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School Social Work NOW!
Supporting Innovative Practice,
Effective Leadership, and Applied Research
Vol 5, Issue 1
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Another school year is in full swing. As usual, challenges are many, and there is much to do with few resources. Be sure to take a few minutes to check out the links to the right, especially "Bookmark These." The links themselves are often full of additional resources for various topics. If there is something you'd like to find and don't see, let us know.
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Have you thought about joining ACSSW? Have you put off renewing your membership? Many initiatives are occurring in education and school social workers need to be at the table now--not in the kitchen cleaning up! Don't put it off any longer. Join or renew ACSSW before September 30th for $95, a savings of $15. There IS strength in numbers. More info.
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On October 6th, ACSSW will also be hosting its 2nd annual multidisciplinary, Wisconsin-based Mental Health in Schools Institute. Check out the WI Mental Health in Schools Brochure to view the topics which include: child maltreatment and related trauma treatment, anxiety and school refusal, boundaries/ethics and technology, Signs of Suicide Program, bullying prevention, assisting students in military families, managing conflict in the workplace, violence assessment, and more! Register today. Space is still available but seating is limited.
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JANUARY 26-27, 2015 . . . NEW ORLEANS!!
Save these dates!!
The 4th ACSSW National School Mental Health Institute is off and running! In collaboration with Louisiana State University and Tulane University ACSSW will again be hosting an interactive professional development offering for school social workers. This mental health institute is the only national offering of this type designed for school social workers!
Excellent presentation proposals have been submitted from experts from around the country. The brochure is being developed and should be out in late September. Watch this newsletter and the ACSSW website for details in the near future. There are terrific presentations planned!! Pre-registration is open.
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Social workers currently face growing demands for measurable behavioral outcomes, reflecting a shift in the profession toward "scientific" proof to demonstrate its effectiveness. While agreeing that practitioners should embrace strategies proven to be effective in helping people, Alex Gitterman, Zachs professor of social work and director of the doctoral program at UConn's School of Social Work, disagrees with the so-called "evidence-based practice" approach, noting that deeply rooted social problems do not neatly lend themselves to empirically-based interventions.
In the past decade, headlines reporting the tragic stories of a young person's suicide death linked in some way to bullying (physical, verbal, or online) have become regrettably common. There is so much pain and suffering associated with each of these events, affecting individuals, families, communities and our society as a whole and resulting in an increasing national outcry to "do something" about the problem of bullying and suicide. . .
The purpose of this document is to provide concrete, action-oriented information based on the latest science to help you improve your schools' understanding of and ability to prevent and respond to the problem of bullying and suicide related behavior. This resource provides the most current research findings about the relationship between bullying and suicide among school-aged youth, and action-oriented, evidence-based suggestions to prevent and control bullying and suicide-related behavior in schools. Access report.
This article documents results of a survey of 73 school social workers regarding their record-keeping practices. These social workers indicated that time pressures are a major challenge to documentation; they struggle to know what to include, and they worry about privacy. More than half fail to consistently include assessment information, progress toward goals, and information on services provided. More than 75 percent do not provide periodic and closing case summaries, pre- and post-test scores, and information on how they have made decisions. Some 80 percent of respondents were in violation of Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act requirements to share records with parents or guardians who request them, and only half were aware of their district's policies on sharing information with third parties. There was widespread misunderstanding of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and half of the respondents were unaware of their state laws regarding record keeping. These findings are concerning, as school social workers who are not informed of legal mandates may be putting themselves and their districts at some liability risk, and those who do not keep records with sufficient information to reflect on their practice may be missing opportunities to improve their work with student clients. Learn more.
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Positive behavior support (PBS) is being implemented in more than 5,300 schools in the United States. In this article, the authors review the conceptual components, implementation features, and evidence base of PBS; discuss its implementation at the preschool level; and
explore implications for school social work practice. Whether starting PBS efforts in schools or districts or becoming involved in existing efforts, school social workers can achieve their goals through PBS and enhance the visibility and status of school social work within their local education agency. Given the popularity of this recent trend, the similarities between PBS and school social work practice, and the emerging evidence base associated with this approach, school social workers are encouraged to provide leadership to existing PBS efforts in their schools or to begin such efforts in schools that have not initiated this approach. More.
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Abstract: School social workers are at the forefront of serving homeless children and youths as they pursue education. Because of the negative impact homelessness can have on academic outcomes for children, understanding what factors are perceived to either hinder or facilitate practice and what factors might influence perceptions of practice with this population is important, but understudied. The purpose of this study was to examine what aspects of school social work are perceived to serve as barriers and which are seen as facilitators to working with homeless children, how those aspects may be categorized, and what might influence perceptions of these barriers and facilitators. Read more.
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October 6, 2014
A multi-professional perspective
Pewaukee, WI
January 26-27, 2015
ACSSW National Institute on
Mental Health in Schools for School Social Workers
New Orleans, LA
Brochure coming soon!
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Recommended Read for September
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Beginnings, Middles, & Ends: Sideways Stories on the Art & Soul of Social Work
by Ogden Rogers
Ogden Rogers has written a collection of essays, poems, and other writings about life in social work, and about life in general. . .This book of 99 stories reads easily, and the author tells tales that operate at many levels. The stories exemplify role modeling and transformational learning theories, and readers are encouraged to reflect and consider their own thoughts and reactions to each piece. It's written in an easy, non-linear style that is filled with wit, wisdom, and drama. In many ways, it is a book that looks at social work from the inside out, and seeks to provide the reader with opportunities for validation, surprise, critique, and reading enjoyment. Read more.
