School social work is a large and growing subspecialty in social work practice; however, little is known about present school social work practice from a national perspective. The National School Social Work Survey (n = 1,639) represents the first data in over ten years to describe the diverse practice contexts and interventions employed by school social workers. The survey also seeks to better understand school social work practice in light of the significant educational reforms of the past decade that are increasingly shaping student experiences.Findings from this survey indicate that the characteristics of school social workers, the context in which they practice, and their practice choices remain largely unchanged over the past 10 years. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed based on these findings.
The Second National School Social Work Survey in 2014 aimed to update knowledge of school social work practice by examining how practitioner characteristics, practice context, and practice choices have evolved since the last national survey in 2008. This second survey was also developed to assess how the new national school social work practice model created by the School Social Work Association of America aligns with early 21st century school social work practice realities. The second survey was conducted from February through April 2014 (3,769 total responses were collected) and represents the largest sample of American school social workers surveyed in two decades. Data from the Second National School Social Work Survey showed a field that still has not fully responded to calls to implement evidence-informed and data-driven practices. This article notes the need to better integrate pre- and postservice training in data-driven practices and provides recommendations for ways to overcome barriers that school social workers report facing.
While school social workers varied in collaborative practices, opportunities exist to enhance their role in educating and supporting teachers to serve as primary providers to students with social, mental health, and behavioral needs. The implications for school-based mental health providers, teachers, administrators, policymakers, and researchers are discussed.
Shared decision-making, provider awareness of families' resource needs, and communication are perceived as integral aspects of the family-physician interaction during interfacility transfers. Transfer systems should be reengineered to optimize family-physician interactions to make interfacility transfers more patient- and family-centered.
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