Why Do We Need A Network?
Social workers practicing in schools are an important part of the student support team that can include guidance counselors, nurses, school psychologists, and behavior specialists. School social workers have a unique multi-level perspective and are equipped with skills to address individual student mental health, family support and crisis intervention, while also keeping their eyes open to the systemic barriers that students face.
Although school social workers are an integral part of a student’s education, we do not have a regional network of school mental health professionals who are coming together to connect, learn and improve practices through collaboration. The Steve Hicks School of Social Work and the Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing would like to change that.
Introducing, The Texas School Social Work Network. By focusing on research, training, and practice, TSSWN hopes to build an evidence-based model of school social work practice and provide school social workers with the tools and guidance that they can use in their everyday practice.
What We Plan To Do:
- Build evidence for a school social work model that works within existing school-based mental health models.
- Unite school social workers all over Texas and provide a place for these professionals to grow, learn and collaborate.
- Develop practice & evaluation tools that school social workers can use in their daily practice with students, their families, and communities.
- Provide trainings and educational opportunities to school social workers who want to grow their practice.