Scheduling optometrist appointments, referring families to substance abuse agencies and finding medications for students are all tasks for social workers at Trimble and Federal Hocking local school districts.
The districts each now have a school social worker funded by $50,000 in federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families money given to the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services and also by a program set up by Athens County Children Services.
The social workers are not qualified to do counseling, but instead act as a liaison between the school district and parents, said Laura Somers, family support supervisor at Athens County Children Services.
If the kids are having trouble in school and the teachers are having trouble contacting the parent
the social worker can get involved she said.
The program only provided money for two social workers for Athens County, so Athens County Children Services looked at the number of referrals and cases in each district to decide which schools most needed to fill the position, Somers said.
Another determining factor was whether schools employed truancy officers. Nelsonville-York City School District, for example, had truancy officers, but Federal Hocking had no one to do the job a social worker would, Somers said.
Placing a social worker in a school district is intended to reduce the number of referrals to children's services. The social worker will work directly with students and parents outside the office to deal us problems before they become too heightened, said Andy Ellinger, the Public Information Officer for Athens County Children Services.
Let's say there's some type of substance abuse issue; they can hook (the family) up with some of the right services in the area he said. Let's say it's an issue of abuse; the student might not be comfortable talking to (a) teacher but talking to the social worker. Libby Schlagbaum, Trimble's social worker, will be working primarily at the elementary school, at the district's request. She started her job the week of Jan. 25, and the school sent informational letters and referral forms to teachers and parents about her new position.
Well it's funny because I'm actually trained as a school counselor
so it's actually been sort of a struggle for me to find (my place in the school district)
Schlagbaum said.
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