Social Worker Intern - Rio Grande Valley (Immediate Opening)

 

Social Worker Intern Grant Position for UTRGV Project MHS-DGP: A Mental Health Initiative

Department

Special Programs, Rio Grande Valley

Role Mission:

Social Worker Interns work directly with our campus full time Social Workers and work with at-risk scholars to ensure that they graduate from IDEA and go to and through college by providing them individualized emotional, behavioral, and mental health support.  Social Worker Interns co-manage caseloads of at-risk scholars, in collaboration with the campus Social Worker, and provide individual and group interventions to support them independently master coping skills to address and overcome mental, behavioral, and academic challenges. Social Worker Interns also support students and families with the removal of barriers to persistence, attendance, and academic success through connections to community resources. 

• Immediate Opening
• Monday – Wednesday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm to fulfil the required intern hours in 1 UTRGV semester, as set by UTRGV Social Work Program in collaboration with the UTRGV Project MHS-DGP: A Mental Health Initiative Grant

Location:

Rio Grande Valley Region: This is a part-time on-site position located in Rio Grande Valley. Preference will be given to candidates who live in the Rio Grande Valley, or who are willing to relocate.

Travel Expectations:

Travel is expected. As part of this role, the Social Worker Intern will serve campuses across the Rio Grande Valley and must maintain a valid drivers license and vehicle insurance. This role qualifies for mileage reimbursement.

• 20%-30% of travel shall be expected

What You’ll Do – Accountabilities

90% Persistence for scholars in caseload  

• Partners with lead team members and teachers to identify at-risk students and create caseload 
• Schedules individualized and group recurring sessions to address mental health needs.  
• Establishes individualized counseling goals for scholars.  
• Uses knowledge and understanding of the reciprocal influences of home, school, and community to intervene for scholar success via such practices as assessment, crisis intervention, home visits, conflict resolution, individual and group counseling, consultation, program development, dropout prevention and coordination of school and community services.  
• Co-Design and/or lead professional development on crisis, trauma, positive behavioral prevention and intervention techniques and social-emotional skill development for applicable audiences.
• Co-Plan individual school and/or system-wide programs to promote a positive and caring school climate.
• Lead, or coordinate with community partnerships to present parent information sessions on crisis, trauma, parental support, behavioral support, or mental health support for families.
• Co-Design, coordinate, and or lead monthly parent training, workshops, or information sessions related to social-emotional, behavior, or community resource support.
• Co-Leads staff professional development related to self-care, trauma-informed practices, relevant developmental needs of students, and other SEL-related topics in coordination with other student support team members.

Earns an “A” on Social Work report card

• Collaborates with key stakeholders on campus to support implementation of mental health, social emotional learning, and counseling supports.
• Meets direct service requirements for both individuals and groups.
• Creates Quarterly Reports to demonstrate impact
• Campus meets student participation in both beginning and end of year Social Emotional Learning Survey
• Creates analysis report and presentation of bi-annual SEL Survey Data

90% compliance: Documents 4 direct service hours a day in Apricot 360

• Documents all interventions and crises/critical incidents in district-wide documentation system.
• Collaborates with community agencies to coordinate services within the school system.
• Utilize Panorama Survey data twice a year to assess campus climate and culture.
• Member of crisis response team on the campus to provide and ensure student or family social/emotional needs are being met.
• Connects student and families to community resources to get the support needed. Is the liaison between community support person and campus to share information to wrap services around the student.

90% of assigned teachers use Move This World (MTW) Curriculum with fidelity (as defined by students interact with video program 3 days a week) 

• Co-Lead teacher and campus training on Move This World curriculum and implementation expectations with School Counselor/Student Success Advisor. 
• Identify and utilize best practice strategies to invest and create a culture of excitement around the integration of an SEL curriculum in the daily schedule. 
• Conduct regularly rotating observations of Move This World blocks using observation rubric. Provide teachers feedback on observation rubric at least 1x/month.  
• Track curriculum progress and send campus weekly PTG MTW update with glows and grows.
• Conduct BOY and EOY assessment on SEL competencies, school climate, safety, and sense of belonging. Review data and create action steps to address campus needs.

We look for Team and Family who embody the following values and characteristics: 

• Believes and is committed to our mission and being an agent of change: that all students are capable of getting to and through college  
• Has demonstrated effective outcomes and results, and wants to be held accountable for them 
• Has a propensity for action, willing to make mistakes by doing in order to learn and improve quickly 
• Works with urgency and purpose to drive student outcomes 
• Thrives in an entrepreneurial, high-growth environment; is comfortable with ambiguity and change 
• Seeks and responds well to feedback, which is shared often and freely across all levels of the organization 
• Works through silos and forges strong cross-departmental relationships in order to achieve outcomes 
• We believe in education as a profession and hold ourselves to high level of conduct, professionalism and behaviors as models for our colleagues and students 

What You Bring – Competencies

Qualifications:

• Education: Working to obtaining master’s degree in Social Work through UTRGV Program
• Experience: 1+ year(s) of teaching experience preferred
• Licenses or certification: Working to obtain TX Social work license with support of UTRGV Program

Knowledge and Skills:

• Ability to write and speak Spanish preferred
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to adjust and adapt to a multitude of situations in the school environment
• Ability to build solid student and family relationships

Physical Requirements: (Optional)

·           Must be able to sit for extended periods of time without being able to leave the work area.

·           Must be able to climb ladders or scaffolding, or climb and work in overhead areas

·           Must be able to work in a confined space or to crawl or move about on hands and knees.

·           Must be able to lift and carry or otherwise move 20 pounds (regularly/occasionally)

·           Physical ability to work around small children including sitting, standing, running and climbing stairs.

·           Must be able to lift and carry small children up to 40 pounds in case of emergency.

·           Must be able to work in indoor and outdoor environments, including in times of excessive heat or cold

What We Offer:

Compensation & Benefits:

This is a grant funded position in collaboration with the UTRGV Project – Mental Health Initiative

Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between X and Y , commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications and in alignment with internal equity. This role is also eligible for performance pay based on organizational performance and goal attainment.

Additionally, we offer medical, dental, and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, referral bonuses, professional development, and a 403(b) plan You can find more information about our benefits at https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/benefits/.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At IDEA we recognize that racism, bias, and privilege exist in society. We are committed to an organizational culture that promotes awareness and inclusivity for our students and staff and supports their path to positively impact our broader society. We are committed to recognizing the impact of racism and privilege, and commit as an organization to have equitable practices, policies, and structures. Visit https://ideapublicschools.org/dei/ to learn about IDEA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Anti-Racist and Anti-Bias commitment.

Learn more about IDEA

• IDEA’s Core Values

Include links to sites that are relevant to the position

• https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/leadership/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/campus-operations/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-approach/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/impact-magazine/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/history/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-approach/special-programs/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/blog/introducing-our-revised-core-values/