Social Workers in Schools (SWiS) Expansion of services.
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Transcript of Social Workers in Schools (SWiS) Expansion of services.
Social Workers in Schools (SWiS)Expansion of services
Working together
>Schools are important partners in our work with children, young people and their families.
>Teachers see children and young people every day, and are often best placed to notice if something isn’t right, or if families are struggling.
>There has been strong demand from schools for specialist support to deal with children’s increasingly complex and sometimes harmful home situations.
>By working together, we can improve outcomes for vulnerable children
Overview of SWiS service
>SWiS is a school-based community social work service
>SWiS social workers support children and their families/whanau
>Social workers are employed by NGO social service providers, and work in partnership with school staff as part of the school community.
>A social worker will work in one school, or a group of schools
Effectiveness of SWiS
> The work of social workers in schools is shown to contribute to improved outcomes for children, by working with schools to reduce barriers to learning.
> Evaluations of the SWiS service found that positive changes, include:
> improvements in children’s behaviour
> Children better able to set positive goals for the future, and take steps to achieve them
> parents using more positive discipline strategies.
Who it’s for
The SWiS service is aimed at:
> children who have poor attendance or engagement in school
> children with social or behavioural problems
> children experiencing grief or loss
> families who may be struggling financially, or with issues such as overcrowding, gambling etc.
> at-risk families, including those who have been referred by Child, Youth and Family for community based support.
Referral process
> Referrals can be made by:> children and families/whanau (self referrals) > schools > agencies such as Child, Youth and Family, nurses,
community agencies working with families. > Referrals to the service are made with the consent of families.> The social worker takes a whole of family approach, which
may include working with siblings
Role of the SWiS worker
>The role of SWiS social workers is to address concerns that are affecting:
> children’s safety or wellbeing
> children’s ability to learn due to emotional or social worries
> families’ ability to manage aspects of their lives.
>SWiS work has three key components:
> social work with children and their families
> group programmes
> community liaison and service coordination.
Social work with children and their familiesThis component of the service involves:
> development of supportive, trusting relationships with children and their families
> Working with children and families to develop goals for change, and teaching strategies for managing difficult situations
> advocating for children and their families within the school setting
> keeping child safety paramount, and supporting schools to make notifications to CYF where appropriate
> Working in partnership with other support services
Group programmes
This component of the service involves:
> assessing the needs of children and families which can best be met within a group context
> advising the SWiS governance group about referral trends and proposed group programme responses
> planning, coordinating and delivering group programmes for children and families
> evaluating the effectiveness of group programmes.
Community liaison and service coordinationThis component of the service involves:
> using networks to connect children and their families to community supports
> working with other professionals to identify, refer and address specific problems affecting a child’s wellbeing
> developing a collaborative relationship with local CYF offices to ensure work with children at risk is coordinated
> providing support to the ‘strengthening families’ process when children with complex needs require a multi-agency approach
Role of the SWiS provider
The SWiS employer :
> employs and supports social workers
> provides opportunities for ongoing training and professional development
> addresses any concerns that may arise between the school, the social worker, and/or the Provider
> ensures appropriate community liaison and networking links are made
> links with local CYF sites to share knowledge and expertise
> coordinates SWiS Governance Group meetings.
Role of the school
The school:
> supports SWiS to access client children during the school day
> understands the SWiS service and promotes it to school staff and families
> gains consent from family/whānau for referrals to the Service
> provides a private room within each school for social workers, (the base school provides the primary work space)
> supports the delivery of group programmes within the school
> Principal or DP is a member of the local SWiS Governance Group, and signatory to the SWiS Partnering Agreement
> attends, and contributes to SWiS Governance Group meetings
> helps address any concerns or conflict that may arise.
Role of Child, Youth and Family
Child, Youth and Family:
> manages SWiS funding
> selects and contracts with approved NGO Providers
> attends SWiS Governance meetings
> monitors service delivery and financial management by the Provider
> liaises with the Ministry of Education nationally and regionally
> coordinates meetings with SWiS social workers to share knowledge and expertise.
Role of Ministry of Education
The Ministry of Education:
> education representatives attend SWiS Governance Group meetings
> assist SWiS partners to resolve any issues that they have expertise in, or responsibility for
> work with the school to resolve any issues with accommodating SWiS in the school.
Governance Groups
> This will involve providers, principals, CYF operations or site managers, and local representatives from the Ministry of Education.
> The group will meet regularly to:> review the service over the previous quarter> set strategic priorities for SWiS services in their
community> assess and review the needs of the community> ensure that services are aligned transitions are smooth
for students> consider how agencies can work together to share
knowledge and expertise
More information
> More information about the SWiS service is available on the Child, Youth and Family website
> If you have any questions, please contact:
> Amanda Watson, Project Manager on 04 9163595 or email [email protected]
> Diane Garrett, senior advisor ,Social Workers in Schools on 04 918 9323 or email [email protected]