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This toolkit assists high schools and school districts in designing and implementing strategies to prevent suicide and promote behavioral health. It includes tools to implement a multi-faceted suicide prevention program that responds to the needs and cultures of students. Toolkit.
Free 1.5 CEUs for School Social Workers
ACSSW is very pleased to offer an opportunity for any school social worker to earn 1.5 FREE CEUs due to ACSSW's sponsorship of an excellent program:
Plan, Prepare, Prevent: The SOS Online
Gatekeeper Training Module
The SOS Signs of Suicide® Prevention Program is an award winning, nationally recognized program designed for middle and high school-age students. The program teaches students how to identify the symptoms of depression and suicidality in themselves or their friends, and encourages help-seeking through the use of the ACT® technique (Acknowledge, Care, Tell). This course is available free to school social workers. With sponsorship from ACSSW, all learners will receive 1.5 contact hours upon completion. Click to Learn More. To register call 781-239-0071 or email SOS Registration and mention that you'd like to register.
Columbia University Teachers College Press published 4 guides geared to support teachers, administrators, student personnel staff, and parents. For a limited period, and as supplies last, TCP has agreed to provide FREE copies of the guides to social workers and educators working with military kids in schools including: teachers, school administrators, PPS workers, and military parents. School social workers should be aware of this wonderful, time-limited, FREE offer from TCP. Many school social workers will benefit from these guides.
The process is simple. Each individual desiring a free book would need to click on the link, select the type of book s/he desires, and fill out name, mailing address, etc. on the Qualtrix form after selecting the book desired. The book will be mailed in a few weeks.
Helping Traumatized Children Learn, vol. 1 & 2, are available for purchase or free download on the website. Click here to learn more about this.
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School Social Work Positions
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Continued - listed by state abbreviation
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Mt. Diablo, CA
Denver, CO
Connecticut (various)
Washington, DC #1
Washington, DC #2
Savannah, GA
Chicago, IL #2
Evanston, IL #1
Evanston, IL #2 |
Harper Woods, MI
St. Paul, MN
Carson City, NV
Las Cruces, NM
Brewster, NY
Ohio Univ Lecturer of Human Services Technology-Lancaster, OH
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Ohio Univ Assist/Assoc/Full Prof-Athens, OH
Bluffton, SC
Austin, TX
Georgetown,TX
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University of Southern California Invites You . . .
In preparation for National Suicide Prevention Week, September 7-13, 2014, the University of Southern California School of Social Work invites you to participate in You Matter, a grassroots campaign designed to foster well-being and bring back some much-needed human connection. Join us, and help our movement grow.
How It Works
The mission of the You Matter campaign is to facilitate human connectedness to promote positive mental health. Use our You Matter Care Cards as expressions of appreciation or simply to tell someone you care. We challenge you to take this opportunity to say the thing you always think but never say - keep it simple or go deep; it's up to you!
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Download and print your You Matter Care Card at
- Write a message to tell someone why they matter.
- Take a photo and share it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with hashtag #youmatter.
- Share the card.
- Tell the recipient to pass it on.
This is National Suicide Prevention Week and now is a great time to spend a few moments reminding someone that they truly matter. Need inspiration? Check out the USC blog post on 60 ways to use a Care Card.
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September 9, 2014 - 2-3 ET
Aimed at the broader suicide prevention community, this webinar will provide a brief overview of the Action Alliance's Suicide Attempt Survivor Task Force document, "The Way Forward, Pathways to Hope, Recovery, and Wellness With Insights from Lived Expertise."
The overview will highlight the paper's core values for supporting suicide attempt survivors with an emphasis on how these values can be supported in broader settings (policies, programs, practices). The presentation will note how "The Way Forward" provides explicit recommendations, based on evidence-based practices, incorporating personal lived experience of recovery and resilience. Click for more information & registration.
Archived
The CSMH and the IDEA Partnership presented a webinar, School Mental Health: A Federal Perspective, on January 30, 2014. Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, the President put forward a number of initiatives aimed at making schools and communities safer and to increase access to mental health services in his plan, Now is the Time. As he said, "We won't be able to stop every violent act, but if there is even one thing we can do to prevent any of these events, we have a deep obligation, all of us, to try." This webinar provided an overview of federal efforts that have already been put in place, as well as those that have been proposed for the upcoming years. Presenters David Esquith, Director for the Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS) Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), U.S. Department of Education, and Ingrid Donato, Branch Chief, Mental Health Promotion, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), provided participants with information about other existing federal initiatives to prevent youth violence and promote positive student outcomes. Strategies that support students, schools, and communities as well as the importance of cross-system partnerships were highlighted. The webinar recording is available as well as the PowerPoint. Access here.
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Grants of up to $500 are available for "innovative programs, events, or projects" from the Meemic Foundation. Apply online using their easy application that takes less than 30 minutes to complete. These grants are open to any employee of a K-12 public or private school. Universities and colleges may also apply. Fill-in-the-blank application.
Grants are accepted year round, but the third quarter cycle ($500 max per grant) ends September 30. Funds will be available in mid-November.
The foundation says it supports "basically anything that supports teachers and enhances the student's educational experience" - from field trips to books to behavior modification programs; science, music, or art equipment to professional development.
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