Posting Timeline

PPS strongly encourages and recommends everyone who is able, to be vaccinated and remain current on the COVID-19 vaccine.

This job is open until filled. Applications will be reviewed as received. Portland Public Schools reserves the right to make a hiring decision at any point during the posting period.

Position Details

Portland Public Schools (PPS) is seeking talented people from diverse backgrounds and experiences to lead change and inspire PPS students. At PPS, every employee, despite having different roles, is an educator. We hope to attract talented educators who model the core PPS Educator Essentials .With the District’s focus on eliminating systemic racism and its adverse impact on student learning, we seek to hire individuals who bring to our district a deep commitment to racial equity and social justice. Non-Discrimination / Anti-Harassment Policy

POSITION SUMMARY:

The School Social Workers promotes and enhances the overall academic mission of the district by providing services that strengthen home/school/community partnerships and working to identify and assist students, families, and school systems to overcome barriers that interfere with learning through the use of assessment, counseling, consultation, coordination of school and community resources, and program development. The School Social Worker significantly contributes to the development of a healthy, safe and caring environment by advancing the understanding of the emotional and social development of children and the influences of family, community, and cultural differences on student success and by implementing effective intervention strategies. Working with parents/guardians, teachers, school principal/principal’s designee, and community partners, the school social worker implements strategies that promote students’ positive school engagement.

PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:

Assessment / Evaluation:

• Conducts multi-tiered school needs assessments including: Assessing individual student needs, classroom and small group needs and assessing school-wide or universal school needs.
  
• Collects and records information to share with appropriate personnel as a component of case study.
  • Initiates parent conferences or contact.
    
  • Interviews students and others.
    
  • Reviews student records.
    
  • Observes student in various environments when appropriate.
    
  • Obtains medical, social, or educational information about a referred student from community agencies.
    
• Develops, implements, and evaluates the school social work services that promote student and family success.
  

Coordination/Liaison /Collaboration:

• Locates and mobilizes school and community resources to support the educational program.
  
• Attends meetings and professional development activities as required.
  
• Collaborates with school staff to identify, determine and implement appropriate therapeutic strategies to effect identified social, emotional, and behavioral issues.
  
• Serves as a liaison between families and the school to positively promote collaborative processes in educational planning for students by encouraging parent/guardian participation in the school setting.
  
• Serves on both school-based and system-wide committees to address school climate, equity, educational issues, school adjustment problems, safety issues, social emotional learning and program development for students.
  
• Participate as members of the IEP, SST, and other school based teams to develop interventions for promoting students’ academic success.
  
• Conducts staff development on issues related to trauma, addiction, equity, needs of the students and families and social-emotional-environmental factors that impact learning.
  
• Serves as liaison between school, families and community agencies.
  • Serves on multidisciplinary teams within the school system.
    
  • Serves on inter-agency committees.
    
  • Promotes mutual respect, understanding and support between school and home.
    
  • Interprets school social work services to the community.
    
  • Coordinates care coordination with school based mental health providers.
    
• Effectively utilizes community resources to serve family and student needs.
  • Keeps current on services provided by community resources.
    
  • Makes appropriate referrals to community agencies e.g. counseling, financial assistance, medical, psychological.
    
  • Performs follow up on referrals.
    
• Serves as school liaison between family, school and community agencies.
  • Identifies and develops strategies to ameliorate the factors that contribute to a student's excessive absences.
    
  • Assists in fostering communication between schools, parents/guardians, and community providers.
    
  • Assists in the recognition, identification of child abuse/neglect situations.
    
  • Assists schools in developing and following procedures related to attendance concerns.
    
  • Responsible for reporting child abuse/neglect and educational neglect situations.
    
• Provides input to assure that student's educational, social, emotional, health and material needs are met in accordance with established laws, rules, and regulations.
  • Direct Practice/ Intervention .
    
• Conducts assessment of need with individual students, families and groups to determine scope of social work services.
  
• Provides direct services to students and families.
  • Counsels individual students/groups regarding issues which interfere with adjustment and/or performance within the educational setting.
    
  • Provides short-term individual casework services to students.
    
  • Provides long-term individual casework services to students.
    
  • Counsels with students and parents as a family system.
    
  • Works with parents as individuals or in groups.
    
  • Works to address mental health and/or alcohol or other drug related issues as well as addiction issues.
    
  • Coordinates on site emergency supplies for students and families such as food, clothing, hygiene items, and a food pantry.
    
• Provides crisis intervention services including suicide assessments and safety plans.
  
• Conducts home visits related to establishing communication and positive connections between the parent/guardian and school setting around identified issues.
  
