School social work began in the early 1900s to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds succeed in school. Today, school social workers must obtain a master's degree in social work and state licensure. They help students with personal, social, and mental health issues that impact their education by providing counseling, coordinating with teachers and families, and connecting students to community resources. The work can be rewarding when social workers see students graduate from intervention programs and succeed academically thanks to their support. However, budget cuts that reduce services and support for students present ongoing challenges to helping all children reach their full potential.

1. School Social
Work
Samantha Morton
December 8, 2014

2. History
 First social workers hired in schools were
hired in recognition that the conditions
(school, home, neighborhood) prevented
the children from learning
 School Social workers draw legitimacy
and function from their ability to make
education work for groups of children
who could not otherwise participate.

3. History
 Began in 1906-1907 in New York, Boston, Hartford,
and Chicago
 School Social Workers were contracted in from
outside agencies
 New York: settlement houses with new immigrants
 Boston: Women’s Education Association- “visiting
teachers”
 Hartford: Psychiatric clinical development, visiting
teachers to assist the psychologists
 Chicago: Louis Montgomery, developed a social
settlement type of program at the Hamline School-
Stockyards District Community, school based services
for the whole community

4. Occupation
 Employed or contracted by school districts or
other educational institutions
 Help students cope with personal and
psychological issues that affect their school
performance, behavior and socialization.
 One-on-one, classroom or school-wide
sessions
 Address issues relevant to the student
population they serve
 School attendance, illegal drug or alcohol
dangers, teen pregnancy and adjustment to
the social setting of the school.

5. Occupation
 Assist teachers and administrators in
dealing with behavioral or attitude issues
by communicating with students to find
the causes of their distress.
 Might provide information for outside
support services or agencies to help
students deal with economic, emotional
or physical challenges.

6. Requirements
 Bachelors Degree
 Masters in Social Work with specialization in
school social work from an accredited
program
 Adherences to the NASW Code of Ethics and
the NASW Standards for Continuing
Professional Education
 Illinois: Certified School Social Work Specialist
(CSSWS) Type 10 or 73
 Illinois: Pass the relevant content and basic
skills tests as outlined in State Board of
Education 23 Administrative Code Ch. 1-b,
Section 23.140
 Professional Development

7. Illinois CSSWS Requirements
 Social Work ethics
 Program
Development and
Management skills
 Social work
modalities and
procedures
 Theories of Human
behavior and
development
 Characteristics of
student populations
 Methods of school
social work practice
 Multidisciplinary and
interdisciplinary
activities
 Public education and
federal and state laws
 Current NASW
membership in good
standing

8. Illinois CSSWS Requirements
 Experience
Have two academic years (2,160 hours,
not counting administrative duties,
approximately 30 hours per week of direct
client level school social work tasks) of
post MSW degree, full time, paid,
appropriately supervised work experience
as a school social worker

9. Illinois CSSWS Requirements
A confidential reference
from an MSW social work
colleague is required-cannot
be the same
person who completed the
supervisory evaluation
License/ Credentials- only
one is required
 NASW’s ACSW (Academy
of Certified Social Workers)
may be used by active
duty military personnel and
social workers residing in
foreign countries
 NASW’s DCSW (diplomat in
Clinical Social Work)
 Current exam based state
MSW-level license
 Passing score on the ASWB
(Association of Social Work
Boards) clinical- level exam.
This option is intended for
more recent MSW
graduates who are in the
process of applying for
licensure and have
completed the exam
requirement but have not
yet received the actual
social work license
 State issued exam based
school social work license
 State issued exam based
school social work
certification

10. Accredited Schools in Illinois
with School SW Specializations
 Chicago State University
 Illinois State University
 Loyola University-Chicago
 Southern Illinois University Carbondale
 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
 University of Chicago
 University of Illinois at Chicago
 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
 University of St. Francis

11. Employment Information
Employment of Child, Family, School Social
Workers: May 2013
 Employment: 14,450
 Employment/thousands jobs: 2.53
 Location Quotient: 1.21
 Hourly Mean Wage: $26.67
 Annual Mean $55,470

12. Profile: Rob Stoelzle, MSW
 Credentials:
 Counseling Associate at Counseling
Associates of Southern Illinois
 School Social Worker at O’Fallon School
District 90- Jr High Building
 Union President- Teachers
 Wrestling Coach- 6 years

13. Profile: Rob Stoelzle, MSW
Daily Schedule:
 Check In check
Out-PBIS Program
 25 kids currently
 6 week course
 PBIS- program he helped create
that is geared toward children
with behavioral problems.
 They check in in the mornings
with him with their folders-schedules,
and things they need
to work on
 They go about their day,
meeting with him once during
the day
 They meet with him before they
go home and talk about the
day and their behavior
 At the end of the 6 weeks, they
should see an improvement in
their behavior and they
“graduate” and no longer need
to see him 3 times a day.

14. Profile: Rob Stoelzle, MSW
Daily Schedule
 Special Education
Kids
 IEPs
 25 kids- currently
 After he meets with the kids
in his PBIS program, he
meets with the special
education kids and those
with Individual Education
Plans
 He goes over their
homework assignments
with them to make sure
they know what they are
supposed to do
 He talks about any social
problems they may have
inside and outside of the
classroom

15. Profile: Rob Stoelzle
Daily Schedule
Walk ins and
appointments
 After the standing
meetings, he meets with
those that have schedule
appointments with him and
he also meets with those
that pop in to talk but do
not have an appointment
 He meets with students,
teachers, administrators,
parents, families, and
outside agencies to help
develop plans to solve the
problems that the students
are facing

16. Profile: Rob Stoelzle, MSW
 Useful Skills
 Building relationships and rapport with the
students, teachers, staff
 Research and Interview skills
 HBSE, Research, Practice classes
 Problems that he helps kids with
 Figuring out who they are
 Acceptance from peers
 Large military population- no stable home setting
 Divorce
 Most problems are due to problems involving
parents

17. Profile: Rob Stoelzle
 High Points
 Seeing the kids be successful
 Starting groups for the kids to participate in
 Seeing all the kids on a daily basis
 Low Points
 School funding being cut
 Cuts teachers, staff, programs, activities,
morale in students

18. Summary
 School Social Workers were created out of a
need
 Must have a MSW and licensure from an
accredited program
 There are 9 accredited MSW programs in
Illinois with School SW Specializations
 Gratifying to work with youth and see them
succeed
 Get to work with students, families, teachers,
administrators, outside services

19. References
 Council on Social Work Education. (2014).
Accreditation. Retrieved from http://www.cswe.org/
 Education Portal. (2014). School Social Worker: Job
Description, Duties and Salary. Retrieved from
http://education-portal.com/
 National Association of Social Workers. (2014). The
Certified School Social Work Specialist
(CSSWS.)Retrieved from
https://www.socialworkers.org/
 United States Department of Labor-Bureau of Labor
Statistics. (2014). Occupational Employment Statistics.
Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/home.htm