School Social Worker

School Social Worker

The Rome City School District is seeking a dedicated and compassionate School Social Worker to join our student support team. Reporting to the Director of Counseling Services, the School Social Worker plays a vital role in promoting student well-being and academic success by addressing social, emotional, and environmental barriers to learning. This position fosters strong partnerships between the school, families, and the broader community, and supports a safe, inclusive, and supportive school climate. The ideal candidate will provide direct services, crisis intervention, and evidence-based strategies that support student development, while being responsive to diverse cultural backgrounds and family dynamics.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The School Social Worker's principle task is to empower students, families and school personnel to access available opportunities and resources to fully develop each student's potential. Integrated into all major functions are home/school/community assimilation; diversity and cultural competence; dropout prevention; and adherence to federal and state statutes, professional development and practices, School Social Work Standards and the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.

Consultation and Collaboration

• Offers an expert perspective on such issues as attendance, confidentiality, ethnicity and diversity, mental health, substance abuse, behavior management, discipline, crisis intervention and child abuse and neglect.
• Consults and collaborates with stakeholders on behalf of students and their families.
• Consults with stakeholders to facilitate an understanding of factors in the home, school, and community that affect students' educational experiences and school attendance.
• Initiates and supports activities to overcome institutional barriers and gaps in services as leaders and members of interdisciplinary teams with the unique contribution of bringing the home, school and community perspective to the interdisciplinary process.
• Promotes collaboration among community health and mental health service providers and facilitates student access to these services.
• Uses extensive knowledge of community resources, enabling the school social worker to play a critical role in facilitating the provision of community services.
• Helps to build effective school-community teams and orients community providers to school climate, culture and structure and to the laws and regulations governing practice in educational settings.

Service Delivery

• Uses knowledge and understanding of the reciprocal influences of home, school, and community to intervene for student success via such practices as assessment, crisis intervention, home visits, conflict resolution, consultation, program development, dropout prevention, and coordination of school and community services.
• Promotes services to students and their families to be provided within the context of multicultural understanding and competence that enhance families' support of students' learning experiences.
• Provides services to students in ways that build upon individual strengths and offers students maximum opportunities to participate in the planning and direction of their own learning experience.
• Implement appropriate school intervention and prevention programs in response to demonstrated needs, which may include, but not be limited to, the following: crisis intervention (including suicide assessment and intervention), conflict resolution, violence prevention, substance abuse prevention, child abuse prevention, positive self-image, social skills and character education, consultation, individual, group and/or family counseling.
• Develops and provides training and educational programs that address the goals and mission of Rome City School District including parental involvement/engagement and provision of supports for social/emotional growth.

Advocacy

• Advocates for appropriate services for students and their families.
• Assists students and their families to gain access to formal and informal community resources.
• Works with students and staff to assist students in developing and executing transition skills including resiliency and self-advocacy, in order to foster independence.
• Works with the Director to regularly communicate and participate in community-based conversations to promote the school district's social work program initiatives, and to create partnerships between the district and community supports that further this work.

Program Planning, Implementation and Evaluation

• Effectively plans, implements and evaluates programs that promote student and family success.
• Identifies biological, medical, psychological, cultural, sociological, emotional, legal, economic, and environmental factors that affect student learning and applies these pieces when planning programs.
• Conducts individual and/or system-wide surveys and assessments to assess the individual student, school and/or community needs.
• Plans school and/or system-wide programs to promote a safe, healthy, caring school climate that fosters academic success.
• Assists the school and community in planning programs that alleviate situations that may interfere with the learning process of students.
• Assists in the evaluation of effective departmental, school-based, system, community, and statewide programs using attendance and behavioral data, as well as other applicable data.

Accountability

• Advocates, facilitates and contributes to School Social Work accountability for outcomes aligned with local, state, and federal policies and guidelines.
• Conforms to the National Association of Social Work (NASW) Code of Ethics and Standards for School Social Work practice.
• Maintains accurate case records and documentation.
• Maintains current knowledge of and abides by federal and state laws and regulations with emphasis on persons with disabilities, child welfare, mental health, confidentiality, and student and parent rights.

Minimum Requirements:

• Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited program.
• New York State School Social Work Certification.
• New York State licensure as a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW).
• Experience working with adolescents in an educational, clinical, or community-based setting.
• Knowledge of social-emotional development, trauma-informed practices, and family systems.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and case management skills.
• Ability to collaborate with students, families, staff, and community agencies.
• Understanding of confidentiality laws and ethical standards in school social work.
• Proficiency in documentation, reporting, and maintaining student records.

To apply, please include a current resume, cover letter, 3 professional references, all official college transcripts and a copy of your NYS School Social Worker Certification (or screenshot of your TEACH certification page).