School Social Workers Play Vital Role In Students’ Lives

For many children, school is their safe haven — the place they can get a hot meal, access computers for homework, and find social-emotional support. School Social Workers (SSWs) play a vital role by providing that support in schools and other educational settings to offer students services that enhance their emotional well-being, improve their academic performance, and help support families, staff and the school community.

During the first week of March, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) observed National School Social Work Week, as part of Social Work Month, to commemorate the invaluable work of SSWs.

M-DCPS employs a multi-tiered support system as a school-wide framework to determine which students may have learning or behavioral difficulties. SSWs bring unique knowledge and skills to the school district and the student services team. They invest their time, training, and expertise to provide prevention, assessment, intervention and response services. Their support is designed to enhance student social and emotional well-being, build resilience, encourage respect and acceptance, reduce barriers to learning and support school achievement.

As trained and credentialed mental health professionals, SSWs assist with mental health concerns, behavioral concerns, positive behavioral support, academic and classroom support, consultation with teachers, parents, and administrators, as well as provide individual and group counseling/therapy. They help students, families, and teachers address incidents involving social withdrawal, aggressive behaviors, rebelliousness, truancy, the effects of special physical, emotional, or economic problems, substance abuse, and sexuality issues..

When school districts across the country weighed their options for reopening in the face of the constantly changing directives and COVID-19 statistics, SSWs were there to make sure schools adapted and reimagined their pivotal roles so students in need didn’t fall through the cracks. The pandemic shifted the way SSWs do their work, but the heart of what they do remains the same: showing up for their students when they need them.

The majority of M-DCPS’ SSWs service our pre-K through 12th-grade schools and are assigned multiple schools where they assist students in either general education or Exceptional Student Education placements. Others work in specialized settings, which include Health Connect in Our Schools Health Teams, Pre-K Diagnostic Teams, Special Education Centers, Alternative Education Centers, Early Childhood Programs, programs for students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities and other specialized programs.

M-DCPS’ School Social Workers help our school district and others understand the value of social work and the potential for us to make a greater contribution to the lives of the students in our schools.