Social Workers in Schools (SWiS)

Social Services in Schools SWiS = Social Workers in Schools MASSiSS = Multi Agency Support Services in Secondary Schools YWiSS = Youth Workers in Secondary Schools

SWiS and MASSiSS The SWiS/MASSiS service is for children, young people and their families, when children have: poor attendance or engagement in school, as a result of social or family/ whānau circumstances social or behavioural concerns are experiencing grief or loss families struggling with lack of support, financial concerns, overcrowding, or issues with parenting skills, family violence, drugs and alcohol at-risk families, including those who have been referred by Child, Youth and Family for community based support.

What is SWiS? SWiS is a school-based social work service funded by Child, Youth and Family 41 NGOs are currently contracted to deliver SWiS services to children and families/whānau SWiS is available to all decile 1-3 schools up to year 8 (673 schools) Also in 42 schools with higher decile due to previous criteria (pre 2011 expansion) Current total of 274 social workers in schools

Who is SWiS for? SWiS social workers work with children and their families/whānau Referrals need the consent of the family: participation and engagement are the key to success Where there are concerns about a child’s wellbeing When social factors impacting the family/whānau are affecting the child’s ability to learn.

SWiS Vision To enhance life outcomes for children whose social and family / whānau circumstances reduces their chances of achieving positive educational, social and health outcomes.

SWiS Outcomes Children engaged in and attending school Safe, socialised children with a strong sense of identity and well-being

SWiS outcomes are achieved through… Social work with children and their families/ whānau Prevention and intervention group programmes Community liaison and service co-ordination

Social work focus Child focussed: Child within whānau/family Paramountcy of the child Barriers to learning Family/whānau led: Whānau strengths and resources Addressing whānau needs

Social work focus Culturally responsive: Building relationships of trust Considering the impact of social conditions Strengths-based: Strengths and protective factors of whānau Considering the future

SWiS competency framework Building relationships Cultural skills Facilitating change Application of specialist knowledge and skills Managing conflict Assessing needs and strengths Implementing plans Facilitation skills Evaluation and review Interpersonal skills communication Linking to resources Working in partnership Administration Supervision and reflective practice Personal and professional development Teamwork Self-care

Referrals Referrals are made to SWiS with family/whānau understanding and consent SWiS social worker gains the informed participation of children and their families/whānau Referrals can be made by: schools, children, families, CYF, health, attendance services, community agencies SWiS is not a crisis service Child focussed Family/whānau led Strengths based

Whānau Referrals SWiS Referral Child/ young person Group programmes Group programmes Referral to community/ specialist service Family/whānau consent to service Family/whānau engagement Family/whānau social work SWiS Referral Child/ young person Group programmes Group programmes Advice and information Family/whānau consent to service

Whose Kaupapa? 41 social service agencies Service provider practice framework Schools culture Iwi organisations Urban Maori authorities Whānau Ora providers Christian social services CYF practice framework SWiS social workers’ practice framework

SWiS Development ‘ Results Based Accountability’ A Government-wide framework for describing continuous service improvement. Service providers report to Government on measures which cover broad questions:  How much did we do?  How well did we do it?  Is anyone better off? The social work process includes: Whānau plans with goals set Work between whānau and SWiS to show progression towards meeting goals. Reporting measures providing evidence of improvement in the child’s attendance and/or engagement at school.

SWiS Governance Partnership The framework for how the service works is set out in a Partnering Agreement between each school and the service provider Governance Groups The governance structure brings a wider community overview to SWiS. Members of this group include the local CYF office, MoE and any other stakeholders the group identifies.

SWiS success story The school was concerned about 7 year old John, who was disruptive and bullying his class mates. The principal met with his parents and offered support from the SWiS social worker in their school. John’s parents had also been struggling with him at home so they were keen to have support. The SWiS worker worked with John helping him learn different ways of thinking and behaving. They used tools such “Traffic Light Stop/Think/Go”, controlled breathing, Komochi feelings toys and cards which help children identify and express their feelings. This helped John to manage his feelings, express them more appropriately and build confidence. John’s parents were also shown how to use these strategies and toys and found it really helped them to be more positive with their son. Within a few months John had made new friends, was coping well with his classmates and his concentration was much better in the classroom. John’s teachers and parents were really pleased with his progress and the support they got from the SWiS worker.

Health, SWiS and Education working together A public health nurse on the East Coast, says that she and the social worker in schools are having great success in working closely together to provide holistic care for the tamariki and whānau in their area. This allows for early identification of concerns and needs for children and families. These needs include poverty, health issues and family violence. When health, education and community agencies work collaboratively with families, the necessary services and supports for the family are provided in a timely and coordinated manner. Whānau are then empowered to support their children more fully at home, and tamariki are able to concentrate and progress better at school.

Tamariki Tahi: Police, Education, and SWiS working together Tamariki Tahi is a pilot program and information sharing agreement between Police and Social Workers in Schools (SWiS) in Flaxmere Primary Schools. It’s a strategy to enable SWiS to support children subjected to Family Violence at the earliest opportunity. The agreement recognises that all children have the right to live a life free from violence and abuse, and be assisted and supported at the earliest possible opportunity. The SWiS manager says the process works by Police giving the SWiS service the names of children who were present at domestic violence call outs and then the school ensures the child is quietly taken into an office to check how they are feeling, offered a warm drink, and a quiet story. They also offer the child the opportunity to talk, but they do not press this. This early intervention for children is working well, and may be expanded into other schools in the region.

School appreciates SWiS A primary school Principal in Lower Hutt says “it’s fantastic being able to offer children and families this extra support”. When she becomes aware that a child is struggling with their school work, or behaviour in class, she rings the child’s parents to discuss this and the various supports the school can offer. She says the social worker often discovers that parents are dealing with underlying issues such as loss of a relative, parental separation or financial worries. Parents are very appreciative of the social workers support and ability to link them up with other professionals in the community. She is making a steady stream of referrals to the SWiS service.

SWiS worker enjoys her role Fiona Bell, is a SWiS Social Worker who works at Papatoetoe South School. She says: “this role is relatively autonomous and varied, and gives me great opportunities to work with children, families, groups, communities and allied professionals. I regularly spend some time during breaks in the school day at the playground to observe children and be available for them and their teachers, and this can lead to working more in-depth with children or families. Being open and flexible in my social work practice is one of the things I love most about the role of SWiS”.

Multi-Agency Support Services in Secondary schools (MASSiSS) MASSiSS is a school-based community social work service which offers early and responsive social work interventions to young people and their families/whānau, where problems have been identified which put young peoples’ education, safety or wellbeing at risk. Multi-Agency Support Services in Secondary Schools (MASSiSS), currently has 21 social workers in 16 schools in South Auckland, Porirua and Flaxmere The Service is located in schools, providing an opportunity for young people and their families/whānau in need of extra support, to easily link with it. School based service delivery makes social work support visible and accessible to students. It also allows problems to be identified early, as staff in schools often have knowledge of the circumstances of the young person and their family/whānau.

Youth Workers in Secondary Schools (YWISS) YWiSS is part of Prime Minister's Youth Mental Health Project.Prime Minister's Youth Mental Health Project There are currently 15 Youth workers, trained in mental health issues, in selected low decile secondary schools in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington Youth workers mentor young people at risk of disengaging from school, working closely with school-based services and community-based services YWiSS aims to improve school attendance, engagement, achievement, and has an emphasis on mental health Some YWiSS schools are trialling a new programme called Check & Connect The roll out of the third stage of YWiSS implementation is underway. The final four youth social workers will be in place in Te Tai Tokerau from term three 2014.