A Call to Action: Unifying School Social Work Practice Models

Abstract School social work (SSW) roles are often surrounded by ambiguity across schools, districts, states, and nationally. The School Social Work Association of America’s National Practice Model and National Evaluation Framework, along with the National Association of Social Workers’ Standards for School Social Work Services are the guidance provided at the national level for practitioners and scholars alike. This study examined each of these pieces to thoroughly understand existing critical components of SSW practice. Comparing and analyzing these critical components across all three resources through systematic content analysis led to findings that illuminate the limited shared components. This call for action—to unify SSW practice models and frameworks in a way to prescribe justice-oriented work—comes from these findings, which indicate that current national-level resources are disjointed, incohesive, and lack focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, which are the foundational values of the social work profession. A unified framework would not only represent the current challenges and needs of SSW practitioners, but would also help establish clear roles, responsibilities, and boundaries for SSW practice.