School Social Worker

Position Description:
The Village Leadership Academy School Social Worker is responsible for providing a school counseling program that supports VLA students and families in the areas of academic achievement, individual student planning, assessment, and personal and social development. The School Social Worker also serves as a consultant to educators, families, and community partners and will report directly to the Principal.

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Roles and Responsibilities*

The School Social Worker is the primary liaison between family and school in order to facilitate parent(s)/guardian(s) to become more involved with their child’s school. This is accomplished in the following ways:
Provides parent(s)/guardian(s) with techniques and strategies to be utilized at home to enhance the child’s positive behavior.
Develops and facilitates parent/guardian groups composed of parent(s)/guardian(s) with similar concerns.
Refers parent(s)/guardian(s) to appropriate outside agencies and/or counselors.
Assists parent(s)/guardian(s) in understanding the identification of their child’s disability as it relates to school and to home.
Participates in school meetings/conferences in order to facilitate home-school communication and connection.
The School Social Worker is the primary liaison among community agencies and school, students, and parents. This is accomplished in the following ways:
Promotes coordination and cooperation between school and community on a continuous basis.
Communicates with outside partners/organizations for mental health referrals.
Facilitates/case manages referrals from outside agencies for special education services.
The School Social Worker is a liaison between student, school, and family in order to assist the student to develop appropriate social interaction within their total human environment. This is accomplished in the following ways:
Provides individual and group counseling.
Teaches student life/social skills.
Intervenes during a crisis with students whom teachers feel must be removed temporarily from the classroom setting and/or school.
Develops, in concert with the teacher and parent(s)/guardian(s), strategies to enhance a student’s skills and functioning.
Supports students with severe behavior problems in the classroom on a short-term basis in order to modify their behavior.
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The School Social Worker is a member of the school collaborative team in order to identify children with special education needs. This is accomplished in the following ways:*

Case manager for K-8 evaluations
Assesses developmental histories and at-home functioning of students being considered for special education.
Serves as a member of leadership in order to problem solve academic and behavior interventions for students.
Assesses student needs and makes referrals to appropriate school resource personnel, social agencies, community agencies, and alternative programs.
The School Social Worker is a liaison between school staff, students, and parent(s)/guardian(s). This is accomplished in the following ways:
Participates in curriculum development and instruction method planning as it affects social and emotional development (such as protective behaviors).
Consults with school staff to heighten awareness of and sensitivity to problems in student performance and changes in student behavior when problems are identified.
Consults with administration on school/community issues that interfere with educational performance (such as attendance, trauma, delinquency).
Develops in-service programs to assist teachers in understanding issues such as abuse, suicide, protective behaviors, and emotional development.
Plans, coordinates, and provides classroom group guidance sessions to meet the identified guidance and counseling competencies in the areas of academic achievement, career and educational development, and personal and social development.
Uses individual student planning activities and classroom guidance to assist students in navigating educational and community experiences that support their needs and develop their potential.
Assists teachers in understanding their students, including providing and interpreting student data.
Provides in-service training on topics related to the school counseling program and supporting student achievement.
Other duties as assigned by the School Principal
Qualifications:

A graduate degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
A valid license issued by the Illinois State Board of Education, endorsed as a School Social Worker.
Competencies in the areas of Social and Emotional Learning, Family Management, Group Dynamics, Human Growth and Development, Organizational Theory, Program Planning and Coordination, Research, Special Populations (such as disabled, aged, development youth and poverty groups), and systems analysis and treatment modalities such as behavior management (e.g., CBT, Mindfulness, etc.).
At least two years of social work experience dealing with children and youth is required.
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Employment Expectations:*

Ability to analyze data to inform work and decision making, analyze and evaluate available data, assess student needs and develop and implement procedures and policies to support student achievement and social emotional development.
Uses data to develop and inform the school counseling program and evaluates the program’s impact on the school’s instructional goals.
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Uses data to develop and inform the school counseling program and evaluates the program’s impact on the school’s instructional goals.*

Collaborates on the development and management of the comprehensive school counseling program with the school administrator or instructional leader.
Communicates and shares the goals of the comprehensive school counseling program to stakeholders including students, families and community partners.
Approaches work with a sense of possibility and sees challenges as opportunities for creative problem solving; takes initiative to explore issues and find potential innovative solutions.
Increases the effectiveness of surrounding teams through collaboration, constant learning and supporting others; sensitive to diversity in all its forms; respects and is committed to learning from others.
Does whatever it takes to consistently deliver with high quality under tight deadlines; successfully manages own projects through strong organization, detailed work plans, and balancing of multiple priorities.
Communicates clearly and compellingly with diverse stakeholders in both oral and written forms; anticipates and responds to student and family needs in a high-quality and courteous manner.
All new hires must satisfactorily complete all ITAV onboarding requirements which include, but are not limited to, passing a tuberculosis test, drug test, and state and federal criminal background checks.
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Physical Requirements:*

Light Work: Exerting up to twenty (20) pounds of force occasionally, or up to ten (10) pounds of force frequently, or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.
Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $55,000.00 - $60,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) matching
Dental insurance
Employee assistance program
Health insurance
Life insurance
Paid time off
Tuition reimbursement
Vision insurance
Schedule:

8 hour shift
Work Location: One location