Student Advocacy Specialist

Student Advocacy Specialist for the 2026-2027 School Year

Job Details: 190 days, 49%/50% - Certified Salary Schedule

Location: Central Office - multiple schools

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Coordination of Behavioral and Mental Health Interventions
• Coordinates a comprehensive approach to early behavioral health identification and school safety
• Facilitates a system to ensure timely referrals and access to a continuum of supports, including school-based interventions such as counseling, mentoring, and small group supports
• Provides support and expertise to ensure a comprehensive and supportive approach to the district's behavioral threat assessment process
• Analyzes attendance patterns, discipline data, academic performance, teacher referrals, and screening tools to detect early warning signs before issues escalate
• Coordinates with local behavioral health providers including Community Service Boards (CSBs), local behavioral health agencies, and private practitioners for specialized or intensive services
• Works with community-based programs that address underlying barriers such as housing, food insecurity, or family stress
• Works with Local Interagency Planning Team (LIPT)
• Ensures coordinated case management which includes working closely with school staff, including but not limited to school counselors, social workers, nurses, psychologists, behavioral specialists, exceptional education, resource officers and administrators to create systems for development and implementation of coordinated support plans
• Develop a system to track each referral to ensure follow-up, reduce duplication of services, and confirm that students receive the appropriate level of care
• Coordinate a process for transition/support plans for students returning to school from a more restrictive setting including but limited to alternative school, psychiatric residential treatment facilities, acute hospital care, and regional youth detention centers
• Monitor outcomes and effectiveness: collect data on referrals, delivered services, and student progress. Use data to evaluate effectiveness of interventions and report findings to district leadership and state partners as required. Work with providers to adjust supports as needed to ensure that interventions are having the desired impact on student well-being, attendance, and academic engagement.
• Develop /strengthen partnerships with community providers: build and maintain strong relationships with external agencies to ensure smooth service coordination and reduce barriers to care. Engage families as partners in the intervention process, maintain regular communication and offer guidance on available resources.
• Build and maintain a reference resource with local partners, points of contact, and contact information. Assure that the resource is current and is accessible to all school partners.

Tiered Behavioral Health Training and Support:

• Tier 1 (Universal Supports): Coordinate, document and evaluate prevention and awareness initiatives that promote mental health and a positive climate. Support staff training programs including youth mental health awareness, trauma-informed practices, and suicide prevention.
• Tier 2 (Targeted Supports): Work with schools to ensure availability of and access to early interventions and small-group support for students with emerging behavioral or attendance concerns. Partner with behavioral health providers and community agencies to build access to targeted services.
• Tier 3 (Intensive Supports): Facilitate referrals to wraparound services and individualized plans for students with chronic or severe behavioral health needs. Facilitate access to therapy or teletherapy and monitor access and effectiveness. Coordinate with behavioral health providers, social services, crisis response teams, CMO's and commercial insurers' care coordinators.

Collaboration, Documentation, and Compliance:

• Document and evaluate outcomes of behavioral health programs and interventions, report progress to district leadership and state agencies as required.
• Attend mandatory training sessions and workshops offered by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) and the Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and the Department of Education. Collaborate with school-level safety (resource officers) and threat assessment teams to integrate behavioral health supports into school safety plans.

Qualifications:

• An individual is eligible for a Standard Professional certificate in the field of School Social Work or School Counseling based on meeting one of the following requirements:
• (i) Completion of a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) degree or School Counseling degree from a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution
• (ii) Completion of a state-approved certification preparation program in School Social Work or School Counseling at the master's degree level – level five (5) – or higher
• (iii) Submission of a valid State of Georgia Master Social Worker's or Clinical Social Worker's license issued by the Professional Licensing Boards Division of the Office of the Secretary of State, O.C.G.A. Title 43
• Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with students, families, educators, community organizations, insurance care coordinators, behavioral health providers, and state agencies
• Experience with or awareness of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
• Excellent communication skills, written and oral
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to work without constant supervision or direction
• Preferred Course work in data analysis, statistics, or a related area and/or experience in data-driven decision-making