School Social Worker
School Social Workers provide a link between home, school, and community.
This service enables students and their families to overcome social
and personal problems which impede learning. School social workers provide
individual and group counseling, consultation to teachers, and other
services which help students cope with their disabilities. They collaborate
with community agencies and provide case management for students and
families requiring multiple services.
Nature of Work
Education Required
Personal Qualities
How to Prepare for a Career
Resource Information
School Social Worker
PDF brochure 
Nature of Work
- Conduct interviews with a student, family members, and school personnel
to gather information required by a multidisciplinary team about a
student's social, emotional, and behavioral adjustment to school and
the community
- Assist students, teachers, and parents to develop solutions to
family and community factors that influence a student's capacity or
ability to learn
- Collaborate with education and social services professionals to
develop appropriate agency services for students and their families
- Work with various school groups to develop coping, social, and
decision making skills
- Participate on school teams developing policies and practices to
prevent school violence and reduce the number of school dropouts
Education Required
- Most school social workers possess a master's degree in social
work (MSW).
- The National Association of Social Workers has created a School
Social Work Specialist (SSWS) credential that requires a master's
and at least two years of post-masters supervised school social work
experience as well as a passing score on the social work component
of the National Teaching Examination. This is not generally required
by school districts.
Personal Qualities
- Collaborative
- Sensitive and responsive to the needs of others
- Resourceful
- Flexible
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Perseverance Job Outlook and Advancement
- The role of the school social worker is always expanding, but the
job is vulnerable to funding priorities in school districts.
How to Prepare for a Career
- Volunteer in a social service or community support program
- Become a peer counselor
- Discuss the field with a school social worker in your school district
- Prepare in high school for undergraduate and graduate level education
- Seek resources from the National Association of Social Workers
Resource Information
School Social Work Association
of America
P.O. Box 2072
Northlake, IL. 60164
E-mail sswaa@aol.com
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