Social Worker - School Based Mental Health Provider

About Us

Global Village Academy is an innovative charter school. Students learn core content through language immersion in their choice of French, Spanish, Mandarin, or Russian (depending on the school). GVA is truly a "global village." Our immersion teachers come from all over the world, each bringing their unique culture and language into the classroom.

About the Role

The School Social Worker provides comprehensive mental health and social-emotional support services to students in special education and general education settings. This role focuses on improving students' academic, social, emotional, and behavioral functioning through direct counseling services, assessment, crisis response, and collaboration with families, educators, and community partners.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Direct Service with Special Education Students
• Provide individual and group counseling services aligned with students' IEP mental health service goals.
• Develop and implement individual, group, and system-level interventions to address academic, social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs that impact educational progress.
• Deliver mental health services within general education classrooms when appropriate.
• Maintain accurate documentation of services, including progress monitoring, service logs, and progress reports.
• Communicate and collaborate with outside service providers such as therapists and caseworkers, as appropriate.
• Work collaboratively with families, school staff, and community partners to address factors within a child's home, school, and community environments that affect adjustment and success in school.
• Crisis Management
• Conduct suicide risk assessments as needed.
• Aid school teams with threat assessments.
• Support the development and implementation of student safety plans.
• Respond to crisis situations and provide appropriate individual and classroom-level support.
• Identify and report suspected child abuse or neglect to appropriate authorities in accordance with mandated reporting requirements.
• IEP Assessments and Evaluations
• Conduct social, emotional, behavioral, and adaptive skill assessments.
• Interpret assessment results and prepare comprehensive evaluation reports.
• Collect and analyze data to develop Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs) and Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIPs).
• Conduct classroom observations and review relevant student records.
• Facilitate family, teacher, and student biopsychosocial interviews.
• Develop measurable IEP goals related to social-emotional and behavioral needs.
• Prepare Educational Impact Statements for evaluation reports.
• Meetings and Collaboration
• Participate in collaborative meetings including IEP pre-planning meetings, special education team meetings, center-based classroom team meetings, and manifestation determination reviews.
• Serve as an active member of the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) team.
• Collaborate with families, teachers, administrators, school staff, and community agencies supporting students and families.
• Attend behavioral health team meetings and other relevant professional meetings.
• Participate in professional development, professional learning community meetings, and school staff meetings.
• Related Services and School Support
• Provide psychoeducation and training to students, families, and school staff.
• Conduct home visits or wellness visits when appropriate.
• Provide professional development and consultation to school staff on student mental health and behavioral supports.
• Assist with MTSS initiatives, leadership council activities, and school-wide behavioral supports.
• Connect students and families with community resources and coordinate services when appropriate.
• Provide mental health services to students with 504 plans.
• Support general education interventions, including behavioral supports and social skills training.
• Provide consultation and support to teachers and staff regarding general education students.

Qualifications And Core Competencies

• Strong verbal and written communication skills; able to engage effectively with students, families, and staff.
• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Deep understanding of child and adolescent development, with the ability to apply this knowledge to promote student well-being.
• Empathy and active listening skills to support students with compassion and professionalism.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to design and implement effective SEL interventions.
• Proficient in using data to assess needs, inform decisions, and measure program outcomes.
• Highly organized and able to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic school environment.
• Flexibility and adaptability in responding to a range of student needs and school contexts.
• Cultural competence and a strong commitment to equity, inclusion, and trauma-informed practices.