School Social Worker Voices Post-COVID Lockdown: What are They Dealing With, What Do They Propose, Where Do We Go From Here, and What Policies Do We Promote As a Profession (1.0 CE)

This course is focused on what school social workers are saying, what they are dealing with, where they see we need to go from here, following the COVID lockdown, and all the mental health needs of students recognized during this national pandemic. This course is 1.0 CE

Course Description: From March to June of 2022, UCLA conducted a Survey of SSWAA, NASW, and SSWN school social workers on the needs of their schools, their procedures and policies being used, and recommendations for moving forward. The survey also examined how trauma-informed designations and labels of schools translated to actual services, and if a trauma-informed designation made any difference for them or their schools. At the same time nationally, massive funding was allocated to hire school social workers, psychologists, and counselors. Historic levels of funding have been given to states to support student and staff mental health. Funds have also been allocated for SROs, metal detectors, school staff weapon carrying, school police, and hardening strategies. Most of these new policies are directly related to the increase in mass shootings that have included schools. Uvalde was a watershed moment for this national shift in norms.

 Learning Goals: 

1. Participants will dxplore the voices of school social workers by examining their views and reports on safety in schools.
2. Participants will discuss the confluence of programs, funding, and implementation of both hardening and mental health supportive strategies.
3. Participants will discuss a new set of school social work ideas, approaches, or set of strategies surrounding weapons and mass shootings.

Speakers:

-Ron Avi Astor M.S.W. (he/him), holds the Marjorie Crump Chair Professorship in Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs with a joint appointment in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. His work examines the role of the physical, social-organizational and cultural contexts in schools related to different kinds of bullying and school violence (e.g., sexual harassment, cyber bullying, discrimination hate acts, school fights, emotional abuse, weapon use, teacher/child violence). This work documents the ecological influences of the family, community, school and culture on different forms of bullying and school violence. This work has been used worldwide. Astor’s studies have included tens of thousands of schools and millions of students, teachers, parents and administrators. Over the past 20 years, findings from these studies have been published in more than 200 scholarly manuscripts. 

-Dr. Lucio (he/him)  is a licensed clinical social worker, with over 18 years of experience working directly with youth “at-risk” of adverse behavioral, academic, and mental health outcomes. He consults with local school districts to enhance social workers use of evidence informed interventions and has been actively involved school behavioral health. He is experienced at developing models of risk and protective factors in youth, providing trainings on cultural diversity, equity/inclusion and serving as a national panelist looking at the impact of ethnicity and ethnicity and cultural diversity on the educational outcomes for youth with disabilities for the U.S. Department of Education. His focus is on how risk and protective factors interact to affect child, youth and family cognitive, social, and emotional development. Findings of his work demonstrated that many of the same risk and protective factors have an impact on the mental health of children in school settings, child development, maternal and child health, and adolescent pregnancy, making the investigation of these factors crucial to the development of interventions to alleviate these concerns. 

-Kate Watson (she/her) is a doctoral student in Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. She researches childhood trauma and well-being from an ecological perspective and using qualitative and quantitative methods. Her interests include trauma-informed approaches in settings, including child welfare and schools. Kate earned an MSW with a concentration in Social and Economic Justice from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from American University in Washington, D.C.

Content level: Intermediate

Target Audience: School Social Workers

Refund policy: No refunds will be given.

School Social Work Association of America, 1789, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. School Social Work Association of America maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 7/27/2023-7/27/2026. 

Note: Many state licensing boards impose specific limitations on course content, distance education, or other elements of continuing education, even when courses are taken from approved providers. It is your sole responsibility to ensure that the courses taken will meet the requirements for your license.