Social Worker is a trained mental health professional who works with assigned schools in the district to address students' social, emotional, and behavioral needs, as well as the needs of their families and school staff. They act as a bridge between the schools, home, and community, providing resources and support to help students succeed academically and socially. They provide individual, group, and family therapy to address a range of issues, including bullying, grief, family crises, and behavioral concerns.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Coordinate and conduct necessary assessments for students referred for evaluations within the last 30 days of school.
- Conduct Determination of Eligibility meetings with parents of students evaluated during the summer months.
- Conduct psycho-social evaluations for students suspected of having a developmental delay and/or a cognitive disability for school-aged students and for K – 12 students.
- Assist with summer clinic weekly for students by conducting developmental screenings and assessments when a disability is suspected.
- Facilitate communication between the home and the school, seeking to involve families in the educational process of their children and providing feedback to the school on family situations and problems.
- Create and facilitate training and professional development of school personnel throughout the year. Providing training and support to school staff on issues such as bullying prevention, trauma-informed practices, and culturally responsive teaching.
- Research, prepare materials for, and develop a training program to be implemented in the schools for social/emotional learning programs.
- Assist with coordinating various internal functions of the appraisal process to ensure timely completion of high-quality evaluations.
- Assist with various tasks (e.g., planning interagency collaborations, monitoring special education class projections, determining potential training needs, disseminating information to all appraisal employees, etc.)
- Provide support and guidance with monitoring and testing of standardized assessments as required by the school district.
- Provide consultative services to the families and, when necessary, provide counseling services to students who are experiencing problems in social and behavioral functioning at school which result from circumstances or events present in the home.
- Conduct assessments of student’s adaptive behavior skills
- Complete Behavior Assessments when necessary.
- Utilize approved testing materials and observations to determine students’ level of emotional and social development and/or functioning and make appropriate recommendations.
- Interpret assessment findings and make recommendations to parent(s) or guardian(s), school personnel, and other agencies involved. Complete a multidisciplinary evaluation report, schedule and conduct a determination of eligibility meeting with necessary personnel and parents. Disseminate the report to the parents and the school.
- Serve as liaison between the school and community agencies, through reciprocal referral arrangements, collaboration on cases, and assistance to families in obtaining and utilizing local resources.
- Assist in writing Individualized Education Plans for all initial plans wherever appropriate. Participate in IEP conferences as needed.
- Assist with placement decisions whenever appropriate.
- Serve as a liaison for assigned schools, participate in School Building Level Committee (SBLC) meetings, and work collaboratively with staff.
- Visit classrooms to monitor and support teacher implementation of specialized instructional and/or behavioral strategies, accommodations, and modifications designed to meet the needs of students with disabilities.
- Conduct assessments of cognitive, emotional, and social functioning, including self-concept, for students suspected of the exceptionality of Emotional Disturbance.
- Use all available resources (staff, administrators, parents, medical records, outside evaluations, etc.) to devise and/or assist with intervention plans for referred child/student.
- Assist in developing positive behavioral intervention strategies (PBIS) for all regular education and special education students. Serve as a member of the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support Team/Response to Intervention (RTI) Behavior Support Team
- Conduct direct, systematic observations of student behaviors across multiple settings (recess, PE, lunch, academic classes, etc.) to assist with identifying areas of strength and/or weakness, identifying functions of behavior, developing interventions, making eligibility determinations, and other considerations of the multidisciplinary evaluation team.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of school policies related to discipline, attendance, and student services.
- Conduct Functional Behavioral Assessments and develop Behavior Intervention Plans for students with disabilities and assist with this process for all students referred to the School Building Level Committee who are exhibiting behaviors that are negatively affecting academic performance.
- Document the implementation of evaluation procedures in compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and policies.
- Provide consultation regarding federal, state, and local regulations and policies (e.g., Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, etc.)
- Provide crisis intervention, counseling services, and the coordination of provided services from various support agencies.
- Keep all personally identifiable information for the student and the family confidential.
- Assigned to multiple schools within the district.
- Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications (education, licensure, skills, and/or experience)
- Bachelor's degree in Social Work (BSW) from an accredited university with licensure in the State of Louisiana.
- A minimum of three years of post-master’s degree experience in a social work setting, providing social work services, in particular working with children, youth, and families.
- Valid certificate from the Louisiana State Department of Education as a Qualified School Social Worker.
- Expertise in administering and interpreting diagnostic techniques to be used with all types of exceptional children.
- Must be a Louisiana Resident
- Ability to travel as needed, up to 60% of the time between campuses and district office location and for meetings and professional development, etc.
- Able to successfully pass a state and FBI background check
Preferred Qualifications - Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited university.
Other Skills & Abilities
- Strong interpersonal skills emphasizing tact, patience and courtesy; ability to establish a professional, effective rapport with students
- Communicate effectively both orally and in writing
- Demonstrate the use of good judgement in decision-making
Work Environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- This is an onsite, in-person position. Usual school/office environment
- May be noisy during high traffic times.
- Temperatures my change from very cold to very hot depending on the location of work and the weather.
- Length of work day varies from school schedule to extended days due to evening activities and emergencies.
- May require work on weekends and/or holidays and scheduled breaks
Physical/Mental Demands
- Constantly communicating with others to exchange information accurately, loudly, softly, or quickly.
- Occasional walking, climbing stairs, bending kneeling, pushing and pulling, reaching and lifting up to 25lbs.
- Physical restraint of another person or persons as needed.
- Sitting and/or standing for long periods of time.
- Ability to provide personal transportation to school(s), work locations, meeting sites
- Vision abilities required include close vision, depth perception, peripheral and ability to adjust focus.
- Exposure to varying climates throughout the day.
- Ability to hear, understand and distinguish speech and/or other sounds. For example:
- In person, on the telephone, and in virtual meetings
- Ability to understand and interpret written and verbal instructions from their supervisor.
- Must be cognizant of policy and procedures related to the position and the implementation of said policies and procedures.
- Must demonstrate sensitivity/understanding in interpersonal relations with persons of diverse cultures/backgrounds.
The above job is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor. All employment is “at-will” as governed by the law of the state where the employee works. It is further understood that the “at-will” nature of employment is one aspect of employment that cannot be changed except in writing and signed by an authorized officer.
CSAL, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and a Drug-Free Workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status age, or genetics, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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