Social Work Practices at the UT Elementary School

So, if I am being honest about it, the words Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) do not have a history of making  my heart go pitter-patter. On the contrary, this has been a concept that at first eluded me and eventually troubled me as a student of Social Work . 

Was EBP an elitist attempt to turn SOCIAL work into something algebraic so that we can all feel smarter, more self-important and less bleeding heart?

Was EBP a fancy way of saying, “You are being watched” so stick with the status quo?

Not to mention,

After the referring and crisising and consulting and meeting and interventioning and  counseling and observing and  assessing and preventing and developing, when exactly do I have time to do the  Evidence-Based researching?

Truthfully, I still experience some tension as I ponder each of these issues, but a few professional development workshops and a good book or two down the line and I am seeing the integrity that working from an Evidence-Informed-Perspective offers.

Evidence-Informed-Practice Means, THIS!

It can be utilized through websites like the ones found here!

And, for all of my comprades out there, from those of you who investigate and Implement Evidence Informed practices happily to  those who do so begrudgingly Please check out these books!

And at your schools??? How do you collect data? Choose your interventions? Maintain the Integrity that we hope is a hallmark of SSW practice? Let us know!

sys·tem  noun \ˈsis-təm\

• regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole <a number system>
• a group of interacting bodies under the influence of related forces <a gravitational system>
• an assemblage of substances that is in or tends to equilibrium <a thermodynamic system>
• a group of body organs that together perform one or more vital functions <the digestive system>
• the body considered as a functional unit
• a group of related natural objects or forces <a river system>
• a group of devices or artificial objects or an organization forming a network especially for distributing something or serving a common purpose <a telephone system> <a heating system> <a highway system> <a computer system>
• a form of social, economic, or political organization or practice <the capitalist system>

Huh?

 I happen to be a lover of definitions.  But for those, a bit more visually inclined, let’s revisit the graphic from my original, “What is School Social Work” post.

 I appreciate that Broffenbrenner captures, not only the micro, exo and macrosystems but also the interplay between the individual’s various systems (mezzosystem) and the interplay between the individual and time (chronosystem).  As Social Workers we take all of these systems into consideration in order to get the most comprehensive picture of what is happening in the lives of our students.

A systems approach to Social Work expands our ability to intervene in ways that might otherwise be overlooked. Here are a few examples of systems level interventions taking place at U.T. Elementary :

School System Intervention: Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

 What is SEL? A GREAT GIFT TO  OUR STUDENTS! Find out more at https://blogs.utexas.edu/utes_sel and at www.casel.org.

Staff System  Intervention: Teacher Time

Teacher time is an idea that I got from a Social Worker  back when I was doing my very first internship in SSW.  I have been eagerly anticipating putting this concept into practice, ever since that time. After all, teachers (at the elementary level) spend 6-8 hours a day with our students, which for some kids is more time than they spend with members of their own family. For this reason it is imperative that teachers feel acknowledged and supported. A healthy, happy teacher who shows up to class with a full bucket, affects an entire classroom of students. At my school Teacher Time is a monthly gathering in my office. It can be done in many ways to suit campus needs. Teacher Time might have a “happy hour” feel, designed so that teachers can kick back, relax and chat with friends. It could also look like  a more formal group opportunity to process the every day stressors that teachers might otherwise face in isolation. It could include treats like free hand massages (if your budget allows) or wellness activities like yoga or meditation. You know your campus best, so use your professional judgement and try something out.

Family System  Intervention:  Parenting Workshops

Parents and families are, of course, the key to our students’ academic and social-emotional successes. That is why I offer monthly parenting workshops that align with the SEL concepts the students are learning here at school. Giving parents a place to voice their concerns as well as the opportunity to practice concepts consistent with the students’ learning is one of the many ways to foster a spirit of collaboration between home and school.

By now, you know what is coming next. What about you? How have you assessed and/or participated in systems level interventions on your campus? What is quick and easy? What is difficult and hard to maneuver?  Speak up! How many Social Workers does it take to revolutionize school systems throughout the country…Well, it is simple, as is almost always the case with our kids, our parents, our teachers– it takes a village!

One obligatory post on Strengths will not satisfy most School Social Workers, because we all know that this concept is at the heart of everything we do in each realm and level of service that we offer. So let’s just call this our first dip into the strengths pool, okay? Do you remember the first time that someone identified and honored one of your strengths?

I certainly do.

 I was in third grade when Ms.McCracken waded through my “chicken scratch” only to find that underneath the scrawling, sprawling and shall we say “non-traditional” cursive penmanship, I was quite the storyteller. She carried my work of genius from room to room like it was the latest dead-sea scroll discovery and I don’t want to put anyone to shame here (lest any of my old classmates are reading), but after that day it was clear in my mind that I was being groomed for U.I.L. greatness.  

In a matter of moments, I went from:

 Powerless to overcome my handwriting demons,

to

 Powerful and ready to conquer the world with my clever repartee (or at that time my Rudy Huxtable inspired Tales from the otherside of the Rainbow).

Powerless to Powerful.

That is the beauty of the Strengths Perspective. Strengths are the all-too-often unnoticed, untapped, unacknowledged, and unutilized SUPERPOWERS in the lives of our students, their families, and our school staffs. These powers comes from many different sources:

• Talents
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Resources
• Opportunities
• Relationships
• Structures

But I know, I know, I am preaching to the choir here, right? The question then becomes, how do we bring this framework to a world that all-too-often prefers and practices from a deficits model?  My approach is two-fold:

1. Make it Known: The more we keep exposing our campuses and communities to strengths-based language and practice the more comfortable and useable they become.
2. Make it Meaningful: No one wants to hear our canned strengths mumbo-jumbo if it does not connect with their own philosophies, agendas, and practices. So we have to brush up on language and concepts that strike a chord in each of the various  groups with whom we enjoy the pleasure of collaboration. To a teacher whose concern is primarily academic success, strengths might be connected with the idea of differentiation, to a parent the concept of self-esteem might be of first importance, and for an administrator the efficiency of strengths-informed hiring practices could be just what the doctor ordered.

 Check out three simple ways to incorporate strengths across our campuses.

One way to have students and parents identify their own strengths is to draw a simple “Strengths Tree” like this one:

One way to support teachers as they think about individual strengths in academics is through identification of student capabilities and talents using tools such as:

One way to utilize strengths throughout your school system is to get a common language using a resources like this http://www.oprah.com/money/Take-Control-of-Your-Career-and-Your-Life-Workshop-Session-1-Video or this…

So these are a few of my conversation starting tools with regard to strengths— the gateways to an ongoing discussion.  How do you Make it Known and Make it Meaningful on your campus?