School Social Work Policy & News

Watch a conversation with Deborah M. Figart, PhD, and Ellen Mutari, PhD, the co-authors of "Economic Well-Being: An Introduction" from NASW Press. In this groundbreaking book, Figart and Mutari make the study of economic life accessible, applicable, and exciting.

Middle and high school students say overwhelmingly that depression, stress, and anxiety are the biggest barriers to their learning, according to a new report released by YouthTruth. Only about a fifth of secondary students said they had access to a school counselor, psychologist, or therapist when they felt upset or had a problem.

Student mental health has been the focus of a sustained wave of attention caused by the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic, building on years of concern from educators, who have long worried about escalating rates of depression, anxiety, and isolation among students.

Watch and share these videos from NASW's "Back to School with Social Workers" playlist on YouTube. These videos talk about the many ways that school social workers support students, improve the school environoment and increase family engagement.

Early in their careers, social workers learn the concepts of burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization. But how does self-care play out in real-life scenarios, when new social workers might not get the best supervision or insight into how to handle the stressors of the job?

One Heartland school announced a new effort to better the overall well-being of their students. The superintendent of Vienna said it’s the right time to add more social workers to their staff.