Social Worker

Provides mental/behavioral health services to students and their families.  Serves as a member of the diagnostic team of educational planning and placement committees, and provides psychological and sociological assessment information.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Performs casework service with individual students to correct those personal, social or emotional maladjustment related to their educational and social progress, as assigned
• Coordinate or serve as a member of diagnostic teams and educational planning and placement committees and provide psychological and sociological assessment information related to planning for children with adjustment problems
• Consults and collaborates with other school personnel in gathering and giving information on a case, and in establishing and planning for respective roles in the modification of the student’s behavior
• Performs casework service with parents as an integral part of the task of helping students, to increase the parent’s understanding, their constructive participation in resolving their child’s problems and their knowledge and use of appropriate resources available
• Makes home visits for the purpose of gathering helpful information on a student’s background
• Assists students directly toward adjustment to school
• Provides the following:

1. Individual and group counseling for students with special needs
2. Support groups for students and parents
3. Crisis prevention and intervention
4. Home visits
5. Social-development assessments
6. Functional behavioral assessments
7. Behavioral intervention plans
8. Parent education and training
9. Professional case management
10. information and referral
11. collaboration with community agencies and organizations
12. advocacy for students, parents and the school system
13. Administration and supervision of pupil services program
14. Mentoring, school-to-work, and peer counseling
15. staff development
16. Policy development such as discipline and attendance policies

• Prepares social and developmental histories on children with disabilities
• Provides group and individual counseling to children and their families
• Works with problems in children’s living situation (home, school, and community) that affect their adjustment in school
• Mobilize school and community resources to optimize student’s potential to learn in their educational programs
• Design and implement behavior management plans, consult with mainstream and special education teachers, and provide case management for students and families requiring multiple services
• Participate in Manifestation Determination issues of students with disabilities
• Participates in the Medicaid in the schools program as a licensed provider
• Shall work 161 days at 8 hours daily
• Shall be entitled to all fringe benefits as accrued by all nine month employees.
• Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES REQUIRED: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to apply knowledge of current research and theory to instructional programs
• Ability to plan and implement lessons based on division and school objectives and the needs and abilities of students assigned
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, peers, parents and community
• Ability to speak clear and concisely in written or oral communication
• Ability to demonstrate a positive attitude and collaboration in all work related activities

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Supervises students

LANGUAGE SKILLS: 

• Ability to read, analyzes, and interprets general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: 

• Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations

REASONING ABILITY: 

• Ability to define problems collects data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: 

Master’s in Social Work (MSW) preferred

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: 

New Mexico Public Education Department Social Worker License and New Mexico Social Worker’s Board License

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL EFFORT: The working conditions and physical efforts are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Work is normally performed in a typical interior/office work environment
• No or very limited physical effort required
• No or very limited exposure to physical risk