• Conducts classroom meetings, psycho-educational social skills groups, and classroom presentations on identified areas of concern for the students. Classroom presentations include suicide awareness and prevention.
  
• Develops programs to address parent/guardian participation in the school and student engagement in the educational process.
  
• Provides parent/guardian educational workshops on identified issues related to child development, stress management, problem solving, self-regulation, personal safety, and effective teacher/parent/student communication.
  
• Provides staff consultation on trauma informed practice and behavioral-emotional-environmental issues affecting student participation in the learning process.
  
• Works to support staff with self-care and issues related vicarious trauma.
  

ADMINISTRATION / MANAGEMENT:

• Organizes time, resources, and services to meet workload demands.
  • Plans a schedule of activities.
    
  • Makes and accepts referrals.
    
  • Provides follow-up and feedback.
    
• Maintains accurate, complete, and punctual records as required by law, district policy, and administrative directions.
  • Documents information to substantiate circumstances relating to pertinent events.
    
  • Maintains required clinical records and submits appropriate documents.
    
  • Prepares timely and accurate reports and data.
    
  • Maintains adequate case records.
    
  • Uses established reporting channels and procedures.
    
  • Abides by Social Work Code of Ethics pertaining to confidentiality of information.
    
• Outreach to increase supports for students, which may include supervision of MSW/ Mental health interns.
  

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

Knowledge of:

• Ethics and Values School social workers shall adhere to the ethics and values of the social work profession and shall use the NASW Code of Ethics as a guide to ethical decision making, while understanding the unique aspects of school social work practice and the needs of the students, parents, and communities they serve.
  
• Assessment School social workers shall conduct assessments of individuals, families and systems/organizations (namely, classroom, school, neighborhood, district, state) with the goal of improving student social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes.
  
• School social workers shall possess skills in systematic assessment, data gathering, and interpretation at multiple levels using a variety of methods (for example, interview, direct observation, standardized instruments, surveys, focus groups) to assess the needs, characteristics, and interactions of students, families, and school personnel. School social workers shall conduct reliable and valid assessments of students and organizations to inform the design of interventions to remove barriers to learning. Assessments shall use ecological perspectives and functional approaches to enhance understanding of barriers to learning and the interventions that foster improvement of student well-being and academic progress.
  
• Intervention School social workers shall understand and use evidence-informed practices in their interventions.
  
• Decision Making and Practice Evaluation School social workers shall use data to guide service delivery and to evaluate their practice regularly to improve and expand services.
  
• Record Keeping School social workers shall maintain accurate data and records that are relevant to planning, implementation, and evaluation of school social work services.
  
• Workload Management School social workers shall organize their workloads to fulfill their responsibilities and clarify their critical roles within the educational mission of the school or district in which they work.
  
• Professional Development School social workers shall pursue continuous enhancement of knowledge and skills to provide the most current, beneficial, and culturally appropriate services to students and their families.
  
• Cultural Awareness School social workers shall ensure that students and their families are provided services within the context of multicultural understanding and competence.
  
• Advocacy School social workers shall engage in advocacy that seeks to ensure that all students have equal access to education and services to enhance their academic progress.
  

EDUCATION, TRAINING, EXPERIENCE:

• The required academic degree is a Masters of Social Work from a graduate school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Candidate is a TSPC Licensed School Social Worker or Licensed Clinical Social Work. Restricted School Social Worker License: http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/pages/rules/oars_500/oar_584/584_070.html
• School Social Workers shall meet the provisions for professional practice set by NASW and possess knowledge and understanding basic to the social work profession as well as the local education system.
• They should be knowledgeable about IDEA and Child Find responsibilities.
• Knowledgeable about best practices and school mental health practices including alcohol and drug prevention and intervention.

LICENSURE REQUIREMENT: State Board LCSW or Teacher Standards and Practice Commission Personnel Services School Worker License

COMPENSATION: $55,539 - $108,07 (Annual salary based on 1.0 FTE)

WORK YEAR: 193 days

FTE:

Benefits Information

Portland Public Schools (PPS) offers several competitive and comprehensive benefit packages to employees.Fringe benefits include medical, dental, vision, prescription, life and disability insurance, employee assistance program, 403(b) retirement savings plan and various leave and professional development programs. Depending on the insurance option selected by the employee, there may be an employee contribution toward insurance.

Portland Public Schools is a public employer and participates in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS/OPSRP). Eligible employees are required by statute to contribute 6% of salary on a pre-tax basis to OPSRP/IAP, after serving six months under a PERS employer.

For moreinformation about additional benefits or compensation options by employee group, please visit our website at: https://www.pps.net/Page/1635