The self-referral affordances of school-based social work support: a case study

School-based social work can reach children at risk through the promotion of children’s participation in seeking support. Drawing on Gibson’s theory of affordances, the aim of this interview-based study was to identify affordances for self-referral associated with school-based social work support. Results reveal three affordances facilitating children’s self-initiated contact: (i) the day-to-day presence of social workers in the school environment supports investment in relationships, (ii) use of communication technologies facilitates contact and (iii) the visibility of the social workers’ practice encourages contact-initiation. Common to all three affordances are the accessibility of the social workers, and the generation of trust.