Developing a Structural Understanding of School Social Work

IF 1.7 4区医学 Q2 SOCIAL WORK

Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal Pub Date : 2026-05-18 DOI:10.1007/s10560-026-01114-5

Brandon Mitchell, Kimberly Knox

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

School social work is challenged by disparate professional guidance, inconsistent certification standards, and role ambiguity –– all intersecting with schools that are ripe with inequities. Despite this complexity, research has often gravitated toward a disproportionate analysis of roles. Although an understanding of roles is imperative, this focus, at times, has supplanted an awareness of the structural dimensions that affect practice that exist in and outside of the school. The purpose of this article is to outline a structural understanding of school social work through attention to national leadership, state training, and school-based factors that affect roles and practice. The analysis spans three levels, (1) national , (2) state, and (3) school. On the national level, we explore professional guidance from leadership organizations to identify the potential influence on training and practice. On the state level, we explore state certification standards and inconsistent educational preparation to consider the bidirectional links between professional guidance and role efficacy in schools. On the school level, we examine the relationship between educational inequities and school social work, including inconsistent roles, practice ambiguity, and the barriers to effective practice. We conclude with recommendations for research and practice.

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发展对学校社会工作的结构性理解

学校社会工作面临着不同的专业指导、不一致的认证标准和角色模糊的挑战——所有这些都与充满不平等的学校相交叉。尽管存在这种复杂性，但研究往往倾向于对角色进行不成比例的分析。虽然对角色的理解是必要的，但这种关注有时已经取代了对影响学校内外实践的结构维度的认识。本文的目的是通过关注国家领导、国家培训和影响角色和实践的校本因素，概述对学校社会工作的结构性理解。分析跨越三个层面，(1)国家，(2)州，(3)学校。在国家层面，我们探索来自领导组织的专业指导，以确定对培训和实践的潜在影响。在州一级，我们探讨了州认证标准和不一致的教育准备，以考虑学校专业指导和角色效能之间的双向联系。在学校层面，我们研究了教育不公平与学校社会工作之间的关系，包括不一致的角色、实践模糊和有效实践的障碍。最后，我们对研究和实践提出了建议。

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来源期刊

Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal SOCIAL WORK-

CiteScore

3.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal (CASW) features original articles that focus on social work practice with children, adolescents, and their families. Topics include issues affecting a variety of specific populations in special settings. CASW welcomes a range of scholarly contributions focused on children and adolescents, including theoretical papers, narrative case studies, historical analyses, traditional reviews of the literature, descriptive studies, single-system research designs, correlational investigations, methodological works, pre-experimental, quasi-experimental and experimental evaluations, meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Manuscripts involving qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods are welcome to be submitted, as are papers grounded in one or more theoretical orientations, or those that are not based on any formal theory. CASW values different disciplines and interdisciplinary work that informs social work practice and policy. Authors from public health, nursing, psychology, sociology, and other disciplines are encouraged to submit manuscripts. All manuscripts should include specific implications for social work policy and practice with children and adolescents. Appropriate fields of practice include interpersonal practice, small groups, families, organizations, communities, policy practice, nationally-oriented work, and international studies. Authors considering publication in CASW should review the following editorial: Schelbe, L., & Thyer, B. A. (2019). Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal Editorial Policy: Guidelines for Authors. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 36, 75-80.