School Social Work

The overall goal of school social work is to promote academic success by removing barriers to learning.

The Ohio State University’s College of Social Work hosts one of the few social work certification programs in the State of Ohio. There are several requirements for school social work certification. Students must receive their master’s degree in social work in a clinical/direct practice concentration, hold a license to practice social work in the State of Ohio, and take several additional courses within the Colleges of Social Work and Education. These classes include a course on school social work practice, one on working with exceptional children, a focused course on clinical practice with children/adolescents, and an advanced social policy course.  

In addition, students complete their second year field practicum placement in a school setting. Specifically, these school social work students provide services in schools 24 hours per week for 30 weeks. As such, more than 29,000 service delivery hours are provided by social work students working in schools in an academic year.

School social work students are placed in at least 13 different school districts throughout Ohio in rural, suburban, and urban areas. Past districts include: Celina City Schools, Columbus Public Schools, Delaware City Schools, Westerville City Schools through the Franklin County Educational Service Center, Groveport-Madison Local Schools, Wooster City Schools, Lancaster City Schools, Mansfield City Schools, Olentangy Schools, Miamisburg City Schools, Reynoldsburg City Schools, South Central Schools, Whitehall City Schools, and Toledo Public Schools. Students also are placed in Sugar Creek and Fairborne School Districts near Dayton through the Greene County Educational Service Center.

Occasionally, master’s level clinical social workers already working in the field return to the College of Social Work to receive their school social work certification. In these cases, individuals must take the required courses for the certification, be licensed as a social worker in the State, and document at least one year of post-master’s professional social work experience working in a school setting. Approximately 8-10 individuals returned to Ohio State to continue their studies each year.

For more information, please contact Brenda Davidson at davidson.8@osu.edu

FAQ

School Social Work Practicum Opportunities

• Columbus Public Schools

• Celina City Schools

• Delaware City Schools

• Westerville City Schools

• Groveport-Madison Local Schools

• Wooster City Schools

• Lancaster City Schools

• Mansfield City Schools

• Miamisburg City Schools

• Reynoldsburg City Schools

• South Central Schools

• Toledo Public Schools

• Fairborne School District

• Whitehall City Schools

School Social Work practice includes:

• Linking the school to the community

• Outreaching to parents, families, caregivers, and the community to increase involvement in the school

• Collaborating with professionals also working with students and families

• Providing clinical interventions with individuals, groups, and families

• Intervening in crisis situations

• Conducting assessment and referrals

• Providing case management and follow-up

• Facilitating community involvement and mobilization

• Collaborating with teachers and other school staff to support students and families