardnerhernandez — 2024-07-08 18:22:23 UTC

Identify potential barriers that school social workers might face in their practice. Discuss strategies to overcome these barriers.

tonyagardnerhernandez — 2024-07-08 18:24:03 UTC

Discuss how historical and policy contexts have impacted the roles of the school social workers in the videos. Provide specific examples from the videos.

tonyagardnerhernandez — 2024-07-08 18:25:13 UTC

Analyze the daily activities and responsibilities of the school social workers depicted in the videos. How do they navigate their roles within the school environment?

tonyagardnerhernandez — 2024-07-08 18:27:27 UTC

Identify key policies that have influenced the role of school social workers. How have these policies shaped their responsibilities and practices?

tonyagardnerhernandez — 2024-07-08 18:33:58 UTC

How has the role of school social workers evolved over time? Discuss significant historical milestones and their impact on the practice of school social work.

tonyagardnerhernandez — 2024-07-08 18:34:32 UTC

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

2024-07-19 00:18:15 UTC

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965) emphasized equal access to education, significantly expanding the role of school social workers in addressing educational disparities.

It highlights the importance of providing all students with equal educational opportunities. This increased the demand for social workers to support marginalized and underserved students.

Social workers are responsible for equal access to educational resources and opportunities for all students, particularly those from marginalized or underserved backgrounds.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

2024-07-19 00:19:55 UTC

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1975) increased school social workers' involvement in supporting students with disabilities by ensuring they receive appropriate services and accommodations.

This policy reinforced the need for specialized interventions and advocacy to promote inclusive education practices.

Social workers advocate for and provide services to students with disabilities, ensuring they receive appropriate accommodations and support.They also work with special education staff, and promote inclusive practices within the school setting.

No Child Left Behind Act

2024-07-19 00:23:24 UTC

The lack of confidence in the quality of public education ushered in an era of standardization and high-stakes testing via a passage in the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, followed by the expansion of charter schools, and now the current Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015.

Evolution of Social Workers in the United States 1

2024-07-19 00:23:49 UTC

To compensate for the government's incapacity to address the escalating social issues, self-help groups and charitable societies began tackling the fallout from immigration, urbanization, and poverty. Two such groups were the Children's Aid Society and the Association for the Improvement of the Condition of the Poor, established in 1843 and 1853, respectively. They focused on addressing social issues such as child welfare and tenement housing. The U.S. Sanitary Commission and the American Red Cross are two significant social welfare organizations that arose in response to the need brought forth by the chaos of the Civil War (1861–1865). The purpose of charity boards was to enhance social institution management. The Freedmen's Bureau, the nation's first social welfare organization, was established in 1865 to assist recently freed slaves. Unfortunately, the program was short-lived because political pressure and a lack of funding stopped it from accomplishing its goals. The Freedmen's Bureau was abolished by Congress in 1872.

Every Student Succeeds Act

2024-07-19 00:25:26 UTC

ESSA made some meaningful changes to how states and school districts are required to address the needs of students with disabilities (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2018). Some of the elements of the ESSA law that deal with students with disabilities are a focus on continuing to require states to make plans that address student achievement for all students, and requiring those state- and district-level plans to collect disaggregated data on student achievement related to disability categories and others to help reduce achievement and discipline gaps.

Evolution of Social Workers in the United States 2

2024-07-19 00:26:40 UTC

In reaction to some of the socioeconomic shifts brought about by industrial growth, settlement houses were built. Like a community center, settlement houses are neighborhood-based organizations that offer services tailored to the needs of their communities. This new social service organization aimed to address the underlying environmental causes of poverty. They carried out studies, set up a juvenile justice system, developed widow's pension plans, advocated for legislation, outlawed child labor, and introduced the ideas of social insurance and public health reforms. The Neighborhood Guild, the country's first settlement, began in New York City in 1886.

Evolution of Social Workers in the United States 4

2024-07-19 00:30:29 UTC

Complete programs for social work education started to take shape in the late 19th century. Among these was the creation and delivery of the first social work course by Columbia University in collaboration with The New York College of Science. The Boston School for Social Workers was founded in 1904 by Harvard University and Simmons College in Boston. The first college to offer clinical social worker training was Simmons. The Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy, now the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, began offering a full curriculum social work degree in 1908. There was still a great deal of uncertainty over the future of social work, even with the expansion of training options for the field. In his "Is Social Work a Profession?" talk at the National Conference of Charities and Corrections in 1915, Dr. Abraham Flexner argued that social work lacked specialization and specialized knowledge, making it impossible to be regarded as a legitimate profession.

McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act

2024-07-19 00:30:51 UTC

All school social workers should be familiar with Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1986. This program was initially authorized in 1987 and was reauthorized with the ESSA in 2015 as the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program. If a family becomes homeless, the local education agency (LEA) must make school placement decisions on the basis of the best interest of the child. The LEA must continue the child’s or youth’s education in the school of origin for as long as the family is homeless, or the LEA must enroll the child in any public school that non-homeless children living in the same attendance area as the homeless child are eligible to attend. To the extent possible, the LEA must keep the child in the school of origin unless this goes against the wishes of the parent or guardian.

Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act

2024-07-19 00:31:43 UTC

The primary federal legislation that relates to gender and schools is Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments. This was the first major federal legislation to prohibit sex discrimination in schools that receive federal funds. This legislation includes prohibition against discrimination in employment, as well as with regard to the admission and treatment of students. Title IX applies to preschool through graduate-level education organizations that accept federal funds. Regulations for the legislation were published in 1975 (U.S. Department of Education [USDOE], 1975). This legislation also prohibits discrimination against pregnant students, who, in earlier years, may have been expelled or excluded from school on the basis of their pregnancy. Title IX also has been used on behalf of those who are at risk of or who have experienced sexual harassment in schools.

Evolution of Social Workers in the United States 3

2024-07-19 00:34:12 UTC

Social workers started collaborating with psychologists and psychiatrists in the early 19th century. Through their combined efforts, the sector became increasingly legitimate, and by 1927, over 100 child guidance clinics had opened, catering primarily to middle-class consumers. Apart from these clinics 1913, the Community Chest movement was started. Community Chest groups were forerunners of the United Way and its health and welfare councils, having gathered capital from corporations to finance community programs. The Roosevelt administration saw the beginning of the evolution of government programs. The New Deal spawned numerous social welfare laws, such as the 1935 Social Security Act (1933–1936). Housing, leisure, cultural events, social insurance, and child welfare programs have all been added to the scope of social welfare initiatives.

Evolution of Social Workers in the United States 5

2024-07-19 00:36:54 UTC

During World War II (1939–1945), many social workers were assigned to create assistance for areas affected by the conflict. On these missions, social workers assisted soldiers and their families in managing injuries and other health issues. This work led to developing a unique categorization for military social professionals. After World War II, attempts were undertaken to elevate social work's professional standing. In 1952, the Council on Social Work Education was established. The National Association of Social Workers was founded in 1955 to elevate social work to a professional standing. This new association was formed by consolidating numerous social work groups and organizations already well-established across the nation. Dr. Helen Rehr, a Simmons School of Social Work alum, was the first treasurer of the NASW's National Center for Social Policy and Practice and one of its founding members.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

2024-07-19 00:38:02 UTC

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student education records. This determines how school social workers handle and share student information.

Social workers must ensure confidentiality, manage records in compliance with federal regulations, and obtain proper consent before sharing information.

Ruby, Fatuma, & Valerie

2024-07-19 00:38:22 UTC

The first video the social worker began her day with school duty going out to buses. She also had duty during lunchtime. The social worker was responsible for organizing teen parenting resources for pregnant teens. The social worker had more than one schools she was responsible for. She also organized a community event with an officer and students understanding how to interact with police.

The second video the social workers role at his school was more as a counselor that ran peer group counseling classes. His role was more like a leader mentor.

The third video the social workers role was more aligned to providing community resources. She provides an additional resource for parents and families at home (i.e. families challenges paying the light bill.

Evolution of Social Workers in the United States 6

2024-07-19 00:40:02 UTC

In January 1964, President Johnson declared the start of an "unconditional war on poverty." This proclamation marked the beginning of the acceptance of poverty as a social issue. Government initiatives focused on social advancement were created due to the attention, including the Food Stamps program, Medicare, Medicaid, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Economic Opportunity Act, the Office of Economic Opportunity, and the Older American Act. Social reform started to stall in the 1970s when it became widely believed that the United States influx of social programs had caused societal upheaval. The federal government retreated from the social reform of the preceding decades, beginning with the Nixon Administration.

