School Social Worker

Job Title:


School Social Worker


Contract Length:


188 Days


FLSA Status:


Exempt

Job Summary


The position is responsible for providing specialized social work in an educational setting to help students achieve optimal learning. The position also collects, interprets, and synthesizes information regarding a student's development, medical history, educational history, adaptive functioning, community environment, family dynamics, economic differences, and significant crises that influence academic and behavioral functioning. The position works cooperatively as an interdisciplinary team member to provide services and devise appropriate plans for referred students and their families.


Essential Duties


In order to perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities, who are otherwise qualified, to perform the duties herein described.

1. Provides casework services to students and works with families to help resolve student's behavioral, academic, and social challenges.
2. Selects and administers age-appropriate assessment tools and evaluations to determine the needs of students.
3. Consults with teachers and other school personnel to obtain information regarding student needs.
4. Gathers background information on students by conducting behavioral observations, interviews, social history assessments, home visits, and school record reviews.
5. Conducts meetings to develop individual plans to address student's behavioral, emotional, and/or academic challenges.
6. Submits comprehensive socio-cultural assessment reports that address the reason for referral and include appropriate recommendations.
7. Serves as a member of the interdisciplinary assessment team assigned to each school and works as a team member in making placement decisions, developing intervention plans, and planning programs to meet the special needs of students.
8. Communicates case findings and recommendations to teachers and other school personnel as needed.
9. Participates in eligibility committee meetings and contributes to the development of the Individualized Education Program (IEP).
10. Provides specialized individual therapy to students and conducts group counseling sessions to address the specific emotional, social, and/or behavioral needs of students.
11. Confers with and provides information, support, and counseling to the parents/guardians of students and assists them with locating services in the community such as housing, mental health services, and social services.
12. Provides in-service training and workshops for teachers and staff regarding mental health issues and proper procedures for the identification and referral of students.
13. Serves as a liaison between the student, home, school, private counseling facilities, and community resources such as social services, court services, and family service agencies.
14. Provides follow-up support and periodic evaluation services as necessary.
15. Acts as a member of the school crisis team and provides interventions to students as necessary.
16. Makes court appearances to present data and perform court-requested evaluations.
17. Compiles monthly reports and maintains accurate case records.
18. Models nondiscriminatory practices in all activities.
19. Follows local, state, and federal timelines.
20. Stays abreast of developments and research in the field of school social work.
21. Performs any other related duties as assigned by the director of special education or other appropriate administrator.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree from an accredited college or university in social work or a related field.
• Licensure eligibility requirements for a School Social Worker with the Virginia Department of Education.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to perform specialized social work in an educational setting to help students achieve optimal learning.
• Ability to collect, interpret, and synthesize information regarding a student's social history, community environment, family dynamics, economic differences, and significant crises that influence academic and behavioral functioning.
• Ability to work effectively with children of varying developmental stages.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to work cooperatively as an interdisciplinary team member to provide services and to devise an appropriate service plan for referred students and their families.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to write clear and grammatically correct reports.
• Ability to be flexible in an ever-changing environment.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements


The individual must have the ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time; exhibit manual dexterity to dial a telephone and enter data into a computer; see and read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids; hear and understand speech at normal classroom levels, outdoors, and on the telephone; speak clearly in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in classrooms, outdoors, and on the telephone; lift up to 25 pounds; and bend, stoop, sit on the floor, climb stairs, walk, and reach overhead.

Work Environment


The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Duties are usually performed in a school environment. Duties may be occasionally performed on field trips away from school. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Clearance


Criminal History Background Check, Fingerprinting, Tuberculosis (TB) Assessment

Supervision Exercised


None

Supervision Received


Director of Special Education


This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. The employee will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other related duties as assigned by the principal or appropriate administrator. Accomack County Public Schools reserves the right to update, revise, or change this job description and related duties at any time.

Accomack County Public Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, military status, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy status, political affiliation, creed, marital status, age, or disability in its programs, activities, or employment practices as required by the Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, Section 504, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations.