Social Worker

Urbana School District #116

TITLE: Social Worker

LOCATION:  Thomas Paine Elementary School 

SUPERVISOR:  This position reports directly to the building Principal and the Assistant Superintendent for Special Services.

SUPERVISES: Supervises the work of student social work interns as applicable.

JOB SUMMARY:  The Social Worker promotes and enhances the overall academic mission of the Urbana School District #116 by providing services that strengthen home/school/community partnerships and alleviate barriers to learning. The Social Worker contributes to developing a healthy and safe environment by advancing the understanding of the social, emotional, and developmental needs of District students and their families.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily.

• Provide assertive outreach and act as a liaison between students, parents, staff, and community agencies.
• Assess students to determine their need for school social work or other services and address the social and emotional needs of students based on assessment.
• Provide crisis intervention to school-age children and their families as appropriate and as requested by administrative personnel assigned to the school.
• Establish and maintain home/school ties for students and work with families concerning home situations related to school performance.
• Participate in Special Education Services evaluations of students, including adaptive behavior assessments and social development studies.
• Provide assistance to teachers or teams in planning to meet the needs of students.
• Participate in efforts to remediate student truancy, delinquency, and behavior problems.
• Maintain records memorializing professional social work services rendered.
• Coordinate student transitions within District programs, schools, services, and communities.
• Maintain communication with appropriate community agencies and aid in finding solutions to community-wide problems that affect students and families.
• Evaluate and refer students and their families to appropriate resources within the school and community.
• Adhere to laws and procedures involving child abuse/neglect and cooperate with community agencies to identify the need for protective services for children.
• Identify and offer in-service training for school personnel and parents to engage in group social work meetings.
• Participate in professional growth activities, including workshops, institutes, seminars, and research projects.
• Participate in local, state, regional, and national professional organizations related to the social work profession.
• Recommend lesson and curriculum modifications to meet the needs of individual students and groups of students.
• Perform any and all additional duties as assigned by the Board of Education, Superintendent of Schools, Building Principals, and/or the Assistant Superintendent for Special Services.

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION

• Minimum Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in social work.

EXPERIENCE

• Two years or more of school-based experience is preferred except in the case of a new Social Worker.

LICENSES/CREDENTIALS:  Valid Illinois School Social Work Certificate

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:  Ability to communicate and collaborate

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:  

• Salary and Benefit information can be found on the Human Resources webpage.  There are many opportunities for employees to earn additional compensation (stipends, differentials, extra duty pay, etc.) during the regular school year and in the summer.
• This is a position within the collective bargaining unit and is not an administrative position.
• This is an exempt position.
• Student Contact Days and other days stipulated on the work calendar in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement. 

START DATE:  School Year 2026-2027

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

REVISED: March 2025