During March, BCPS celebrates school social workers - 3/14/08

School Board member Joy Shillman reads citation honoring social workers surrounding by (standing L to R) Board President JoAnn C. Murphy, Vicki Cofield-Aber, supervisor for the Office of School Social Work, and Patsy Holmes, Director of Student Support Services.

Baltimore County’s school social workers are often behind the scenes, assisting individuals, families, and communities through various challenges. But at the March 11 meeting of the Baltimore County Board of Education, school social workers stood in the limelight as they were recognized with a citation in honor of National Social Work Month.

“School social workers have been a part of the Baltimore County Public Schools team for 15 years,” says Vicki Cofield-Aber, supervisor for the BCPS Office of School Social Work. “We appreciate being recognized for the support we provide to students, families, and schools.”

Currently 55 school social workers provide services in 77 Baltimore County public schools. School social workers implement social and emotional programs that encourage student achievement, develop behavioral intervention plans to support student learning, promote family participation in the academic program, and link families to community resources. 

School social workers and Student Support Services leaders gather to be recognized by the Baltimore County Board of Education.

“Many of our school social workers are active volunteers and board members of community organizations,” Cofield-Aber says. “Their volunteer work further strengthens their understanding of our students and their lives. Because of both their professional training and their personal commitment, school social workers are uniquely qualified to offer parent education programs, help identify barriers to learning, and improve communication among schools, homes, and communities.”

BCPS school social workers also provide individual, group, and family counseling, offer training and support to parents in meeting the needs of their children, and mobilize community resources to support the academic programs in the schools. School social workers provide training to other school system staff on a variety of issues related to social-emotional learning, mental health issues that affect learning and behaviors, parental involvement strategies, and linkages to community agencies. 

As members of the Department of Student Support Services, school social workers collaboratively serve on teams, provide consultations to teachers and administrators, and actively reach out to community partners to support the school system’s instructional program. School social workers advocate for educational achievement for all children and provide supportive services to students from diverse backgrounds and socio-economic levels. Through their strategic interventions of supporting home, school, and community connections, school social workers are an essential resource for Baltimore County schools.

As a small, but growing discipline in Baltimore County Public Schools, school social work continues to be instrumental to student success as the student population in Baltimore County grows and changes.

Story by the Office of School Social Work Services. Photo by Diana L. Spencer, communications officer.

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