As members of an interdisciplinary team, School Social Workers help students, their families, and school personnel deal with various issues that may interfere with a student's achievement in school. This may include social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties which interfere with a student's educational experience. School Social Workers provide many of the following services: counselling, group work, consultations, assessments, classroom interventions, referrals to community resources, advocacy, attendance counselling, crisis intervention, student and parent education programs, prevention programs, staff professional development, and community and policy development.
School Social Workers may hold a range of academic qualifications including Doctorate of Social Work (Ph.D. or D.S.W), Master of Social Work (M.S.W.), and Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.). All School Social Workers subscribe to a set of professional ethics and must be registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.