What does a school social worker do?
A school social worker specializes in counseling students, families, and faculty members. They are responsible for coordinating with the school to develop programs that prioritize the students' emotional and psychological well-being, respond to any issues and concerns, build rapport to identify their needs, and communicate with support services to provide necessary assistance to any students or families. There are also instances when a school social worker must assist teachers in handling students with behavioral issues, investigating the underlying reasons. Moreover, it is crucial to identify any signs of neglect or abuse, conducting interventive measures right away.
School social worker responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real school social worker resumes:
- Case manage in-district and out-of-district students with emotional disabilities, autism, other health impair and physical disabilities.
- Provide individual, group and family therapy to patients suffering from substance abuse/dependence.
- Prepare APS reports as needed and present them to the state.
- Prepare IEP's, set goals, and objectives consistent with CSE standards.
- Train college interns, new employees, and volunteers on APS policies and procedures.
- Design school-wide and individual PBIS programs and incentives; as well as compiled data relate to PBIS.
- Petition the court for guardianship of individuals who are unable to make decisions, or care for themselves.
- Provide in-home and in-office assessments of the social and emotional needs of the older adult client and their family.
- Train educators on effective classroom management, PBIS behavioral system, abuse and neglect risk factors, and mandate reporting.
- Develop in-home family service agreements and safety plans.
- Assist in securing need and legitimate financial management or guardianship arrangements.
- Work creatively and effectively with elderly ex-mental patients in continuing treatment milieu.
- Participate in IEP, MDT, and manifestation determination and other agency-relate meetings and conferences.
- Participate in developing goals and attending IEP meetings for students with behavioral and emotional difficulties.
- Prepare and file educational neglect and truancy petitions when a student has accumulate excessive unexcuse absences.
School social worker skills and personality traits
We calculated that 26% of School Social Workers are proficient in Social Work, Social Emotional, and IEP. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Compassion, and Listening skills.
We break down the percentage of School Social Workers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 26%
Conduct social work evaluations with students suspected of having emotional/behavioral problems which may qualify them for special education services.
- Social Emotional, 6%
Conducted classroom observations and consulted with teachers and school administrators regarding behavioral issues and social emotional classroom strategies.
- IEP, 6%
Collaborate with the IEP Committees in determining the eligibility for emotionally impaired programs and academic services.
- Community Resources, 5%
Participated in activities of professional, civic and community organizations in order to develop and improve family life and community resources.
- Professional Development, 5%
Provided classroom and professional development presentations on mental health diagnosis/treatment, school-wide positive behavior support plans and implementation.
- Behavioral Issues, 4%
Provided individual and group therapy to adolescents with emotional and behavioral issues utilizing motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral techniques.
"social work," "social emotional," and "iep" are among the most common skills that school social workers use at work. You can find even more school social worker responsibilities below, including:
Compassion. Many school social worker duties rely on compassion. "social workers often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations," so a school social worker will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways school social worker responsibilities rely on compassion: "completed psychosocial evaluations on patients with combat casualties, medical boards and/or requesting compassionate reassignment. "
Interpersonal skills. Another common skill required for school social worker responsibilities is "interpersonal skills." This skill comes up in the duties of school social workers all the time, as "social workers must be able to work with different groups of people." An excerpt from a real school social worker resume shows how this skill is central to what a school social worker does: "recognized for superior organizational, communication and interpersonal skills, and for consistent effectiveness with parents, staff and support services. "
Communication skills. Another skill commonly found on school social worker job descriptions is "communication skills." It can come up quite often in school social worker duties, since "clients talk to social workers about challenges in their lives." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day school social worker responsibilities: "implement and model alternative communication intervention strategies for the purpose of teaching students to communicate effectively. "
The three companies that hire the most school social workers are:
- Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES15 school social workers jobs
- Buffalo Schools11 school social workers jobs
- ChanceLightâ„¢ Behavioral Health, Therapy & Education8 school social workers jobs
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Compare different school social workers
School social worker vs. Family therapist
A Family Therapist works with couples and families to help ameliorate marital and family issues. They can work in hospitals, treatment programs, government agencies, health organizations, and private practices.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a school social worker are more likely to require skills like "social emotional," "professional development," "classroom observations," and "autism." On the other hand, a job as a family therapist requires skills like "patients," "rehabilitation," "foster care," and "fft." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Family therapists tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $50,267. In contrast, school social workers make the biggest average salary, $53,660, in the education industry.On average, family therapists reach similar levels of education than school social workers. Family therapists are 4.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.School social worker vs. Mental health consultant
A mental health consultant is responsible for providing counseling and emotional support to manage a client's issue and control behaviors. Mental health consultants must have excellent communication and listening skills to understand and assess the client's situation and evaluate the level of their emotional and psychological distress. They also need to monitor progress on the client's state and use different psychotherapy methods and treatment plans. A mental health consultant should also reach out to other health professionals to ask assistance for any recovery options as needed.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, school social worker responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "social emotional," "professional development," "behavioral issues," and "child abuse." Meanwhile, a mental health consultant has duties that require skills in areas such as "healthcare," "patients," "patient care," and "data analysis." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, mental health consultants earn a lower salary than school social workers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, mental health consultants earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $66,424. Whereas school social workers have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $53,660.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Mental health consultants tend to reach lower levels of education than school social workers. In fact, they're 22.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for school social workers in the next 3-5 years?
Virginia Schwindt
MSW Field Director/Associate Professor, Union University
School social worker vs. Therapeutic support staff
A therapeutic support staff member specializes in providing guidance and counseling to individuals with emotional support needs, mainly children. They are primarily responsible for building rapport with clients while assessing their different conditions and needs. Through this assessment, therapeutic support staff can develop specific treatments in collaboration with mental health practitioners. One may directly work with schools, clinics, and other medical health facilities. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain all clients' records and monitor their progress, regularly updating the assigned physician or caseworker.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from school social worker resumes include skills like "social emotional," "community resources," "professional development," and "child abuse," whereas a therapeutic support staff is more likely to list skills in "criminal justice," "rehabilitation," "emotional support," and "compassion. "
Therapeutic support staff typically earn lower educational levels compared to school social workers. Specifically, they're 41.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.School social worker vs. Mental health clinician
A Mental Health Clinician provides psychotherapeutic and rehabilitation services for patients with mental health problems. They manage the treatment of clients and help them to obtain stable physical health.
Types of school social worker
Updated January 8, 2025
