One day as a school social worker

The government wants more schools in England to provide a range of services as well as education, and a debate is going on over the best way to educate children with special needs.

Social workers are part of a team approach to children's problems

Ann Barlock offers a perspective from Michigan in the US, where she is a school social worker.

It is 7.30am and I am on my way to one of the elementary schools where I work. Normally I start at 8.15, but today I have a meeting with a mother who has to be at work by 8.30.

We are having a meeting with Michael's teacher to discuss his progress and what we can do about his unusual behaviour.

Michael displays characteristics of high functioning autism, which makes it difficult to handle him in the classroom. However, there are strategies that can help him socially and academically.

Fortunately, Michael's mother is co-operative and his teacher believes in inclusion.

In addition to reasonable allowances being made for him in the classroom, Michael will join our friendship group once a week where students like him practise appropriate social skills.

Team effort

In Michigan, students with disabilities must be educated with their peers without disabilities, to the extent appropriate to meet their educational needs.

A multi-disciplinary therapeutic support team assists the teachers to accommodate students while providing therapy to help their progress in the general curriculum. School social workers are a part of this therapeutic team.

The title of social worker often conjures up images of child protection and social welfare, but school social workers are Masters-level therapists who evaluate students and make educational recommendations.

School social workers are an integral part of the evaluation team when considering emotional and autistic impairments.

We provide individual and small group therapeutic services as well as crisis intervention.

School social workers also provide the link between the school and outside mental health services to meet the complex needs of struggling children and families.

Concerns

After catching up with some paperwork, I collect Annabel from a fifth grade classroom.

This is Matthew's second new home in three months and things are already off to a bad start

Annabel is a pretty, intelligent 11-year-old, but her performance in school is very poor and she has no friends.

Her mother is an alcoholic and I suspect she has been sexually abused by one of her mother's boyfriends.

She often prepares her own evening meal and no-one helps with her homework.

We talk about how she can stay organised at school and I offer strategies to fend off unwanted advances.

Unfortunately, our meeting is interrupted by a call from the school secretary. I apologise to Annabel, promise to see her next week, and take her back to her class on my way to the school office.

Fostered

Matthew is a new boy at the school and crying uncontrollably outside the principal's office.

He was recently removed from his home and placed with a foster family. This is his second new home in three months and things are already off to a bad start.

Matthew is preoccupied with the loss of his mother and worried he might never return home.

Meanwhile, he fears a one-way trip to a residential treatment facility if his behaviour does not improve.

He is attempting to ease his pain by taking things from other children in the classroom.

Matthew needs one-to-one support to calm down, accept responsibility for his behaviour, and rehearse an apology before returning the stolen book.

He is embarrassed and struggling to make friends during this time of distress.

I make a note to call his foster mother as Matthew said he hadn't taken his medication for two days.

Close support

The highlight of my day is meeting with a resilient boy named Bradley.

Since Bradley's mother was unwilling to help and his father was in prison, the responsibility fell solely on the school

At age six, Bradley was verbally and physically aggressive with staff if they asked him to capitalise the first letter of a sentence.

He was placed full-time in a classroom for students with emotional or behavioural impairments, where he received reading and maths instruction.

I worked closely with the teacher to develop a behavioural plan designed to reinforce desired behaviour and establish appropriate consequences for undesirable behaviour.

Since Bradley's mother was unwilling to help and his father was in prison, the responsibility fell solely on the school.

Bradley also met me on a weekly basis to identify his emotions, express them appropriately, and develop strategies for resolving conflicts.

Bradley gradually improved in all areas and now, four years later, is fully back in mainstream classes with regular education peers.

He still drops by my office to share stories or regroup after an unpleasant visit with his father.

Bright but 'odd'

After lunch, I am due to have a meeting with our diagnostic team, the school principal, and a classroom teacher.

This is to discuss Edward, who meets criteria as emotionally impaired (EI) and who is also well above average in all academic areas without special education support.

Everyone agrees he is very odd, and occasionally disruptive, but the medical community cannot agree on a diagnosis, and his parents cannot agree on methods to raise their son.

Edward's teachers are frustrated and want him placed in an EI classroom. I do not agree and decide to advocate for Edward.

Although an EI placement will result in immediate relief for the teacher and his parents it might also result in academic underachievement for this bright boy.

His parents are a bit timid, both high school dropouts, but willing to do anything necessary to help their son.

They agree to attend parenting classes on a weekly basis and I agree to find financial support for the services.

In the meantime, the teachers will implement a behaviour plan and I will link the family with a psychiatrist outside of school.

Dying

In the month before our next meeting Edward will have individual sessions with a school social worker to learn appropriate social behaviour.

The remainder of my day is spent doing classroom observations and consulting with teachers on behavioural issues.

Before leaving I give a teacher information about grief since the father of one of his students is dying from cancer.

I make a note to call the mother, to schedule a meeting with her son, and to attend the fundraiser for the family next week.

There are just two reports to finish before tomorrow and, hopefully, a little extra time to go for a bike ride after school and recharge for another day.

Names in this article have been changed.