SSW in Switzerland: SSWN Open-Access 2020
Editor’s Note: In this SSWN Open Access 2020 series, we’re sharing the articles from the just-published open-access International Journal of School Social Work (published by SSWAA and where I serve as Editor-in-Chief) with SSWN readers and to invite authors and practitioners to interact with this original research here and over on our SSWNetwork platform. The final article in this series focuses on what school social worker (SSW) tasks and roles look like in Switzerland, according to the perspectives of teachers, special educators, administrators, and SSWs themselves. In this paper, Dr. Werner Wicki (University of Teacher Education, Lucerne) and his team analyze survey data from these groups, and write in their paper:
“…at least some teachers tend to disapprove of the secondary preventive tasks of SSWers, such as project work and cooperation with parents, and by the fact that teachers and principals tend to underestimate the impact of SSW for students and teachers as well. In our view, SSW should further develop in the future as an independent profession not only working in schools or for schools but rather cooperating with schools and all the other professions working there (Gherardi & Whittlesey- Jerome, 2018). That implies a strong and loyal cooperation between different professionals; it also means supporting each other and seeing the limitations and opportunities of others’ work, but it does not mean abandoning one’s own professional beliefs.
Tell us what you think and share how these findings from Switzerland compare to where you practice, over at SSWNetwork.
Tasks-and-impact-of-school-social-work
