The School Social Work Program was developed to assist students in overcoming barriers to the learning process.  School social workers work with students, parents, teachers, and administrators to identify and address emotional/mental, social, and concrete needs that often interfere with the student's ability to achieve academic success.

Baldwin County Public School System social workers are highly trained professionals who provide a wide range of services with the overall goal of maximizing the potential of students.  Services include:

• Collaborating with school personnel
• Making home and community visits
• Performing social and environmental assessments
• Assisting in the identification of at-risk students
• Documenting all client contacts and interventions to develop individualized interventions
• Collaborating with referrals to community agencies
• Acting as a mentor, when appropriate, through individual and small group contact

Students are generally referred to Baldwin County Public School System social workers by school counselors, school nurses, or administrators. Referral reasons may include mental health issues, financial difficulties, medical concerns, behavioral problems, parent-child conflict, family crises, suspected child abuse/neglect, poor academic performance, and truancy/excessive tardiness.

School social workers serve as liaisons or as "the link" between home, school, and the community.

Specific services that school social workers provide to students:

• Developing intervention strategies to increase academic success for at-risk students
• Providing crisis intervention
• Assisting with conflict resolution and anger management
• Helping at-risk students develop appropriate social interaction skills
• Assisting the at-risk student in understanding and accepting self and others
• Helping students to become resilient, successful learners
• Helping students gain personal and social competencies