Who Provides School Social Work Services?

Charleston County School District employs licensed Master level social workers from accredited schools of social work education. School social workers have varied backgrounds in Child and Family Welfare, Mental Health, Juvenile Justice, and Public Health, as well as other areas related to children and families. School social workers are governed by the Social Work Code of Ethics, affiliated with the National Association of Social Workers and regulated by the South Carolina Labor and Licensing Board of Examiners.

“School Social Workers are the link between the home, school, and community in providing direct, as well as indirect services to students, families and school personnel to promote and support students' academic and social success.” 

School Social Work Association of America

Services Provided by School Social Workers

Student/Family Focused Interventions

• Develop positive behavior intervention strategies with students

• Provide students & families with social emotional support

• Participate in 504/IEP/IPS meetings

• Assess family needs & link families to resources to help reduce barriers

School Focused Interventions

• Serve on MTSS, PBIS, Attendance and other school-teams

• Assist and support professional development on behavioral, emotional, developmental, environmental issues that impact student learning

• Provide complementary support services (ie counseling/coaching) to existing school-based services

• Support with crisis de-escalation and/or risk assessments

• Provide psychoeducation on anger management, grief, positive peer relations, academic preparedness, and positive decision-making, etc.

• Conduct social-educational skills groups

Community Focused Interventions

• Locate available community resources to enable students to receive maximum benefit from the educational program

• Encourage support from local resources by partnering with them for school events

• Serve as a liaison with community agencies