Social Work Clinician Builds Capacity for Student Success

Over the past 25 years, the scope of public education has broadened greatly; this is not news to those who have been serving in education since the mid ‘90s or earlier. During this time much has changed as has our understanding of what is needed to truly promote the success of our youth. Our focus has evolved and now, more than ever, we better understand the need for a holistic approach when meeting the needs of students and promoting their success.

Abraham Maslow published his theory Hierarchy of Needs 77 years ago (Maslow, 1943). The concept that basic and psychological needs must first be met before meaningful learning can take place is not a new one. We have known this for a very long time and within the context of dwindling resources we are continually working to strengthen the system we work within to meet the needs of all.

Educators better understand, and attempt to mitigate, the impact poverty has on the development and education of our youth. In referencing the Pan-Canadian Assessment Report, as well as findings from the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Molly McCracken (2019) writes: The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) finds that we need to go beyond educators to get to the root causes of Manitoba’s ratings. Marni Brownell and Nathan Nickel found in 2014 that 86 percent of Manitoba’s students perform at the expected level. MCHP attributes the 14 percent who do not, to poverty and family dysfunction. Manitoba consistently has one of the highest rates of child poverty, which is a much more significant indicator of school success than prenatal health, health at birth and preschool health according to the MCHP.

We know we have children coming to school hungry on a regular basis and the demand for breakfast programs continues to rise. We have an increasing number of newcomer families who need help navigating their new world in so many ways. We have more single parent families than the Canadian average (Healthy Child Manitoba, Child and Youth Report, 2017). We understand far better today the importance of truth and reconciliation efforts. These are just a few examples of how the landscape has changed and how we have strengthened our understanding of how the context and reality of our youth affects their success.

We have been in a “do more with less” mode for the last several years, thus necessitating careful and thoughtful use of our existing resources. McCracken (2019) writes: The share of provincial funding going towards education is declined annual from 2017 to 2024 according to the Manitoba Education Financial Reporting and Accounting in Manitoba Education (FRAME) Report.

Despite these fiscal challenges, there has been much we have already accomplished in order to answer the call. Many divisions have developed and/or strengthened early childhood programs, parent-child programs, as well multi-agency partnerships. We are implementing multi-faceted approaches to supporting the mental health and resilience of our youth. We are working to strengthen and integrate Indigenous programming within our schools. We have strengthened our connections with nursery schools and daycares by providing space within our schools. We are focusing not only on the academic achievement of our youth, but on the development of young people to be resilient, adaptable, and responsive to the challenges they will inevitably face regardless of their paths.

Within our public education system our supports extend well beyond the classroom. Divisionally we staff psychologists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, social workers, along with our teams of school-based student services personnel. Clinician caseloads are significant, and this will not subside in the foreseeable future. While the use of Social Work Clinicians is not new for many school divisions, it is a strategy we have employed within Turtle Mountain School Division for the past two and a half years. In this short time, it has added a layer of support and outreach which has proven to be very complimentary and effective in supporting students and families.

In Turtle Mountain, the hiring of a Social Work Clinician started with a focus on student attendance. In an effort to strengthen graduation rates within the province of Manitoba, in 2011 the NDP government increased the mandatory age of school attendance from 16 to 18 (or upon completion of high school graduation requirements). Subsequently, in 2012 the Manitoba government announced 1.2 million dollars in funding to enable school divisions to secure Learning to Age 18 Coordinators (Minister Allan, 2012): “To support existing and new programs that aim to keep students connected to school even when they are not in regular attendance. The new funding can also be used to support the teacher who will serve as a Learning to Age 18 co‑ordinator to help school staff put together alternative learning plans for students who are not attending school, and to monitor and evaluate their progress.”

Within Turtle Mountain, we initially used this funding towards supporting a staff member who focused specifically on supporting students who struggled to attend school regularly. We referred to this role as an “Attendance Support Worker.” This role was created to have better outreach capacity than what is normally possible within schools, often involving home visits and support outside the walls of the school.

Within Turtle Mountain School Division, we saw some degree of success, however, the needs of struggling students are vastly varied and complex. We needed someone with a strong knowledge of social services, mental health, the justice system, addictions, counselling, a knowledge of Indigenous as well as newcomer contexts, and overall family support strategies. Being in a rural setting, we also know these services are often not as readily accessible for youth and families through other means. By using the Learning to Age 18 funding, along with funding allocated from the School Board and other related categorical grants, we were able to secure a certified Social Work Clinician with existing funds. The role of the Social Work Clinician involves:

• Understanding student behaviour from a holistic, ecological perspective;
• Building on family and student strengths to improve the social, emotional, and academic functioning of a student;
• Building relationships with families, communities, and schools; and
• Serving as a student advocate and a liaison between home and school.

Within Turtle Mountain, the Social Work Clinician also provides proactive support to students and families through information evenings and presentations within classrooms. With regards to individualized support, the Social Work Clinician provides individual counselling and support through a referral process and involves outside agencies as required (Child Family Services justice, addictions, mental health, etc.). Reasons students may be referred to the Social Work Clinician may include:

• The student experiences loss, family illness, or changes to family structure (separation and divorce)
• Parent-teen conflict;
• Anxiety, depression, and/or self-harming behaviour;
• Difficulty with adjusting to the school environment, low self-esteem and self-worth;
• Poor school attendance;
• Poor connection with school, community, and peers;
• Substance abuse;
• School-age pregnancy;
• Family violence; and
• Students at risk of dropping out of school.

When providing support to families of students, the Social Work Clinician will assist families with things such as securing medical files for the purposes of maintaining medication requirements, connecting families with food banks, and assisting with adding students to insurance for medical/dental/vision benefits. It is really a “whatever is needed” approach in order to support families, and therefore the students.

Along with referrals from the schools, the Social Work Clinician monitors students who do not attend regularly and aids in removing barriers that prevent regular attendance. The Social Work Clinician is also helpful in a liaison and advocacy role, and often is in the best position to help staff in the schools to work effectively with youth who are struggling for a variety of reasons.

The Social Work Clinician also serves as a resource and a divisional representative as needed on various specific and/or multi-agency committees. Within Turtle Mountain School Division two of our schools are within communities that have active newcomer sponsorship committees. The Social Work Clinician serves as a divisional representative on these committees and assists to coordinate ongoing support for newcomer families. There are also two adult education sites within Turtle Mountain School Division, which, at times, are used as alternative education classrooms for school-aged students who function better in a smaller and less-structured environment. The Social Work Clinician provides support to these students as well.

In terms of measured success, to date the caseload of the Social Work Clinician has involved 20 to 30 students at any given time. Support provided to students and families by the Social Work Clinician has been successful in maintaining a connection between the student and school in the majority of cases. The Social Work Clinician has been very complimentary to the efforts put forth by personnel within schools, given this role is more flexible and better able to provide outreach beyond the school itself.

As we move forward, two things will continue to be true. First, the needs will continue to be high when it comes to students who require additional support in order to be successful and reach their potential. Second, we must continue to work tirelessly to meet these needs and do so within fiscal restraints.

We must continually look beyond the way we have done things and seek ways to work effectively and efficiently with the resources we have. This is our reality.

Tim De Ruyck is the former Superintendent/CEO of Turtle Mountain School Division.