School Social Worker

Summary: Provide social work services for students and parents. Serve as part of a multidisciplinary team to seek out, screen and assess, coordinate, connect and navigate all students and families to support and resources. Develop partnerships both within the school and community and ensure that students and families receive access to human services, health care, social services, and mental health supports in order to meet needs and support student achievement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:An employee in this position may be called upon to do any or all of the following. (Does not include all tasks an employee may be expected to perform; other duties may be assigned.)

1. Serve as initial point of contact for students and families to access services
2. Identify problems and situations interfering with ability of children to make optimal use of the educational experience
3. Advocate for appropriate access to human services, behavioral health services and medical health services and social supports
4. Serve as liaison between school, home and community service providers
5. Screen, assess, refer, connect and support students and families in navigating systems and services
6. Screen students for social emotional health using identified screening tools
7. Navigate students and families through system processes and protocol (i.e. education, mental health, social services, human services, healthcare)
8. Develop partnerships with and coordinate community resources and support within and outside the school system for use by students, families and school personnel
9. Promote and foster communication between all parties to include: building/district staff, students, families, human services, behavioral health, medical health, social services and other community partners
10. Develop and implement student and family engagement strategies to build relationships, promote positive school culture/climate, raise awareness of Whole Child needs, connect families to support and educate on available resources and supports available within the school and community
11. Assist in implementation of building Student Study Teams to assess needs of identified students, determine strategies to meet need, monitor progress and evaluate outcomes
12. Support implementation of MTSS tiered interventions along with positive behaviors supports and integration of additional support services
13. Serve as a member of diagnostic team and educational planning and placement committees and provide biological, psychological and sociological assessment information related to referred students
14. Provide comprehensive diagnostic evaluations of students suspected of being emotionally impaired and/or having autism spectrum disorder and collaborate with educational planning and placement committee in the determination of eligibility
15. Coordinate and support provision of professional learning for district/building staff around non academic indicators (i.e. trauma informed classrooms, Youth Mental Health First Aid)
16. Meet on a regular basis with school principal and other building/district leadership to review needed support/services and address issues impacting student achievement
17. Consult with building/district staff on classroom and/or building strategies to meet student need
18. Participate in School Improvement planning process (especially related to Whole Child/organizational goals and strategies), as requested
19. Coordinate implementation, analysis and use of needs assessment efforts to drive decision making around needed services and supports
20. Assist building/district staff in collecting, reporting and use of pertinent data
21. Document student progress, write regular progress reports and complete all required paperwork in a timely manner
22. Attend required meetings
23. May serve on teams or committees.
24. May make home visits for the purpose of gathering helpful information on student or family, if appropriate for assignment.
25. Regular and predictable in-person attendance is required for this position.
26. Other duties as assigned

Education and/or Experience: Master's degree in social work required. Candidates with experience in a school setting will be preferred.

Certificates, Licenses, Registration: Must have at least Michigan Department of Education Preliminary School Social Worker Certificate. Valid Michigan driver's license and good driving record (6 points or fewer).

Other Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to work with school, human services, behavioral health, and medical health personnel
• Ability to understand and work effectively within the dynamics of various agencies, schools, and others
• Knowledge of child development, behavioral health, and medical health assessment
• Extensive knowledge of community resources
• Builds positive relationships and works effectively with diverse populations, demonstrating cultural and socioeconomic awareness
• Strong interpersonal, problem-solving, organizational, and collaboration skills
• Positive and can-do attitude that can tolerate a high frustration level
• Excellent communication skills (verbal, non-verbal, and written)
• Knowledge of basic computing platforms (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Internet, and Google)
• Committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of students

Employment Date, Salary, and Fringe Benefits: Anticipated employment date is as soon as possible. Placement on the Special Education Certified Salary Schedule will depend on education, qualifications and experience. New employee starting salary range is $58,831-$109,456. Paid health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurances, sick and personal business days.

To Apply:Interested parties should go to our website, https://jcisd.workbrightats.com to complete an online application.

Pre-employment Screening: Applicants who receive a conditional offer of employment for a position with JCISD will be required to successfully complete a background check, a pre-employment physical to determine ability to perform the desired position (with or without reasonable accommodations) and a drug test.