School Social Work Week
March 3 – 9, 2019
National School Social Work Week is always the first full week of March. School Social Work Week provides an excellent opportunity to let others know of the great work that you are doing! During this week, plan to take the opportunity to “toot your own horn” and let others know how you are impacting the lives of students as you address barriers to learning and increase successful educational and academic outcomes.
(Just a few possible resources to assist you.)
- Elements of School Social Work
- Frameworks of School Social Work
- How to Get Publicity for School Social Work (used with permission from Mary Bragg)
- Revenues Generated for School Districts by School Social Work Services Very useful in demonstrating your financial worth to a school.Source: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
- School Social Work Services One Page
- The Value of School Social Work: 21 Ways to Promote Our Worth in Education (used with permission from Mary Pat Gilliam)
- Definition Highly Qualified School Social Worker
- Role of SSWs in Addressing Mental Health Needs & Increasing Academic Achievement
- School Safety_The Role of School Social Work in Violence Prevention
- SSWAA SSW Practice Model Brochure
- SSWAA SSW Practice Model Graphic
What is the difference between the role of the School Social Worker and the role of other Student Support Staff?
- The Student Support Team Brochure (August, 2014)
Prepared by members of the New York State Education Department’s Pupil Personnel Services Advisory Team ( including the New York State School Social Workers’ Association) and was published in 2012. It provides brief description of the role of School Social Workers, School Psychologists, School Counselors, School Nurses and School Attendance Officers.
- School Social Work Brochure: Carmel Central School District (August, 2014)
School Social Workers from Carmel Central School District promote their role with a brochure (Thank you Kathy MacCarthy for sharing this as an example)
- Mental Health Crisis in Our Schools: Here’s How Schools Can Support Student’s Mental Health (2016)
This article features a School Social Worker as well as the need for a “multi-tiered system of supports” to address the mental health needs of students. There is also a great powerpoint presentation, A Silent Epidemic: The Mental Health Crisis in Schools. (Unfortunately, it does not include School Social Workers.) By Meg Anderson Source: NPR Ed
- How Are School Social Workers Related to the Common Core Standards? (2013)
There are many documents available on Common Core Standards and Social Emotional Barriers to Learning. One excellent source is the UCLA School Mental Health Project. They have a document titled “Common Core Standards for a Learning Supports Component” (29 pages) that provides detailed standards that address the external (environmental) and internal (personal) factors that interfere with learning and teaching.
- “Maximize the Potential of Your School Social Worker” (March, 2014)
Annette Johnson, Jane Adams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois, underscores the value of school social workers in the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Student Services column. Think of what could be accomplished if your school could hire another school social worker? Principal Leadership, written by Annette Johnson & Libby Nealis, March, 2014.
School Social Work Manuals
- NYS School Social Worker Survival Toolkit
Self-advocacy resource guide by NASW-NYS School Social Work Task Force in collaboration with NYSSSWA.
- A Toolbox for New School Social Workers
Source: Dr. Gary Shaffer, University of North Carolina
- Manual for School Social Work Practice in Minnesota. (211 pages)
Developed by the Minnesota School Social Workers Association and available on their website at http://www.msswa.org/School-Social-Work-Manual.
Members Make Our Mission Possible
The New York State School Social Workers’ Association (NYSSSWA) is the only professional association dedicated solely to the visibility and viability of School Social Workers in New York State. Members are essential to our ability to support you and our profession.