Nonetheless, the 1970s saw some encouraging developments in the field. Universities and colleges developed the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), an introductory degree program. Joint degrees with other public policy sectors were also produced. Social workers' autonomy and credibility increased as social work techniques became more commercialized.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

2024-07-19 00:40:41 UTC

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets national standards for protecting sensitive patient health information.

For school social workers, this policy impacts how they manage and protect health-related information of students, ensuring confidentiality, secure communication with healthcare providers, and adherence to privacy standards.

Evolution of Social Workers in the United States 7

2024-07-19 00:43:21 UTC

In the 1980s, several federal initiatives were scaled back or discontinued under the Reagan administration. Due to these government agency cuts, social workers have primarily relied on private sector solutions to address social welfare issues. The HIV/AIDS pandemic, the crack cocaine crisis, homelessness, and domestic abuse presented additional difficulties for social workers. The Clinton administration increased pressure on nonprofits to plug gaps in service delivery due to the stagnation and absence of federal programs from earlier administrations. The contentious Temporary Assistance for Needy Families welfare reform measure was passed in 1996. It imposed time restrictions and requirements on federal cash support. Funding for research and assessment projects in fields like aging, mental health, child welfare, and domestic violence rose for social work schools during this decade.

Evolution of Social Workers in the United States 8

2024-07-19 00:45:55 UTC

Social workers accounted for most mental health and family services professionals by the early 2000s. These experts had treatment plans available for anyone impacted by tragedies like the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the start of the recession in 2008. Many people can now access mental health and drug misuse services at a lower cost because of the 2008 passage of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which mandates insurance coverage for mental health services at the same level as coverage for physical health conditions. Social workers can start more successfully tackling global concerns thanks to new technologies like social media.

Ruby, Fatuma, & Valerie

2024-07-19 00:47:38 UTC

The policies that have influenced the role of a school social worker is of the IDEA, SSWAA, NASW, 1960-1970s had a clinical model. The influence really started in the 1980s. Social workers began to work in the clinical side and then went into helping students and their families.

Started off from a clinical model to now a community model. This was impacted by the needs of the community. The policies are handed down from the state and local. Every school district is going to take it up to them to really take each role differently.

For instance, in all videos each school social worker was different. Which is why we stated previously that it comes down to each school how they plan to have a social worker help them. One thing that each video had in common was that each social worker was working with their school community on their specific needs that they needed. Yes, they were able to provide general resources, but they were able to help each student and family based on their needs.

Free Care Policy

2024-07-19 00:54:13 UTC

School social workers are able to assist students and their families with medicaid forms and with third-party reimbursements.

Under his leadership in 1980 and 1981, that organization published four articles in the School Social Work Journal that helped set the agenda for NASW’s School Social Work Standards (Morrison, 2006). In his article on school social work in Illinois, Morrison (2006) lists examples of Illinois policies that resulted from the work of the ISBE school social work consultants. Among these are Medicaid reimbursement for school social work services, the ability for school services personnel (including social workers) to obtain certification (now licensure endorsement) as an educational administrator, regulations giving equal status to school social workers and psychologists, and inclusion of a definition of school social work in Illinois law.

Barrier #1

2024-07-19 01:38:19 UTC

#1 Preconceptions of what a social worker does (takes kids away from parents, undocumented families being deported, students not feeling safe to disclose because the SSW might tattle, etc).

Barrier #2

2024-07-19 01:40:37 UTC

#2 Not enough social workers available to meet the student body ratio of schools (250:1 typically, 50:1 in specific circumstances)

Barrier #3

2024-07-19 01:43:16 UTC

#3 Engagement issues such as the community not connecting/supporting, the families not accepting help, and/or the school staff not accepting the SSW as "one of us".

#1 OVERVIEW

2024-07-19 02:00:38 UTC

Collaboration and organization of services, resources, and caseload across a mental health/SEL team that could include: SSW, school counselor, school psych, admin, teachers, support professionals.

#1a Resources

2024-07-19 02:01:18 UTC

Obtaining resources and information on resources, and then distributing as needed. Resources might include mental health/SEL resources, physical resources, or consumables.

#1b Services

2024-07-19 02:01:55 UTC

Providing MTSS. MTSS might include guiding peer groups, 1:1 counseling/support, family counseling services, and crisis intervention services.

#1c Caseloads

2024-07-19 02:04:49 UTC

Takes lead on the organization of caseloads, making sure nobody slips through the cracks. Delegating cases and duties within those cases to the other members of the team. Accountability and follow up to make sure that everything is covered.