Youth First Social Work Program 2020-21 Academic Year
Protecting Youth in a Challenging Time Now, more than ever, schools must be places of care and support in order to be places of learning. Youth First Social Workers, embedded individually in schools and yet working together as a team across grade levels and counties, are uniquely positioned to offer that care. In every school we partner with, these Master’s level mental health professionals strengthen connections between students and their teachers and between families and community resources, creating safer and more supportive Social Workers environments for learning. The numbers in this report show the rising need: Youth First Social Workers in 92 partner schools last year saw a 40% increase in life-threatening crisis interventions, primarily for suicide risk, and a 60% K–12 Schools increase in consultations for teachers seeking support both for their students and for themselves. They supported 84 students who lost a loved one to Covid-19. And they served as indispensable connectors to community Students with Access resources urgently needed by kids and families.
64 92
39,145
The positive outcomes presented in these pages, analyzed by independent evaluator Diehl Consulting Group, show that even during times of extraordinary challenge and change, the youth we serve are growing in resilience and hope. Their potential, supported by the caring presence of highly trained mental health professionals, is worthy of our communities’ highest attention and investment.
Youth First Social Work Strategies 21,202
Students in Educational Presentations
Universal
General Population
1,305
Teachers in Professional Development
Selective
550
Small Groups
Students in Group Sessions
Indicated
32,393
1:1 Support for Individuals
Teacher/Staff Consultations
2,971
Students on Caseload
468
Crisis Interventions
9,474
Immediate Need Interventions
12,322
Parent Consultations
4,388
Referrals to Community Resources