Social Workers

School social workers provide unique services to children, youth and their families to help them attain maximum benefit from their school program.  Social workers have knowledge of a wide range of social, emotional, cultural, and economic differences among families.  Social workers are experienced and trained to deal with these needs.

The majority of social work services will not be provided on the school campus.  It is generaly the case that the parents in these situations do not respond to communication from the school and do not attend conferences.  Social workers receive specialized training to provide services to families in their homes.  Working with families on their own turf allows the family to feel in control.  This is especially important for high-risk parents who may have had bad school experiences.

School social workers assit with strategies and identify specific interventions for children who;

• Have home issues (i.e., homelessness, divorce, parent incarcerated, etc.)
• Are abused or neglected
• Have attendance and/or truancy problems
• Lack clothing, food, and supplies
• Exhibit behavior that interferes with school success
• Are not achieving their academic potential and parents are not responding to communication from the teacher
• Have chronic health problems

Social workers have knowledge of resources in the community to serve families in many of the previsouly mentioned situations.  The social workers coordinate these services for and with the families to ensure that the children have their needs met.

The following services are provided to families during the case management process:

• Family risk evaluations through home visits
• In-home parent training
• Connect families to existing community resources for mental health services
• Educate families about child's performance at school
• Educate parents how they can help their child in school
• Assist families in obtaining needed food, hygiene supplies, clothing, and school supplies
• Assist families in brokering school systems including lunch application assistance, school enrollment, etc.

Social workers are also trained in assisting and identifying students and families qualifying for homeless services under the McKinney-Vento act.  More information is available at the Connections Program page.

For more information on School Social Workers, contact the

Social Worker Hotline: 972-237-5454

Social Workers

Additional information on School Social Workers -- English or Spanish.

Malaina Hickey, Lead Social Worker
972-343-4703

Danna Soto, Social Worker Clerk
972-237-5454