In School District #57

Social work is a profession concerned with helping individuals, families, groups and communities to enhance their individual and collective well-being. It aims to help people develop their skills and their ability to use their own resources and those of the community to resolve problems. Social work is concerned with individual and personal problems but also with broader social issues such as poverty, unemployment and domestic violence. Human rights and social justice are the philosophical underpinnings of social work practice. The uniqueness of social work practice is in the blend of some particular values, knowledge and skills, including the use of relationship as the basis of all interventions and respect for the client’s choice and involvement. WHAT IS SOCIAL WORK

Provide a myriad of services Direct and Indirect service direct=help students meet personal goals by providing direct individual service to students Indirect=services done on behalf of students ex: advocacy Social Emotional support This is an abstract term. What does it mean?????????? Self harm prevention/intervention Suicide prevention assessment and intervention Conflict resolution Anger management Addictions reduction Substance use education GENERALIST PRACTICE

Sample services provided by Members of the Social Work team Advocacy at school Working with MCFD Working and connecting with Probation Home visits Connecting with families and guardians Attending community appointments Working with RCMP Increasing self esteem Anxiety reduction Transportation Increasing food security Connecting community agencies Attending court Sexual health risk reduction, prevention and intervention Delivering group and classroom workshops to proactively address social issues and provide pro-social education: SOCIAL WORK

The role of the social worker is extensive Social workers are trained professionals with a minimum of a 4 year in social work or a relevant health and human services degree. Currently the school district has 7 qualified and trained Aboriginal social workers. Social workers are located in a total of 8 schools 5 elementary schools 3 high schools Each ASW can carry a maximum case load of 25 students SOCIAL WORK

Schools that currently do not have a social worker in their building, are strongly encouraged to contact the Social Work Coordinator to work collectively to best met the needs of students. Social Workers receive on-going educational training The job of the social worker is not static Social workers need to continually stay updated on current and best practice Be updated on community resources and work to build relationships in a host of realms both within and outside the school. SOCIAL WORK

Community resources are not as easy to access as one might think Often waitlists are long, meaning students may not receive immediate services other than what the school has to offer. A social worker is a collaborative effort, meaning communication is paramount. A social worker is only one member of a much larger team. SOCIAL WORK

Making the referral Now that you have become aware of a situation or an issue a student is experiencing, you have decided to refer the student to a member of the social work team. How do you do that. Fill out a referral form, forms are available from the assigned school social worker or the Aboriginal Education worker. A form can also be obtained by calling the Social Work Coordinator directly, at the Aboriginal Education Department. SOCIAL WORK

Who does the referral go to? If there is a social worker, at your school, the referral goes directly to the school based social worker. If there is no assigned social worker, at your school the referral would be sent directly to the social work coordinator, through the ABED Department

What can you expect If the student is in elementary school, the social worker needs to contact the family or guardian of the student to obtain a signature in order to provide individual services. Once the social worker has obtained consent they will meet with the student, access the situation and create a plan, with the student that will best meet the students primary needs. The goal is always to meet the student where they are at and work collectively to move the student forward in productive and proactive manner. The school Administrator can also expect a monthly summary report. SOCIAL WORK

If you have any further questions, please contact the Social Work Coordinator: April Hendrickson Phone: ext MORE INFORMATION