School Social Work Practice Tools

The public school system previously acted as part of the social safety net for students and families. When a student had a problem at home that was presented in school, such as hunger, emotional distress, illness or even lice, the school often advocated on behalf of the student and engaged with the family to find resolution.

The school-to-prison pipeline is a phenomenon that has occurred as school systems increasingly implement zero-tolerance policies and law enforcement to manage discipline in schools, resulting in rising incidents of suspensions, expulsions and school-based arrests. This trend represents a shift from discipline being handled by schools, to a shift towards criminalizing even minor offenses.

Feeling competent and well-suited in the role of being a parent can change to feeling overwhelmed and defeated by children’s behaviors. Social workers can provide parents with support and guidance.

This toolkit assists high schools and school districts in designing and implementing strategies to prevent suicide and promote behavioral health. The toolkit includes tools to implement a multifaceted suicide prevention program that responds to the needs and cultures of students.

The primary goal of schools is educating students, but instruction and learning cannot effectively occur when the entire community, including students and their families, as well as the school administration and teaching personnel, are profoundly affected by crisis. Unfortunately, these crises are happening often.

These standards were developed to broadly define the scope of services that school social workers shall provide, that school administrators should support, and that students and families should expect. The standards are designed to enhance awareness of the skills, knowledge, values, methods, and sensitivity school social workers need to work effectively within school systems.