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Overview

  • School Social Workers are support professionals embedded in our schools to help children and families when they encounter barriers that impact a child’s academic and social development.

    If you need help, use the tool below to find the name and contact number for your school’s social worker:

Find Your School Social Worker

  • All
  • Apollo Middle
  • Atlantic Technical
  • Atlantic West Elem.
  • Attucks Middle
  • Bair Middle
  • Banyan Elem.
  • Bayview Elem.
  • Beachside Montessori Elem.
  • Beachside Montessori Middle
  • Bennett Elem.
  • Bethune Elem.
  • Blanche Ely High
  • Boulevard Heights Elem.
  • Boyd Anderson High
  • Bright Horizons
  • Broadview Elem.
  • Broward Estates Elem.
  • Broward Virtual
  • Castle Hill Elem.
  • Central Park Elem.
  • Challenger Elem.
  • Chapel Trail Elem.
  • Charles Drew Elem.
  • Coconut Creek Elem.
  • Coconut Creek High
  • Coconut Palm Elem.
  • Colbert Elem.
  • College Academy/BCC
  • Collins Elem.
  • Cooper City Elem.
  • Cooper City High
  • Coral Cove Elem.
  • Coral Glades High
  • Coral Park Elem.
  • Coral Spring Middle
  • Coral Springs High
  • Coral Springs K-8
  • Country Hills Elem.
  • Country Isles Elem.
  • Cresthaven Elem.
  • Croissant Park Elem.
  • Cross Creek
  • Crystal Lake Middle
  • Cypress Bay High
  • Cypress Elem.
  • Cypress Run
  • Dania Elem.
  • Dave Thomas
  • Davie Elem.
  • Deerfield Beach Elem.
  • Deerfield Beach High
  • Deerfield Beach Middle
  • Deerfield Park Elem.
  • Dillard (6-12)
  • Dillard Elem.
  • Discovery Elem.
  • Dolphin Bay Elem.
  • Driftwood Elem.
  • Driftwood Middle
  • Eagle Point Elem.
  • Eagle Ridge Elem.
  • Embassy Creek Elem.
  • Endeavour Elem.
  • Everglades Elem.
  • Everglades High
  • Fairway Elem.
  • Falcon Cove Middle
  • Flamingo Elem.
  • Flanagan High
  • Floranada Elem.
  • Forest Glen Middle
  • Forest Hills Elem.
  • Fox Trail Elem.
  • Ft. Lauderdale High
  • Gator Run Elem.
  • Glades Middle
  • Griffin Elem.
  • Gulfstream Academy of Halla
  • Hallandale High
  • Harbordale Elem.
  • Hawkes Bluff Elem.
  • HD Perry Adult
  • Heron Heights Elem.
  • Hollywood Central Elem.
  • Hollywood Hills Elem.
  • Hollywood Hills High
  • Hollywood Park Elem.
  • Horizon Elem.
  • Hunt Elem.
  • Indian Ridge Middle
  • Indian Trace Elem.
  • Lake Forest Elem.
  • Lakeside Elem.
  • Lanier-James
  • Larkdale Elem.
  • Lauderdale Lakes Middle
  • Lauderhill (6-12)
  • Lauderhill P .T. Elem.
  • Liberty Elem.
  • Lloyd Estates Elem.
  • Lyons Creek Middle
  • M.L. King Elem.
  • Manatee Bay Elem.
  • Maplewood Elem.
  • Margate Elem.
  • Margate Middle
  • Markham Elem.
  • McArthur High
  • McFatter Technical
  • McNab Elem.
  • McNicol Middle
  • Meadowbrook Elem.
  • Millenium Middle
  • Miramar Elem.
  • Miramar High
  • Mirror Lake Elem.
  • Monarch High
  • Morrow Elem.
  • New Renaissance Middle
  • New River Middle
  • Nob Hill Elem.
  • Norcrest Elem.
  • North Andrews Gdns. Elem.
  • North Fork Elem.
  • North Lauderdale Elem.
  • North Side Elem.
  • Northeast High
  • Nova Blanche Elem.
  • Nova Eisenhower Elem.
  • Nova High
  • Nova Middle
  • Oakland Park Elem.
  • Oakridge Elem.
  • Olsen Middle
  • Orange Brook Elem.
  • Oriole Elem.
  • Palm Cove Elem.
  • Palmview Elem.
  • Panther Run Elem.
  • Park Lakes Elem.
  • Park Ridge Elem.
  • Park Springs Elem.
  • Park Trails Elem.
  • Parkside Elem.
  • Parkway Middle
  • Pasadena Lakes Elem.
  • Pembroke Lakes Elem.
  • Pembroke Pines Elem.
  • Perry, AC K-8
  • Peters Elem.
  • Pine Ridge Center
