Letter from the ChairGreetings!

I always look forward to the start of the school year. It is a chance for a new beginning for us as well

as for our students. This school year has started in the midst of contentious political debates, a painful

national dialogue about diversity, senseless shootings, and devastating natural disasters such as

Hurricane Matthew—the list goes on, but you get the picture. School social workers are on the front

lines, addressing tremendous challenges in their daily work. We act as the lynchpin that effectively

manages problems. We facilitate difficult conversations and encourage others to thoughtfully reflect

on the barrage of negative events for which there are no easy explanations.

The articles here offer new and exciting perspectives on how school social workers can respond in

novel ways. The first article, Thinking About Tier 3 Interventions? Consider This…, describes principles

that can be used to guide practice for students with the most complex and intensive needs. It addresses

the art and science of how to get big-picture ideas to solve complex issues. The second article,

Can School Social Work Practice Meet Its Own Grand Challenges?, outlines a number of initiatives

that ensure school social workers are well positioned to innovatively respond to the demands of

21st-century schools. Both articles suggest a new paradigm that can help us to successfully serve

students and families, while reinforcing the importance of our profession.

Brenda Coble Lindsey, EdD, MSW, LCSW

SSWFALL � 2016

SECTIONCONNECTION

NASW Practice & ProfessionalDevelopment BlogWhere can you find the latestinformation posting about socialwork practice? Visit the NASWPractice and ProfessionalDevelopment Blog. Designed forNASW Section members and socialworkers in practice, it offers trendingtopics, valuable resources, andprofessional developmentopportunities. Learn more atwww.socialworkblog.org/practice-and-professional-development/.

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©2016 National Association of Social Workers.All Rights Reserved.

IT’S A FACT: Most school buildings are underused dur

Brenda Coble Lindsey, EdD, MSW, LCSW, ChairMegan Love Berkowitz, MSW, LICSWGregory P. Drozdowski, ACSWMichael S. Kelly, PhD, LCSWD. Natasha Scott, EdS, MSW

SSWCommitteeMembers

LET’S FRAME THE WORKAs school social workers, weare pulled in a variety ofdirections along the tieredcontinuum. Tier 1 interventionsare for all children. An exampleof Tier 1 work would includeproviding professionaldevelopment to all staff (affectingall youth) about trauma orevidence-based classroommanagement strategies. Tier 2 interventions are for somechildren, or between 10 to 15 percent of your school’spopulation. Examples of Tier 2 interventions includecoordinating social/academic

instructional groups or groupsof children participating inCheck-In-Check-Out. Tier 3 ishighly individualized andintensive, and involves thedevelopment of a uniquesupport team specific to theyouth and family. Examples ofTier 3 interventions includefunctional-based assessment/behavior intervention planningand person-centered planningapproaches, like Wraparound.Between 1 and 5 percent ofyour school’s population willneed Tier 3 interventions (PositiveBehavioral Interventions andSupports, 2016).

We can gain clarity about Tier 3 work if we rely on the 10principles of Wraparound. (The Principles of Wraparound:chapter 2.1) Tier 3 work is:• Driven by family voice and

choice• Team-based• Work that has natural

supports• Collaborative• Community-based• Culturally competent• Individualized• Strengths-based• Unconditional care• Outcome-based

When you read through those10 principles and use them todescribe Tier 3 interventions, itbecomes clear that Tier 3 is aprocess, rather than oneintervention. Think back to thelast time you said you were“doing Tier 3”—were these 10 principles in place?

DOES TIER 3 TAKE TOOMUCH TIME?We can convince ourselves thatTier 3 takes too much time. Tier3 is time intensive, but so iseverything else we do duringour workday that involvesserving youth with Tier 3 needs.

THINKING ABOUT TIER 3 INTERVENTIONS? Consider This…

NASW PRESIDENTDarrell Wheeler, PhD, MPH, ACSW

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERAngelo McClain, PhD, LICSW

NASW STAFFDirector, Professional andWorkforce DevelopmentRaffaele Vitelli, CAE

Specialty Practice Section ManagerYvette Mulkey, MS

Senior Practice AssociateNancy McFall Jean, MSW

Project CoordinatorRochelle Wilder

AMI FLAMMINI, LCSW

A better question might be: Isour time spent effectively, andhow do we know? This requiresus to evaluate how we spendour time: Does the interventionrequire clinical skills? Is theintervention producing thedesired change?

Most school social workersspend at least 90 minutes aweek dealing with a studentwith high-level needs—eitherdirectly or indirectly. This couldinclude working one-on-onewith the student; checking inwith the student throughout theday; talking with parents,teachers, and administrators;and calling doctors and mentalhealth counselors. Is this anefficient process? Is thisapproach successful? Do weeven know what it means for astudent with Tier 3–level needsto be successful? It’s time we ask!

