scholarly journals Social work in public schools: Ratios of students per social worker in Portugal

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-71
Author(s):  
Sara Mendes ◽  
Sónia Guadalupe
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Regional Level ◽  
School Social Workers ◽  
Social Intervention ◽  
The Public ◽  
Documentary Sources ◽  
Documentary Analysis

Aim: This research estimates the ratio of students per social worker in public schools in Portugal. Methods: Documentary analysis was used to collect data following three steps, with specific criteria: 1) official documentary sources were first used to identify the schools that allow hiring social workers; 2) evidence was collected of their employability in the institutional webpage of each school; 3) a database was built, at the national and regional level for continental Portugal. Results: One hundred and twelve social workers have been identified in a universe of 811 public schools (grouped and ungrouped schools). The national ratio social worker/students in all schools of continental Portugal was 1:12,086, varying between 1:8,753 and 1:22,237. The ratio in the schools that have social worker(s) was 1:1,394, varying between 1:1,210 and 1:1,768, depending on the region. Conclusions: School social workers are very residual in the public school, highlighting alarming and unequal territorial ratios social worker-students. The results make clear the disinvestment in the profession and its aims in the education field. These results call on national and European organizations of social workers to recommend ratios of students per social worker, requiring a major investment in this crucial area of social intervention.

scholarly journals Practice of School Social Worker with Children for Facilitating Social Needs in Sri Lanka

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Varathagowry Vasudevan ◽  
Osamu Kobayashi ◽  
Kazue Kanno
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
School Social Work ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
School Social Workers ◽  
School Social Worker ◽  
The Social

School social workers adopt ecological perspectives to facilitate children with social needs. The purpose of this study is to explore school social work practice in Sri Lanka to cater the children with social needs. A semi structured interviews was conducted with selected five school social workers. The interview questions were about their practices as a school social worker, daily activities especially effective support activity for students with social needs, student’s school life and their home, especially difficulties for supporting their families. Findings reveal that School Children with social needs around social problems, social relationship problems, structural and systemic problems such as child poverty, mother labour migration, lack of housing, lack of love and affections, lack of acceptance, love and kindness, belongingness, lack or inadequate security for the children. These social needs related lack of emotional and social developmental needs lead to impact on children’s educational performance. School social workers are very proactive in applying social work generic skills in school context in Sri Lanka. This study provides evidences for professionalizing the social work profession and enhances school system to provide guidance and consultation to school administrators, policy makers and practitioners focusing the significance of fulfilling the social needs of children during each stages of life via school social work programmes.

Working in a School Setting

2021 ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Patrick Mulkern ◽  
Cindy Reide Combs ◽  
Jacqueline Cordova-Rodriguez ◽  
Susan Stone
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Public School ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
School Social Workers ◽  
New School ◽  
The Public ◽  
Key Concepts

The introductory chapter sets the stage for understanding the roles, responsibilities, and all other relevant information necessary for the success of school social workers within the public school setting. The chapter begins with a review of the key concepts related to the practice of school social work. It also discusses enduring practice tensions, policy domains that influence practice, seven domains of knowledge, values, and skills relevant to the success of new school social workers. The roles of school social workers and the factors that shape these roles are examined. Finally, the chapter discusses the importance and use of student and school assessments.

Developing Credibility and Establishing Trust

2021 ◽  
pp. 97-106
Author(s):  
Ricki L. Moran ◽  
Cristina Marquez ◽  
James Garner
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
School Setting ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
School Social Workers ◽  
Professional Relationship ◽  
The Social ◽  
Solid Foundation

This chapter discusses the importance of clearly establishing social worker roles within and outside of the building and the professional ramifications of differential training between school social workers and teachers. Steps are outlined for maintaining the social work code of ethics while partnering with other school personnel who are not bound to the same code. The importance of explaining confidentiality and its limitations early in the professional relationship is stressed. The social worker should remember to self-disclose only when it benefits the client. Advice is offered for building a solid foundation of trust and establishing credibility during a school social worker’s first three years in a school setting. Potential pitfalls will be discussed as well.

scholarly journals Making visible an invisible trade: Exploring the everyday experiences of doing social work and being a social worker

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-283
Author(s):  
Jadwiga Leigh ◽  
Lisa Morriss ◽  
Matthew Morriss
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Visual Narratives ◽  
History Museum ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sociology Of Art ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
The Relationship

This article demonstrates that making art in conjunction with story-telling is a method which can elucidate the everyday working practices of social work practitioners. To date, the relationship between art and social workers has rarely been noted, in part because visual studies have not attended to the lived experiences of social workers. In this paper, we draw on an empirical study undertaken in England which invited social workers to use art to tell their stories of being a social worker and doing social work. Their artefacts produced powerful visual and aural accounts of practice. They were displayed at the People’s History Museum, Manchester, in the first social work exhibition of this kind, making visible to members of the public the hidden, lesser known and understood aspects of practice. In this paper, we demonstrate how particular social work structures can rupture relationships between social workers and the families they work with. In doing so, we build on the sociology of art, work and interaction by showing how visual narratives can challenge, and sometimes alter, previously held assumptions and beliefs.

