"We Want to be There to Support...Do We Have the Capacity to Do That?" an Exploration of Current Priorities and Challenges in the Field of School Social Work

Background: With the increasing mental health needs and persistent barriers to student learning in K-12 schools, school social workers are of utmost importance to supporting students’ overall well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic brought dramatic changes in schooling, and continued challenges and long-lasting effects in its aftermath. As a result, school districts continue to invest in school social workers as vital components of the school community. With varying student needs, there continues to be new challenges for the profession, particularly as an ancillary support to the school community. The current study aims to answer the following research questions: (1) How do school social workers describe priorities and role responsibilities?; and (2) What are the challenges school social workers face in their current role?

Methods: The current qualitative study involved primary data collected from five focus groups conducted in October 2022. The sample included school social workers in Virginia working in middle and/or high schools (N = 16). The majority (87.5%) of participants identified as female, White (75%), and with an average of 11 years of service (SD = 7.61). Two research team members facilitated each focus group via Zoom using a semi-structured interview guide to lead the discussion. After data collection, the research team transcribed all focus groups and conducted a thematic analysis using Braun and Clarke’s six steps in Dedoose. The analysis explored themes that emerged from participant discussions.

Results: The primary themes regarding current challenges in school social worker roles and responsibilities included: (1) Role confusion due to vast scope of responsibilities within their schools; (2) A disconnect between desired roles and assigned roles and responsibilities; and (3) Lack of formal model of service provision. Overall, participants indicated that a lack of a specified practice model for conducting school social work in their schools, and limited protocols from leadership led them to not be able to prioritize directed, clinical practice with students. This was particularly true dependent on leadership and leadership’s knowledge of school social work practice. Though practitioners desired to engage in more clinical work to support students’ mental health, their other prescribed responsibilities (i.e., truancy, case management, crisis intervention) limited their time and capacity for these preferred roles. Such limited capacity was mentioned as leaving participants feeling as though they were unable to address student needs as much as they had anticipated.

Implications and Conclusions: The current study reveals important information about trends in current challenges in school social work practice. From a structural framework, it is important to consider the concept of organizational centrality of social workers embedded within the school structure and how this has led many practitioners to experience role dissonance. This study supports the need for school social workers to practice under a formal model of service provision such as the National School Social Work Practice Model prescribed by the School Social Work Association of America. Such a framework, along with informed administration and leadership, can begin to move the field forward to best support student needs while also increasing practitioner satisfaction.