Projects

Why Do We Need A Network?

In Texas, among a sea of teachers, administrators, school psychologists, and guidance counselors there are social workers in our schools. These social workers are often overlooked. School social workers try to help their students with daily struggles and crisis while also maintaining the full view of the systems and barriers their students face- a quintessential and unique perspective social workers bring to schools.  As social workers, we’ve been equipped with many clinical tools, and also have been taught to advocate for families, within their communities and schools so that youth are provided with the support they need to grow socially, emotionally and achieve their desired educational and professional goals.

School social workers are an integral part of a student’s education, and yet we do not have a regional network of school mental health professionals who are coming together to connect, learn and improve practices through collaboration. The Steve Hick’s School of Social Work and the Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing would like to change that.

Introducing, The Texas School Social Work Network. By focusing on research, training, and practice, TSSWN hopes to build an evidence-based model of school social work practice and provide school social workers with the tools and guidance that they can use in their everyday practice.

What We Plan To Do:

• Build evidence for a school social work model that works within existing school-based mental health models.
• Unite school social workers all over Texas and provide a place for these professionals to grow, learn and collaborate.
• Develop practice & evaluation tools that school social workers can use in their daily practice with students, their families, and communities.
• Provide trainings and educational opportunities to school social workers who want to grow their practice.

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