School Social Workers meet with students, Grades K through 12, to offer academic and social support. They work with families, providing resources and strengthening relationships with their children and with the school. School Social Workers also work with the school staff, including teachers, administrators, counselors, psychologists, and nurses to provide important resources, consultation and information about the students, families and outside resources. They are the liaison between the school, the family and the community.

They can help with…

• School issues—including discipline, adjustment problems, attendance problems, and peer relations problems.
• Home issues—including abuse or neglect, divorce, serious illness or death, mental health and medical issues, family financial problems and homelessness.
• When community issues such as violence, teen pregnancy, drug addiction or homelessness appear, school social workers are available to help connect students and families to valuable resources outside of school.
• Assessment, Assistance, Crisis Intervention, and Referral are the critical tasks of the school social worker. School social workers help to pinpoint needs, identify strengths and assist with solutions.

Primary Reasons for Referrals:

• To assist families in accessing outside resources and providing referrals for such outside agencies. (Including mental/behavioral health referrals, individual and family counseling referrals, public assistance referrals, etc.)
• To act as a liaison between the school and outside agencies.
• To act as a liaison between the school and the parents.
• To act as a liaison between the district and Children and Youth Service (CYS).
• To assist in making the referrals and maintaining communication with CYS.
• To assist families in applying for Medical Assistance, CHIP or other health insurance.
• To assist families that are dealing with financial hardships to help solve their immediate needs and guide them towards long-term self sufficiency.
• To assist principals and/or teachers with students who have truancy issues.
• To attend court hearings as the school representative when necessary.
• To assist with crisis intervention for individuals, families, district schools and facilities and within the community when needed.
• To Provide parent education programs including individual school programs, truancy prevention, and Anti-Violence Programs.

UDSD K-12 School Counseling Program