Professional Development, Supervision, and Mentoring

2021 ◽  
pp. 174-184
Author(s):  
Robin DeLuca-Acconi ◽  
Denise Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
School Social Workers ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
And Training

The chapter discusses the complexities involved in the supervision and mentoring process for school social workers. The orientation and training of social workers is often in contrast to that of their school colleagues and administrators, so they may need to educate their supervisors and colleagues about a variety of social work topics. This chapter explains the importance of connecting with professional organizations for continued professional development. It explores ways to bridge the gap between orientation and training and offers tips and tools to help new social workers become leaders in their profession and in their district. The experiences of the chapter authors, an educator and a social worker, are highlighted.

scholarly journals Social Intervention in the workplace: contributions to the inclusion of vulnerable groups

2021 ◽  
pp. 193-208
Author(s):  
Paula Ferreira ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Labor Relations ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Social Intervention ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Equal Opportunities ◽  
The World

Discussing the role of Social Work in the context of current job vulnerabilities and investing on an intervention that promotes equal opportunities among all workers and defends their fundamental rights requires that Social Workers have a thorough reading of the complexity of the world in which we live and a understanding of the challenges and possibilities that arise for your intervention in this field. In this recognition, we seek in this paper to reflect on some of the main vulnerabilities present in the field of labor relations, as well as the challenges (external and internal) that they pose to the professional exercise of social worker and in the configuration of his space of work in the work context, leaving still some contributions towards the inclusion of the most vulnerable groups.

scholarly journals Pivoting during a Pandemic: School Social Work Practice with Families during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley-Marie H Daftary ◽  
Erin P Sugrue ◽  
Brian D Gustman ◽  
Stephanie Lechuga-Peña
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
School Social Work ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
School Social Workers ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
K 12

Abstract The COVID-19 global pandemic led to the unprecedented shuttering of nearly all K–12 public education settings across the United States from March through June 2020. This article explores how school social workers’ roles, responsibilities, and work tasks shifted during spring 2020 distance learning to address the continuing and changing needs of families and the larger school community. Interviews were conducted with 20 school social workers in K–12 public schools, across three states, to understand the primary needs of children and families during the pandemic and to learn how school social workers can be most effective in responding to these needs. The data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Study findings revealed that during spring 2020, school social workers consistently had increased contact and interaction with students’ parents that centered around two major activities: (1) food assistance and referrals for families and (2) parent check-ins and coaching. The article discusses implications for the field of school social work during crises and beyond. Considerations include increased funding for schools that serve communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic and the reprioritization of school social workers’ roles and responsibilities to include increased contact with parents.

scholarly journals Practice in a Pandemic: School Social Workers’ Adaptations and Experiences During the 2020 COVID-19 School Disruptions

2021 ◽  
pp. 104438942110098
Author(s):  
Michael S. Kelly ◽  
Rami Benbenishty ◽  
Gordon Capp ◽  
Kate Watson ◽  
Ron Astor
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
School Social Work ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
School Social Workers ◽  
Traditional Practice

In March 2020, as American PreK-12 schools shut down and moved into online learning in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, there was little information about how school social workers (SSWs) were responding to the crisis. This study used a national online survey to understand how SSWs ( N = 1,275) adapted their school practice during the initial 2020 COVID-19 crisis. Findings from this study indicate that SSWs made swift and (relatively) smooth adaptations of their traditional practice role to the new context, though not without reporting considerable professional stress and personal challenges doing so. SSWs reported significant concerns about their ability to deliver effective virtual school social work services given their students’ low motivation and lack of engagement with online learning, as well as significant worries about how their students were faring during the first months of the pandemic. Implications for school social work practice, policy, and research are discussed.

The Art of Becoming Indispensable

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Academic Preparation ◽  
School Social Workers ◽  
Master Of Social Work ◽  
New School ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Work Practitioner ◽  
Social Work Programs ◽  
The Impact

Despite their academic preparation and lived experiences, new school social workers face a learning curve when moving from entry-level practice to proficiency. The Art of Being Indispensable: What School Social Workers Need to Know in Their First Three Years of Practice is the first book focusing specifically on the needs of new school social workers as they transition to this complex role. Each of the book’s 20 chapters features an academic scholar and at least one school social work practitioner; overall, there are 18 academics and 42 practitioners from 28 different states. The diversity of the authors’ experiences, representing all variations of schools and districts, ensures that the content is applicable to a variety of practice contexts. Each chapter addresses the challenges of a public health pandemic and the impact of racial injustice. There is a timeless quality to this text since every year, new school social workers are being hired, whether from master of social work and bachelor of social work programs or from the ranks of professional social workers changing fields and becoming school social workers. This indispensable guide will help new school social workers to effectively execute their roles and responsibilities.

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