National Communication Campaign

Going back to school with School Social Workers

A Collaborative Public Education Campaign by the School Social Work Association of America and NASW’s School Social Work Specialty Practice Section

In August 2019, the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) and National Association of Social Workers (NASW) launched a public education campaign to increase public knowledge of the value school social workers bring to schools, students, families and communities, and encourage school districts to hire more school social workers. Here is a short video to kick off the campaign.

SSWAA's Expert of the Month

patrick mulkern

Patrick Mulkern, MSW, PPSC is a School Social Worker with a passion for supporting students’ advocacy to change educational systems. He currently serves as the Student Affairs and PPSC Program Liaison for the California Association of School Social Work (CASSW) and as a member of the School Social Work Association of America’s (SSWAA) Randy Fisher Legacy Endowment Fund Board. Patrick lectures at the University of California, Berkeley and teaches courses on Social Work Practice in Schools and Human Sexuality.

SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS IN THE NEWS

LETTER: School social workers key to stopping violence

While trends show Forsyth County food insecurity dipping, local experts say problems still exist

School Social Worker Mary Pereda works with community resources to meet needs of students and families

'Kids coming to school with more trauma': Here's what local schools are doing

School social workers make a difference

WI School social worker, Stacey Oliphant, nominated for an award

Metro school adds sensory path to help student wellness

Grandfamilies are growing

Former Lion Eric Hipple coming to ZPS to discuss mental health

Oakland County's first high school therapy dog brings comfort, companionship

WHAT WILL SSWAA DO?

Monthly topic that links school social workers to issues faced by school districts
Monthly blog, e-bell article, sample social media posts and web resources related to the topic
Monthly podcasts on highlighted topic hosted by Charles Barr, Common Ground or Dr. Terriyln Rivers-Cannon, Dare to Soar
Monthly to-do-lists that provide SSWAA Members with information about what they can do to promote school social work in their school and district
Social Media posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram
A Twitter Storm one day a month – the second Wednesday of every month!

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Post on social media about school social work, especially during our Twitter Storms

Send letters to your principal and superintendent about the value a school social worker brings to the school

Share information about the national education campaign with all of your colleagues

Schools in Dayton, OH are hiring more school social workers

Let’s make this the year of the school social worker by raising awareness about our role in supporting the success of all students!

TWEETS

#Back2SchoolSocialWorkers #NASW #SSWAA #BackToSchool #schoolsocialworker #schoolsocialwork #SEL #ClosingthegapSSW #mentalhealth

THANK YOU!!

Thank you to the SSWAA Public Relations Committee for their work on this campaign --

Kashera Robinson and Emilie Souhrada!