HOW DO WE DEFINE SUCCESS?When we are thinking aboutTier 3, we need a clear definitionof success. In education, wesometimes think success meansa student will no longer haveoffice discipline referrals or will never be in the psychiatrichospital again, but this may not be a realistic definition.Returning to the basic principlesof Wraparound (Suter, n.d.), aTier 3 intervention can help usto define success. At Tier 3,student/family voice and choiceis the core of our work: Studentsand families define success.

Isn’t it odd to think we woulddefine what success is for astudent and his or her family? Itis our role at Tier 3 to help theyouth and family voice whatthey want and then help themto identify who and what canhelp them get it. Isn’t that arelief? We don’t have to figureout what success is, and wedon’t have to figure out how toreach it. As school socialworkers, we get to use ourclinical skills to help empowerpeople. In my experience, thistakes more clinical skills thancase management, and is moreof an art than trying to “dotherapy” in 23 minutes, in oursemi-private office, and thensending the youth back to math.

HOW DO WE USE DATA?Using data is critical and nolonger optional. Using data toidentify students with Tier 3 needsensures that we are spendingour time, energy, and resourceson those who have the highest-level needs. For example, hasthe young person been providedopportunities to participate inlower-level, less-intensiveinterventions prior to progressingto Tier 3? (Sometimes we assumeyouth are not going to respondto lower-level interventionswithout ever giving them theopportunity to see if that’senough.) Or, is there a studentwho is returning from apsychiatric hospitalization or fromjuvenile detention who needsimmediate and intense support?

Data can help us to direct thoseyouth with lower-level needs tointerventions that require lesstime from the social worker.School social workers often“see” a lot of kids who want to“touch base,” because wefocus on engagement and arestrengths-based. Many of thoseyouth could “see”—and benefitfrom—people who are focusedon engagement, are strengths-based, yet don’t have theclinical skills that come with anMSW, freeing up our time towork with students who havehigher-level needs. Data willhelp us make decisions aboutwhere to start, guide us alongthe journey, and help us knowwhen the intervention has beensuccessful.

TIER 3: THINK INTEGRATIONThe integration of schools andmental health is becomingrecognized as a necessaryframework (Barrett, S. & Weist,M., n.d.). The blended world ofschool and mental health willbenefit youth and families. Wehave the opportunity to use aninformed lens, where weunderstand Tier 3 is bigger than“social work minutes,” biggerthan case management, andbigger than working one-on-one with a student. Let’s raisethe bar, begin asking informedquestions, improve how weserve youth and families, andfinally, grow and strengthen our profession.

Ami Flammini, LCSW, is a technicalassistance and training director forPositive Behavioral Interventions andSupports (PBIS) Advanced Tiers withthe Midwest PBIS Network. She canbe contacted atami.flammini@midwestpbis.org.

REFERENCESBarrett, S., Eber, L. & Weist, M.

(n.d). Advancing educationeffectiveness: Interconnectingschool mental health andschool-wide positive behaviorsupport. Retrieved fromwww.pbis.org/common/cms/files/Current%20Topics/Final-Monograph.pdf

Midwest PBIS Network. (n.d.).Wraparound. Retrieved fromwww.midwestpbis.org/materials/wraparound

Positive Behavioral Interventionsand Supports. (2016).Positive BehavioralInterventions and Supports.[Online.] Retrieved fromwww.pbis.org

Suter, J. (n.d.). Wraparoundbasics. NationalWraparound Initiative.Retrieved from nwi.pdx.eduon September 5, 2016.

The Principles of Wraparound:chapter 2.1. (n.d.). Retrievedfrom National WraparoundInitiative: nwi.pdx.edu/NWI-book/Chapters/Bruns-2.1(10principles-of-wrap).pdf

ing summer seasons and can be available for educational purposes.

Beyond Treatment As Usual: The Case for Cognitive Remediation Tuesday, December 6, 2016 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET

1 Clinical CE Contact Hour

Developing Cultural Humility in Social Work Practice Tuesday, January 31, 2017 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET

1 Social Work CE Contact Hour

Integrating Smoking Cessation into Clinical Social Work Thursday, February 2, 2017 • 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET

1.5 Social Work CE Contact Hours

The 3 S's: Supervision, Self-Reflection, and Self-Care Tuesday, February 7, 2017 • 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET

1.5 Social Work CE Contact Hours

Upcoming Live Specialty Practice Sections WebinarsMore live webinars coming soon including an ethics webinar in March visit socialworkers.org/sections for details.

What are the “GrandChallenges” facing schoolsocial work (SSW) practice,research, and policy today?

I write that somewhat overusedphrase intentionally, as GrandChallenges in social work arevery much on the radar thesedays. I will briefly outline what Isee as our field’s GrandChallenges and suggest a fewof the ways that I think we cantackle them together.

