School Social Workers  support their families by:

• Assisting and volunteering at McKinney -Vento Family Nights

• Identifying families in our local shelters who may benefit from McKinney-Vento or homelessness services

• Serving families at the local homeless shelter

• Working with the Tools for Schools program to ensure that families in need receive free school and hygiene supplies throughout the year

• Coordinating with local charities to organize gift drives within in their school to provide gifts and food to their students and families during holidays

• Coordinating food backpack programs for students in need

• Volunteering on local child-serving community agencies and committees

• Advocating for mental health services for students and families; child safety and well being

• Maintaining professional relationships and contact with local child-serving agencies to enhance resources and referrals for families

• Coordinating with our local Family Abuse Services and Crossroads to provide educational services with the schools

School social workers serve on committees in the community such as Child Fatality at DSS, CLASS (Congregations Supporting and Linking Students) a Faith Based Committee, JCPC (Juvenile Crime Prevention Council), MDT with CrossRoads, and Alamance County Victims' Advocacy Council (VACA).

Contact your school social worker if your family is in need of resources in the community for food, clothing, housing, community programs or other needs. School social workers have an awareness of supports in the community and can link your family to the appropriate resources!

Picture 1: Sample of food service items in some schools' weekly background program.

Picture 2: Sample of Thanksgiving meals for families in need

North Carolina is recognized as a national leader in school improvement. High standards, a strong system of accountability, and targeted investments in prekindergarten programs, class size reduction, high school reform, and teacher recruitment and retention initiatives are integral components of the state’s effort to raise student achievement and close gaps, improve graduation rates, and better prepare all students for the demands of higher education and skilled work in the 21st Century. In 2005, North Carolina’s Departments of Health and Human Services and Public Instruction developed new ways to support the health and human service needs of children and families in order to improve student academic achievement. Those Departments created the School-based Child and Family Support Team Program. Currently, schools in ABSS continue to utilize the Child and Family Team (CFT) Model: When a student is involved with a support agency outside of school such as mental health providers, juvenile court services, social services, etc., those agencies are invited to be part of one team of support for the child and their family. This allows for students and families to receive streamlined planning and coordination of services with their input and their voice! School social workers are trained facilitators of Child and Family Team Meetings and utilize this model whenever possible to address the physical, social, legal, emotional, academic, or developmental needs of students.

Triple P works by giving parents the skills to raise confident, healthy children and teenagers, and to build stronger family relationships. It also helps parents manage misbehavior and prevent problems occurring in the first place. But it doesn’t tell people how to parent. Rather, it gives them simple and practical strategies they can adapt to suit their own values, beliefs and needs.

ABSS has many school social workers trained in providing various levels of Triple P services for parents either individually, in small groups, or seminars. Please contact your child’s school social worker for more information today!