Thursday, May 19, 1999
WRITER: Denise H. Horton 706/542-5430 [email protected] CONTACT: Martha Markward 706/542-5409 [email protected]
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Dr. Markward will be out of town beginning Tuesday, May 25. Please call Denise Horton for contact information beginning that date.)
SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS MAKE LINKS BETWEEN HOMES, SCHOOLS
ATHENS, Ga -- A dearth of social workers in Georgia schools means that important links between schools, homes and communities aren't being established. Links that could prevent the sort of tragedies that have occurred in Littleton, Colo., Jonesboro, Ark., Paducah, Ky., and, most recently, Conyers, Ga.
"School social workers are trained to examine the links between home, school and community resources and determine what's out of sync," said Dr. Martha Markward, an associate professor in the School of Social Work. "Clearly in a lot of these shootings, that link wasn't there."
In Georgia, schools employ eight times as many counselors as school social workers. "Counselors tend to work one-on-one with students," Markward said. "School social workers use a 'systems' approach, in which the child is seen as functioning in the home, school and community systems. What school social workers seek is how these different systems are interfacing and how to improve that interface in the best interest of the children."
In a recent study, Markward found that most counselors work in the school, while social workers visit students' homes as part of the assessment process.
"Particularly when you're working with a troubled child, you find that many families feel very intimidated by schools and are uncomfortable being there," she said. "In schools that have social workers, these professionals frequently become the first link with the school when they visit a home to discuss a student's behavior."
Markward isn't suggesting reducing the number of counselors in schools. Instead, she sees a benefit in locating both counselors and social workers at many schools.
"I think there is enough work for both counselors and social workers,' she said, ruefully. "I think you can determine which tasks are interchangeable and which are unique to a particular discipline and how to use these resources best."
In particular, Markward noted that school social workers can ensure that the family-school link isn't lost as students enter their middle and high school years.
"From the time students enter middle school, there's an implied request, sometimes from the students themselves and sometimes from the schools, that parents stay out, that students be required to take more responsibility for themselves. I think that's a mistake. Even though adolescents certainly must be given the freedom to try their wings, they also need the opportunity to return to the nest, to know their parents are there to help them."
Markward said the ideal situation would be for schools to hire enough social workers to enable them to be pro-active rather than reactive.
"In too many schools, there's only one counselor or social worker. That means that this individual is only used for a crisis, rather than serving as a resource," she said. "The result is that classroom teachers frequently deal with children's emotional problems.
"The average teacher has at least 20 students, and their focus is on academics," Markward said. "The reality in this culture is that we have more and more children who need intervention. We have to take care of the emotional problems because they exist and they're important."
At the University of Georgia, school social workers complete the same master's level training as other students. However, they also take courses in education and work in schools during their internship. They are certified by the State of Georgia's Professional Standards Commission.
For more information on the school social work program at the University of Georgia, call Markward at 706/542-5409.
-30-
RSS