As I write this essay, a group ofsocial workers are gathered inSt. Louis for the First GrandChallenges Conference, titled“Social Innovation for America’sRenewal: Ideas, Evidence,Action.” As I listen to thelivestream of the event, speakersare sharing their ideas for howthe 12 Grand Challenges canbe tackled through social workresearch and practice. All ofthese challenges, organizedaround three themes (Individualand Family Well-Being, StrongerSocial Fabric, and Just Society)have a range of applications toschools and SSW practice. (For a list of the challenges and policy briefs, go tohttps://csd.wustl.edu/events/ConferencesAndSymposia/Pages/Grand-Challenges-Policy-Briefs.aspx; full

disclosure: I am a secondaryauthor on the “Achieve EqualOpportunity and Justice” policybrief, along with a number ofschool social work scholars).

I am a school social worker of14 years who has now spentthe past 10 years asking schoolsocial workers what they doand what barriers theyexperience in their practice.One thing becomes clear whenyou read these policy briefs:Current SSW practice has tochange if its practitioners aregoing to successfully addressthe Grand Challenges. Muchwill have to change if we aregoing to assume the expansiveand evidence-informed SSWpractice roles needed to take onthe kind of advocacy andprevention-oriented work calledfor in these policy briefs.

For the past decade, I havebeen involved with variousSSW research teams thatanalyze survey and focus groupdata in which school socialworkers describe their practicechoices and the way theirvarious roles fit within a three-tier Multi-Tiered System ofSupports,(MTSS) structure.We’ve asked them to describetheir practice realities and also

tell us about their “ideal”practice, assuming they didn’tface barriers in their schools ortheir roles. Some persistent,concerning trends haveemerged, and they seem to addup to a school social workpractice challenge that must bemet before we are able toaddress the macro-practiceissues outlined in the GrandChallenges:

• Overall, school social workersare not promoting universal/macro-practice strategies intheir schools. Theseinterventions are often referredto in the current MTSS parlanceas “Tier 1 interventions”(Kelly et al., 2016).

• Even when they are involvedin Tier 1 work, school socialworkers report they aren’table to do it consistentlythrough the school year andreport feeling unsupported intheir schools due to their highcaseloads and the need to becompliant with specialeducation and Medicaidmandates (Kelly et al., 2010, 2015).

• Overall, school socialworkers report that they don’thave the tools to engage indata-driven, evidence-informed practice. They also

report that they didn’t acquiretraining in these skills in theirpre-service social worktraining and field placements(Phillippo, Kelly, Shayman, &Frey, forthcoming).

• Though some SSWpractitioners with fewer than10 years of experience areshowing more facility withcollecting data, engaging inprevention work, and usingevidence-informed practice(Thompson, Frey, & Kelly,forthcoming), the field as awhole is still not engaging inthese practices consistently inways that would allowpractitioners to respond to theGrand Challenges outlinedabove or many of the policyinitiatives within U.S. K–12education (e.g., establishingeffective MTSS in schools tohelp address achievementand discipline gaps forminority youth).

A PLAN FOR ADDRESSINGOUR SSW PRACTICECHALLENGESOver the past few years, innumerous national and localpresentations (including a well-received one at School SocialWork Association ofAmerica)national meeting inMarch 2016), I’ve asked SSW

CAN SCHOOLSOCIAL WORKPRACTICE MeetIts Own GrandChallenges?MICHAEL S. KELLY PHD, MSW

researchers and practitioners tohelp me identify some of thekey components of how wemight address the above issuesin both our pre-service trainingin social work programs as wellas our post-service training forSSW practitioners in the field.While not an exhaustive list,four areas have resonated withthe various audiences andstakeholder groups I’ve talkedwith. I share them now, withadditional information on howwe are trying to implementthese ideas as part of Loyola’sFamily and School PartnershipProgram (FSPP).

Developing Online Tools ThatAre Free, User-Friendly, andEvidence-Informed In focus groups we’ve led overthe past three years, schoolsocial workers have told us thatthey are very interested in usingonline tools to improve theirpractice. They use social mediaoutlets like Pinterest to get ideasfor groups, ask colleagues foradvice in Facebook groups,and go to databases likeSubstance Abuse and MentalHealth Services Administration,SAMHSA’s National Registry ofEvidence-based Programs andPractices (www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/01_landing.aspx). Whatthey tell us is that they don’t feelthat they have a few excellent,free, and evidence-informedonline sites that can act as “go-to” sources for when theyare stuck with a student orschool situation. Meanwhile,most of the great SSW researchis still in journals, hiddenbehind subscription pay walls,and may not always be writtenin accessible language forpractitioners to use right away.Along with a team ofresearchers and practitionershere and at Ohio StateUniversity, we are planning to

relaunch the websitewww.schoolsocialwork.net totry to collect online resourcesthat are free, user-friendly, andevidence-informed. Pleasecontact us at mkell17@luc.eduif you’re interested incontributing to this project.

