School social work

Tasks

Schools and child and youth work have a shared responsibility: the holistic upbringing and education of young people and supporting their development into independent and socially competent individuals.

The youth welfare programmes should accompany and supplement the extracurricular educational work. The school’s area of responsibility remains unaffected; in particular, school-based youth social work does not relieve the school of its educational responsibility. In addition, school-based youth social work programmes do not qualify for all-day schooling. The following goals are to be achieved:

a) The promotion of the individual and social development of children and young people – taking into account the different life situations of girls and boys by offering measures in which pupils can develop their abilities, experience recognition and shape social processes beyond what is offered at school.

b) Social disadvantages, individual impairments and structural disadvantages should be avoided or reduced by counteracting marginalisation and the risks of failure at school. Pupils are supported in developing their strengths, tapping into their resources and developing life prospects.

c) Advising teachers and parents by introducing the socio-educational perspective and approach of the school and thus improving the bridging function between the socialisation instances of youth welfare, school and family.

d) Young people should be put in a position to protect themselves from harmful influences and be empowered to be critical, make decisions and take responsibility for themselves and their fellow human beings.

Tasks at the school

1. counselling and individual case help:

School social worker as a low-threshold and early contact person for pupils in terms of counselling
Socio-educational support for pupils with entrenched personal, social and school problems
Carrying out crisis intervention (social, family, personal or school crises) with the involvement of further help services if necessary
Supporting the school in the event of truancy (active and passive) and, if necessary, social counselling for truants
If necessary, referral to further help services including the youth welfare office
Individual support with career guidance and life planning, e.g. job application training
Individual case-related support for pupils and the school in the realisation of joint lessons
Support with social integration in the classroom
Support with the integration of pupils with a migration background
Counselling for parents and teachers is usually part of the individual case support.

2. socio-educational group work

Provision of classroom training and/or social skills training as a regular programme
Projects and work with school classes and pupils to take on responsibility, e.g. support for pupil representatives/pupil parliaments, democracy
projects, communication and conflict training

3. prevention, health promotion and open programmes

Programmes, projects and workshops to provide information and education about specific risk and dangerous situations as well as health promotion
Coordination and implementation of open programmes for pupils to promote personal development and everyday education in the form of study groups and projects

4. networking within and outside the school and community work

Intra-school participation in topics that affect school social work
Referral of children and young people to external specialists, further offers in open youth work projects, clubs, associations, etc.
Participation in working groups and networking groups