Social Work and Community Resource Liaison .5 FTE

Social Work & Community Resource Liaison

Welcome to Spring Lake Park Schools! We are a vibrant school community serving about 6,200 students from the suburbs of Blaine, Fridley and Spring Lake Park, in the northern Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Our district purpose -- "High expectations, high achievement for all. No excuses" provides our focus to meet the unique and varied needs of each student. Spring Lake Park Schools is recognized for our commitment to personalized learning, creating a culture of innovation and creativity through human-centered design thinking. We are working to create a system a culture with a methodology and set of processes where teachers and staff have the freedom, flexibility and invitation to design new ways of learning centered around deepening student engagement to continuously improve student success.

Position Overview: A.50 FTE Social Work & Community Resource Liaison working District Wide to connect families and students to resources and supports, to help them be successful in school and as a family unit. The successful candidate will be an individual who firmly believes... all students can and will learn, and that their learning can be directly influenced by focusing on factors over which we have control; in the need to work interdependently with teachers, school, and district leaders throughout the system, aligning the work of adults around improving student learning by meeting the needs, interests, and aspirations of students; in the need to work in partnership with staff to continuously improve practices to enhance student and family engagement, creating the conditions for equity, excellence and student success; and in personalizing learning for students, meeting academic, social, and emotional needs and aspirations so that each student feels valued and has a sense of belonging, leading to academic success.

Primary Responsibilities: A Social Work & Community Resource Liaison assists students and supports families by providing strategic services that address the social-emotional-environmental issues that may interfere with the educational process. Working with parents/guardians, teachers, school principal, and community-based resources, the Social Work & Community Resource Liaison helps remove barriers that may limit a student's access to a fulfilled educational experience. In doing so, this Social Worker implements strategies that promotes students' positive school adjustment and creates meaningful family relationships. Duties of this job include, but are not limited to provide... crisis intervention services; social work case management for students and families; risk assessments on referred students; liaison services with community agencies and assist in fostering communication and deepening partnerships between schools, parents/guardians, and community organizations; location and mobilization of community resources to support the education program; home visits and liaison services between families and the school to positively promote collaborative processes in educational planning for students by encouraging parent/guardian participation in the school setting; parent/guardian educational opportunities on topics such as: child development, stress reduction, discipline & safety, and teacher/parent/student communication; and collaboration with school staff and other school system personnel to implement strategies to promote student learning.

Essential Requirements include... knowledge of case management systems; strong knowledge of, and ability to, successfully access and navigate community-based resources; the capacity and desire to function with sensitivity & understanding in varying cultural settings; strong verbal and written communication skills; knowledge of and ability to successfully navigate team and family dynamics; and knowledge of issues relating to children, parents & families.

Qualifications: strong, positive communication skills, organizational skills, and a flexible schedule; creative teaming qualities and abilities; previous experience or willingness to work with students struggling with behavior management; and additional knowledge or experience with due process/assessments/methods and current trends in the field of behavior interventions and support Experience in developing and providing direct social, emotional and behavioral instruction. Experience implementing strategies for improving social skills. Ability to lift up to 50 pounds weight (and/or up to adult-size body weight with two-to-three person lift). Experience with standardized assessment tools. Knowledge of Special Education Due Process procedures. Ability to effectively collaborate. Ability to communicate with parent/guardian and team members.

Preferences: We prefer candidates who have previous experience working... in a school setting; as part of a team, in a cooperative setting. with bilingual abilities. Licensing Requirements: Current Minnesota Board of Social Work (BOSW) license (LICSW preferred) Current Minnesota school social worker (PELSB) license required (or ability to apply immediately) Master's degree in a Social Work Salary: Group Unaffiliated 2 Position Social Worker and Community Resources Liaison, 1.0 FTE Rate of Pay $32,500.00 to $35,000/yr depending on experience and qualifications. Benefits Medical, Dental, Sick Leave, 403(b), Life, LTD, FSA Other Salary pro-rated based on start date.