GRADUATE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The School Social Work and Attendance Department in collaboration with area Universities provide internships to graduate level students. These students who are supervised by experienced school social workers workers provide expanded service to students and families in the District. An annual calendar of staff development activities for School Social Workers and Family Counselors is developed in response to a staff needs assessment. The activities are approved by the district's Human Resource Department and participants receive in-service points towards recertification. For additional information, contact Student Services at (754) 321-2490.


Field Placement Options

There are a number of the placement options for graduate students who wish to consider placement through our department. Availability of each option is dependent upon the willingness and availability of an appropriate field instructor at each site. Additionally, all interns are expected to participate in regularly scheduled field seminars convened by district staff to augment the basis knowledge and best practice standards of school social work.

1) There is the possibility of interns working through collaboration with our Homeless Education Program. These interns would provide home-school linkage and support services to shelter residents with children in our schools.

2) Interns might be placed in one of the Teen Parent Centers where pregnant and parenting teens attend as an alternative to their assigned schools. These centers have on-site child care which allow interventions to possibly include parent–child activities. Specific services would include psychosocial assessment, individual, student groups and family counseling and non-relative parent groups, consultation with school-based staff and referral to community resources.

3) Interns might elect to work with a school social worker that has a caseload that includes 2-5 schools - a mixture of high, middle and elementary schools to provide generic social work services. Optimally, these interns would be assigned to work at two schools of varying levels. They would provide clinical assessment, individual, group and family counseling. They might be asked to provide family counseling and non-relative parent groups, consultation with school-based staff and referral to community resources.

4) Interns might be assigned to work with social workers in one of the district’s Child Readiness programs (Head Start or Preschool) to provide assessment, educative and family support services to the children and families of children under the age of 5 years of age. The primary goals of these programs are remediation and prevention.

5) Interns might be assigned to work in one of several school-based family counseling centers. The staff of these centers offers short-term individual, family and group counseling, addressing a variety of problem areas that impact how students function within the school setting. Services would also include a specialized prevention program for parents and youngsters at risk for substance abuse.