Moving the Field Forward:Developing Data-Driven,Prevention-Oriented FieldPlacement Opportunities forNew School Social Work Students On July 14, 2016, withcolleagues from MidwestPositive Behavior Interventionsand Supports, (www.midwestpbis.org/home) and Universityof Illinois-Chicago, I led ameeting of school social workfield educators, fieldsupervisors, and researchers tolook at our pre-service fieldplacements. Over the course ofa spirited three-hour meeting,we reached a consensus: Ourstudents must have moreexposure to interventions acrossall three tiers of MTSS andmore time in their fieldplacements to engage in data-based decision making. Almost20 of us came together fromeight schools of social work tocommit to a process this year toengage our field partners inways that we can support thiswork. We plan to post updateson our progress and to inviteothers to join us in other schoolsof social work across the country.

A Network of Master SchoolSocial Work Mentors to CloseOur Consultation Gap For most of us, the first and lasttime we had a closeprofessional relationship withanother SSW practitioner wasin our field placement. Giventhat the average number ofyears in the field ranges from12 to 14, based on our surveydata, that’s a long time to have

such limited chances forprofessional consultation with atrusted senior colleague. To thatend, we are planning at Loyola’sFSPP, in conjunction with mycolleagues at Midwest PBIS,and the Oxford Symposium forSchool-Based Family Counseling(www.schoolbasedfamilycounseling.com/), to develop aroster of School Social WorkMaster Mentors who areinterested in volunteering asconsultants to their colleagues.

Creating Effective ProfessionalLearning Communities (PLCs) toBolster School Social WorkerSkills and Morale PLCs are a growing area in K–12 education and offer anotheropportunity to address thepractice challenges notedearlier; PLCs also decreaseSSW practitioner isolation andbuild community.

CONCLUSIONSSW Can Meet Its Own Grand ChallengesI can say that I have never beenmore excited to be a schoolsocial worker—even includingthat first delirious year in 1993when I had my first SSW joband everything was new. Basedon the research we now have,and the energy I see circulatingat state and national levels, theearly 21st century represents atremendous opportunity for allof us to take pride in what SSWhas been and to rededicateourselves to innovative ways tobuild our practice so that wemay tackle our society’sgrandest challenges. I can’twait to get started.

Michael S. Kelly PhD, MSW, is anassociate professor and director of theFamily and School PartnershipProgram, Loyola University ChicagoSchool of Social Work. He can bereached at mkell17@luc.edu.

REFERENCESKelly, M.S., Berzin, S.C., Frey,

A., Alvarez, M., Shaffer, G.,& O’Brien, K. (2010). Thestate of school social work:Findings from the NationalSchool Work Survey. SchoolMental Health Journal, 2(3),132-141.

Kelly, M.S., Frey, A., Thompson,A, Klemp, H., Alvarez, M. &Berzin, S.C. (2016).Assessing the NationalSchool Social Work PracticeModel: Findings from the2nd National SSW Survey.Social Work.

Kelly, M.S., Thompson, A.,Frey, A., Klemp, H., Alvarez,M. & Berzin, S.C. (2015).The state of school socialwork: Revisted. SchoolMental Health. DOI10.1007/s12310-015-9149-9.

Phillippo, K., Kelly, M.S.,Shayman, E., & Frey, A.Forthcoming. Adaptability,innovation, and constantcustomization: A qualitativeextension of the 2014Second National SchoolSocial Work Survey.

Thompson, A., Frey, A., &Kelly, M.S. Forthcoming.Contextual practice factorsand evidence-based beliefsand practices and ecologicallyfocused school social workpractice profiles: A latentclass analysis.

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This is the perfect opportunity for you to find your social work

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Register now for the 2017 Virtual Career Fair withthis registration link: http://bit.ly/2e5iH4W

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TAKE YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT

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Did You Know?Social workers bring a uniqueunderstanding of coordinated care and collaboration and areespecially trained in identifying and addressing the specialemotional and developmental needs of young children.

Call for Social Work Practitioner Submissions

NASW invites current social work practitioners to submit brief articles for our specialty practice publications. Topics must be relevant to one or more of the following specialized areas:

For submission details and author guidelines, go toSocialWorkers.org/Sections. If you need more information, email sections@naswdc.org.

• Administration/Supervision• Aging• Alcohol, Tobacco, and

Other Drugs• Child Welfare• Children, Adolescents,

and Young Adults

• Health• Mental Health• Private Practice• School Social Work• Social and Economic

Justice & Peace• Social Work and the Courts