The Development of a National School Social Work Practice Model

School Social Work in the United States: Current Evidence and Future Directions

“…This heterogeneity constrains efforts to define core parameters for this field of practice (Staudt, Cherry and Watson, 2005), though efforts to build such a model are ongoing (Frey et al, 2012).…”

“…The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that, net of the 41,200 workers employed in educational and related settings, there are 232,730 employed in child and family services in general. It is presumed that there are additional social workers in school-related roles in this larger pool as well, reflecting the fact that twenty eight of the 50 states have school social work professional associations (Frey et al, 2012).…”

“…While it has been difficult to define a general set of school social work practice parameters (Staudt, Cherry and Watson, 2005), there is an ongoing initiative to develop a national practice model to better articulate the contribution of school social workers and to facilitate consistency in pre-professional training programs (Frey et al, 2012). It acknowledges the significant variability in roles and responsibilities of social works across schools, districts, and states.…”

“…To date, scholars have centered their critiques on the limits of its underlying knowledge base and have attempted to characterize the central features and scope of school social work practice (Frey et al, 2012). These efforts to date center on the nature and effects of school social work services.…”

“…Although school social workers often take on a complex set of practice roles and tasks in schools that are purported to play critical roles in student psycho-social and academic well-being, relatively little is known about the determinants and outcomes of these roles and tasks (Allen-Meares and Montgomery, 2014). Most recently, American school social work scholars are attempting to characterize the central features and scope of school social work practice (Frey et al, 2012).…”