Social Work
The Role of Social Workers: Our social workers connect families with community resources; facilitate student groups; collaborate with school staff to address the needs of at-risk students; and supervise interns from Missouri State, Drury, and Evangel Universities.
Community Referrals: Referrals come from all of our Caring Communities schools and from neighborhood residents. Through networking with other local agencies, our social workers are able to advocate and assist families and children in meeting their needs. Many of these needs include housing and utility assistance, health and dental care, and mental health services.
Crisis Intervention: Beyond the routine requests for assistance and community referrals, our social workers also assists families in times of crises such as eviction, utility disconnections, or sudden loss.
Social Work Interns: Because of the learning experiences we provide as well as opportunities to work with families and children in need, students from Missouri State, Evangel, and Drury request internships with us each semester. Interns have the opportunity to facilitate skill building groups, mentor students, conduct research projects, plan and implement community events, and interact with school staff and community agencies at a professional level. E-mail Brooke Ash if you are interested in receiving information about how to become a Caring Communities intern.
Community Events/Programming: Our social workers not only work with families and children in a school-based setting, they also provide neighborhood-based activities and assistance through programs and events such as community-wide garage sales, Back to School events, food pantries, etc.
Mighty Mustang Program: Developed by one of our social workers and an intern for Williams Elementary, the Mighty Mustang program is designed to improve behavior by encouraging students to conduct themselves according to three main standards: Do Right, Be Bright and Don’t Fight. Mighty Mustang status is obtained by displaying good behavior, good attendance, and doing their best in all areas related to school. Being a Mighty Mustang carries a certain prestige and gives students an opportunity to be recognized for their good behavior and hard work in front of all their classmates. If an entire class obtains Mighty Mustang status, they receive a class reward.