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Keywords

School social worker, certification standards, preparation, licensing, practice, roles

Abstract

School social workers are increasingly being recognized and employed in schools across the country to promote critical avenues of system-wide school-based support. However, limited research has explored state certification standards of school social workers to understand the implications on practice efficacy and roles to improve the overall capacity of practitioners. In this study, we examine licensing standards and practice across 13 Midwest states, leveraging key partners in each state of interest. Findings reveal a large variation in SSW preparation, certification, and licensing standards. Aspects discussed in the results include, degree requirements, preparation programs, state endorsement, pathways to licensure, evaluation components, board of education requirements, and direct service implications. We discuss the implications of our findings and delineate the complexities, inconsistencies, and outline strategies for future research. As schools increasingly come to rely and depend on school social workers, we must work to build consistency in state requirements, solidify training standards, and strive to build efficacy and strength of the field.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Author Biography

Dr. Lucio has over 18 years of experience working directly with youth “at-risk” of adverse behavioral, academic, and mental health outcomes. Dr. Lucio has also consulted with local school districts to enhance social workers use of evidence informed interventions, advocacy, and has been actively involved school behavioral health. He is experienced at developing models of risk and protective factors in youth, provided trainings on advocacy, data informed decision making, and cultural diversity.

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