School Social Worker Training - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

School Social Worker Training

Cooperative Educational Services

February 2015

Sandra M. Fortier,

LISWSlide2

School Social Worker Role

National

Association of Social Workers

Standards for School Social Work Services, 2012

“School

Social Workers seek to ensure equitable education opportunities; ensure that students are mentally , physically, and emotionally present in the classroom; and promote respect and dignity for all students.”

Standards include:

Adhering to the ethics and values if the profession

Meet qualifications of professional practice

Conduct assessments with the goal of improving student social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes

Use evidence-informed practices in their interventions

Use data to guide service delivery

Organize their workload to fulfill their responsibilities

Pursue professional development

Ensure services are provided with multi-cultural competence

Provide leadership in developing a positive school climate

Engage in advocacy that seeks to ensure all students have equal access to

education and services

available

at: www.socialworkers.org/practice/standards/School_Social_Work.aspSlide3

School Social Worker Role, continued

Individuals

with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA)

Sec. 300.34 Related Services

“Counseling Services” mean services provided by qualified social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors, or other qualified personnel. 300.34(c)(2)

“Social Work Services” in schools includes –

preparing a social or developmental history on a child with a disability;

group and individual counseling with the child and family;

working in partnership with parents and others on those problems in a child’s living situation (home, school, and community) that affect the child’s adjustment to school;

mobilizing school and community resources to enable the child to learn as effectively as possible in his or her educational program; and

assisting in developing positive behavioral intervention strategies.

Section

504 of the Rehabilitation Act,

P

rohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs that receive federal financial assistance from the US

Dept

of Education.

504 Plan: Schools

must provide “related services,” as necessary, to students who are identified for Section 504.

See:

New Mexico Section 504 Training Tip Sheet Related Services under Section 504

available at:

http://ped.state.nm.us/ped/RtI_SpecialEdResources.htmlSlide4

Social Work Assessments for

IEPs and 504 Plans:

Initial Evaluations and Re-Evaluations

IDEA regulations

–

Request for evaluation can come from parent or school.

School

must obtain written parental consent to conduct an initial evaluation or re-evaluation (every 3 years), or a REED, (if parent and

school agree that a REED is sufficient).

School has 60 days maximum from

the date of written consent to provide parents with the results of the evaluation.

An excellent curriculum/training on IDEA is available at : www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/legacy/Slide5

Social Work Assessments for IEPs and 504 Plans:

Initial Evaluations and Re-Evaluations

Psychosocial Assessment – ecological approach

Information gathering through:

Staff, parent, & student interviews or report forms

File reviews – academic records, discipline records, attendance records, SAT or IEP records, previous testing and evaluations

Formal observations in school setting

(sample forms available at ces.org)

Standardized Assessment Tools

Get training in assessment tools before use – MSW program, online training by test producers, in-person training by district or professional

Some districts require SWs to use BASC-II or other general screening tools

.

DSM 5 – online assessment measures available at

www.psychiatry.org/practice/dsm/dsm5/online-assessment-measures

Specific assessment tools for School SWs:

http://sspw.dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/sspw/pdf/sswpginstrument.pdf

www2.massgeneral.org/schoolpsychiatry/screeningtools_tables.asp

EDT meets to review report and determine if student requires School Social Work as a related service. Slide6

Essential Elements of an IEP

Present Level of Performance

Sets

a baseline for the student’s current social, emotional, behavioral functioning

Written into the IEP document

IEP Goal

“SMART” – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound

See “Guide to Social, Emotional, & Behavioral IEP Goals” (ces.org)

Align goals to Common Core Standards (Extended Band Goal Expectations) or NM Content Standards for “technical subjects” (i.e. Health standards)

New Mexico Common Core State Standards with EBGE and NM Content Standards available at: www.ped.state.nm.us/standards/

Schedule of Services page –

Service time per week

Setting (pull-out or inclusive)

Individual or group

Consult or Monitor

Accommodations and Modifications page

Quarterly Report on Progress – place in file quarterly and send copy home. (forms available at ces.org)Slide7

Other Essential Documents

Caseload

list

– name, service time, goal, annual IEP date, re-

eval

date

Service schedule

– your work schedule when you will see students

Service log –

track each student’s dates and times of service, note absences, field trips, testing, make up dates, etc.

Psychotherapy notes

– keep confidential and private. This is YOUR professional documentation and should not be left at the school. Medicaid billing will allow you to keep your psychotherapy notes on their system.Slide8

Functional Behavioral Assessments & Behavior Intervention Plans

Another function of the School Social Worker:Slide9

Functional Behavioral

assessment & Behavior Intervention plans

A problem-solving and information gathering process that looks beyond behavior and examines the factors associated with the behavior, in order to understand the function or purpose of the behavior.

For

students who are referred to SAT, have an IEP, or a 504 Plan and demonstrate frequent, persistent, and/or severe behavior problems that do not readily respond to classroom intervention strategies

Required for Special Education students after 10 days of disciplinary change in setting – consecutive or a “pattern of similar behavior”

(Addressing Student Behavior Guide 2010, NM PED, available at http://ped.state.nm.us/RtI_SpecialEdResources.html).Slide10

Conducting an FBA

Prior parental written consent is required to gather any new information.

FBA is usually conducted by members of the SAT or IEP team, sometimes other staff who specialize in behavior or the student’s disability.

Gather information to identify a specific target

behavior –

teacher report forms

observations

Gather information to determine the function of the behavior –

teacher, student, parent, interviews and report forms

Formal observations by multiple staff

Antecedent,

Behavior, Consequence

Scatterplots

Culminates in

the

FBA Report Form

Formulate

a hypothesis about the function of the behavior and the existence of a skill or performance

deficit.

Team meets to decide whether to proceed

to developing a Behavior Intervention Plan.

Sample forms for FBA process are available at: http://ped.state.nm.us/RtI_SpecialEdResources.htmlSlide11

Behavior Intervention Plan

An intervention plan that

emphasizes skills a student needs in order to behave in more appropriate ways, or provides motivation to meet the desired behavioral outcome.

Identifies the function of the

behavior.

Is the behavior a skill or performance deficit?

Identifies positive interventions, supports, and consequences to alleviate behavioral issues.

Provides a system of tracking outcomes and sets dates for review.

Sample BIP Forms are available at:

http://ped.state.nm.us/Rtl_SpecialEdResources.html

More Info:

www.pbisworld.com/tier-2/behavior-intervention-plan-bip/

And www.pbis.org/school/pbis-and-the-lawSlide12

Miscellaneous Information

Confidentiality – limited in nature

See:http

://socialworkers.org/practice/school/confidentiality.pdf

Authorization for Release of Information form (ces.org)

Mandated Reporting

Crisis Situations (risk

assessments, traumatic events) & services to Regular Education students

Clarify

policy with

School Admin & CES Ancillary Director about non-IEP services

Obtain Informed Consent and

HIPAA for on-going

Intervene per professional ethics in crisis situations

“The

School Social Worker in Crisis Situations” NASW, Spring

2013 available at ces.orgSlide13

Professional Organizations

NASW – School Social Work Practice Section – www.socialworkers.org

Provides

support

and guidance for l

egal and ethical issues

School Social Work Association of

America

-

www.sswaa.orgSlide14

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