Q: How are School Social Workers different from CFS Social Workers?
A: Very different! We understand that "social work" is often associated with CFS, which can make some families hesitant to work with us, but our role is very different than CFS in a few ways:
Our services and support are VOLUNTARY - While CFS involvement can be voluntary, it is often involuntary and families sometimes feel that they do not have a choice to decline CFS involvement. If you do not want us involved, we don't get involved. The school staff may suggest the involvement of school social work, but you always have the option to decline and can withdraw your consent at any time.
We are not focused on protection and we do not "investigate" - The role of CFS is to ensure children are safe and sometimes that requires investigations to determine if children are at risk for any reason. We may ask some of the same questions as CFS and do some assessment, but our purpose for gathering information is to better understand your situation so we can offer appropriate support and recommendations that will best meet your needs. You can choose how much and what information you share. Like all school staff, we do have a responsibility to report any safety concerns to CFS, but we work hard to support families and be transparent when we do need to make that call.
Q: What type of support can School Social Workers offer?
A: While our role can be quite diverse, our primary role is to support parents and families. This can look different ways. We try to work with parents and families to determine goals (often related to social-emotional needs and/or parenting) and offer guidance and support to meet those goals. We can help you get connected with appropriate resources and services outside of the school division and help navigate different systems which can often be confusing and difficult to understand or access. Here is a list of some of the other services we provide:
Assess needs of student and determine type of intervention (e.g. support families, small group, and/or individual)
Small group sessions
Parent groups
Consultation about programming
Guidance counsellor support and consultation
Provide mental health wellness support/resources
Psychoeducational sessions for parents/community
Classroom presentations
Support school initiatives related to well-being
Staff PD
Refer to outside agencies (e.g., community mental health, Lil’ steps program, Strongest Families Institute)
For more information, please feel free to contact us.
Q: How do I or my child access School Social Work support?
A: If you have questions about school social work support or are seeking support for yourself or your child, you can talk to your child's teacher, guidance counsellor, or other school staff about a possible referral for social work support. The school would then talk to your school's social worker and complete the referral if school social work support is appropriate.