  • Pines Lakes Elem.
  • Pines Middle
  • Pinewood Elem.
  • Pioneer Middle
  • Piper High
  • Plantation Elem.
  • Plantation High
  • Plantation Middle
  • Plantation Park Elem.
  • Pompano Beach Elem.
  • Pompano Beach High
  • Pompano Beach Middle
  • Quest
  • Quiet Waters Elem.
  • Ramblewood Elem.
  • Ramblewood Middle
  • Rickards Middle
  • Riverglades Elem.
  • Riverland Elem.
  • Riverside Elem.
  • Rock Island Elem.
  • Royal Palm Elem.
  • Sanders Park Elem.
  • Sandpiper Elem.
  • Sawgrass Elem.
  • Sawgrass Springs Middle
  • Sea Castle Elem.
  • Seagull
  • Seminole Middle
  • Sheridan Hills Elem.
  • Sheridan Park Elem.
  • Sheridan Technical
  • Silver Lakes Elem.
  • Silver Lakes Middle
  • Silver Palms Elem.
  • Silver Ridge Elem.
  • Silver Shores Elem.
  • Silver Trail Middle
  • South Broward High
  • South Plantation High
  • Stephen Foster Elem.
  • Stirling Elem.
  • Stoneman Douglas High
  • Stranahan High
  • Sunland Park Elem.
  • Sunrise Middle
  • Sunset Lakes Elem.
  • Sunshine Elem.
  • Tamarac Elem.
  • Taravella High
  • Tedder Elem.
  • Tequesta Trace Middle
  • Thurgood Marshall Elem.
  • Tradewinds Elem.
  • Tropical Elem.
  • V.S. Young Elem.
  • Village Elem.
  • Walker Elem.
  • Watkins Elem.
  • Welleby Elem.
  • West Broward High
  • West Hollywood Elem.
  • Westchester Elem.
  • Western High
  • Westglades Middle
  • Westpine Middle
  • Westwood Heights Elem.
  • Whiddon-Rogers
  • Whispering Pines
  • William Dandy Middle
  • Wilton Manors Elem.
  • Wingate Oaks
  • Winston Park Elem.
  • Young, W.C. Middle
  • All
  • Adler, Deena
  • Asensio, Paola
  • Assigned by student address
  • Balmir, Marlene
  • Bejar, Moises
  • Belizaire, Melissa
  • Birken, Melanie
  • Blake, Collie
  • Blatt, Randi
  • Boylan Rodriguez, Raziela
  • Branford, Joan
  • Campbell-Summerville, Brittaney
  • Carmel, Heidi
  • Carrenard, Phil
  • Carreto-Nagales, Grace
  • Castillo-Vives, Jamie
  • Creary, Oliva
  • Creary, Olivia
  • Cruz, Grysell
  • Diaz-White, Franchesca
  • Diest-Zemon, Maryann
  • Dorival, Carole
  • Doughty, Antoinette
  • Dubin, Marianne
  • Edouard, Roger/Rodriguez, Martha
  • Edwards, Elizabeth
  • Febres-Vera, Maria
  • Ferguson, Jeerdean
  • Fields-Ervin, Valarie
  • Finnk, Amy
  • Forde-Myers, Giselle
  • Francis, Kathy
  • Francois, Lilia
  • Friedman, Linda
  • Fulcher, Andrea*
  • Furlongue-Laver, Marva
  • Garcia, Adriana
  • Garzon, Edith
  • Gedeon, Sophonie
  • Hall, Horace
  • Holt, Laura
  • Hooper, Jeanne
  • Jean, Suze
  • John, Damaris
  • Johnson, Blanche
  • Johnson, Mary
  • Johnson, Thomas
  • Jussome, Marie
  • Labossiere, Joanne
  • Lazarre, Sarah
  • Lockett, Lyda
  • Loubeau, Sophia
  • Marr, Kim
  • Martelly, Marcelle
  • Mathura, Janice
  • McCullough, Kathy
  • McGarry, Lisa
  • McGarry, Terry
  • McMain, Veronne
  • Merrill, Eva
  • Miller, Linda
  • Mora, Victor
  • Mowatt, Kim
  • Mujica, Lenny
  • Myette, Michele
  • Nabiejohn, Fariyal
  • Neeck, James
  • Nesbitt, Deborah
  • Nissman-Stern, Eileen
  • Noel, Nadette
  • Paino, Robin
  • Pallone, Melanie
  • Pellinger, Audrey
  • Perez, Yezenia
  • Perry, Kim
  • Petit-Clair, Eder
  • Prospere, Benjie
  • Rea, Roberto
  • Roberts, Betsy
  • Rockensies, Emma
  • Romero, Lucia
  • Samson, Jodi
  • Schauben, Lisa
  • Shapiro, Bernie
  • Sheridan, Cathy
  • Site based SSW
  • Steinman, Robin
  • Stroud, Charlsey
  • Thrower, Yolanda
  • Tio, Anita
  • Toussaint, Carline
  • Zacca, Faynette
  • Zapata, Lourdes
  • Zenon, Paul
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  • THE ROLE OF A SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER

    School Social Workers are advocates who help students achieve academic and social success by linking the home, school, and community. In order to reach this goal, School Social Workers provide support services to remove barriers to student success. These support services include intervention, crisis support and mental health counseling, addressing issues of non-attendance and truancy, completing behavioral assessments, and psychosocial evaluations.

    Additionally, School Social Work Services manages several district–wide specialty programs that directly impact and support the academic achievement and eventual high school graduation of our students. These programs are legislatively mandated and/or supported by School Board policies.

  • HOW WE HELP

    INTERVENTIONS AND COUNSELING:

    • Facilitating groups related to divorce, social skills, conflict management/truancy prevention, parenting, and family adjustment
    • Short-term individual counseling
    • Supporting educational concerns
    • Addressing family issues
    • Helping to ease social and emotional concerns

    CONSULTATION:

    • Available to teachers and parents
    • Consultations are available with professionals in the community
    • Appropriateness of student assignment, placement, curriculum, and programs
    • Participating on Collaborative Problem-Solving Teams (CPST)
    • Advocacy during parent conferences regarding educational concerns
    • Membership on School Improvement Plan teams
    • Membership on District committees

    ATTENDANCE ISSUES AND TRUANCY INTERVENTIONS:

    • Student and family assessment
    • Referrals to community agencies
    • Referrals to Children in Need of Services/Families in Need of Services
    • Broward Truancy Intervention Program (BTIP)
    • Referral to Department of Children and Families
    • Representation in court
    • Partnership with the State Attorney’s Office, District 17, State of Florida
    • Home visits

    CREATING PARTNERSHIPS:

    • Communicating with school staff, parents, and community agencies
    • Linking parents, staff, and students to mental health, medical, and social service; including food, clothing, and shoes
    • Providing follow-up case management with teachers and parents.
    • Promoting parent/school collaboration

  • CINS/FINS Providers

    Child in Need of Services (CINS) and Families in Need of Services (FINS) are community agencies throughout the state of Florida who have contracts with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice to provide a variety of services. In Broward County, the CINS/FINS agencies provide free assessment of child and family functioning in order to promote school attendance, mental health, and community resources. Counselors employed at the Broward CINS/FINS agencies have been screened to be in compliance with the Jessica Lunsford Act. CINS/FINS services may be provided either at the respective agency or in the family’s home.

    Link to CINS/FINS (pdf)

  • AFFILIATIONS, ALL EXTERNAL LINKS

    Broward County School Social Workers Association (BCSSWA)

    Florida Associated of School Social Workers (FASSW)

    National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

    School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA)

    National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI)

    Broward Behavioral Health Coalition

    Mental Health Association of Southeast Florida (MHA)

    Broward 2-1-1

    Children's Services Council of Broward County

  • SPARKS

    GIF of a spark

    SPARKS: Specialized Professionals Advancing Resources, Knowledge, and Skills

    SPARKS is an initiative introduced to Broward County Public Schools prior to the start of the 2017/18 school year to address specific barriers to academic success. This initiative aims to improve student’s school performance, as measured by increased attendance, improved school behavior, increased academic functioning, and enhanced social and emotional functioning. The program services the Dillard and Boyd Anderson zones in 20 different schools. There are 25 full-time school social workers assigned to those schools. The SPARKS social worker leads support services within the school in cooperation with school-based leadership, community liaisons, family therapists, school nurses, and other support resources. Elementary schools in these zones include a partnership with Motivational Coaches of America (MCUSA), a private agency providing behavioral health services.

    The SPARKS program provides targeted interventions to assist students with excessive absences, behavioral issues, and social/emotional concerns. Services include counseling for individuals and small groups, psychosocial assessments, crisis team management, and membership on collaborative problem-solving teams. Social workers and community liaisons partner with local agencies to address the basic needs of students and families. Outreach activities include health fairs, resource fairs, newsletters, and attendance at meetings with parents and other stakeholders. Since the implementation of SPARKS, mentoring programs have been initiated between schools in the zones. SPARKS schools are also identifying mentors within the community to work with children in our schools.

  • MILITARY PERSONNEL AND FAMILIES

    EMBRACING MILITARY CONNECTED STUDENTS & FAMILIES

    MISSION: To identify and support the educational and social-emotional needs of our military-connected students and families in BCPS. Support services are provided by Master’s Level School Social Workers.  Support services are offered in every school in coordination with other departments and programs and in partnership with community agencies. Interventions are implemented within the guidelines of the Military Compact Interstate Agreement, and policies of BCPS.Soldier coming home to his family

    WHY? There are 1.2 million military children in the USA. Since 2001, approximately 2 million of the military –connected students in the USA have experienced the deployment of a parent. The repeated and extended separation and increased hazards of deployment compound stressors in the lives of these students and have been addressed by BCPS.

    CONTRIBUTIONS: BCPS and community agencies sustain our fighting forces and strengthen the health, security, and safety of our nation, and families. They serve our nation at the time of deployment as well as their entire families. Non-military community members have the opportunity to show their appreciation by supporting these children, and their families.

    SUPPORT SERVICES: Facilitation of enrollment and placement for incoming families, individual needs assessment, individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, attendance issues, referrals for services, school events and projects, cards and writing letters  to soldiers in deployment, collection of packages, military drive for military-connected students and families, celebration of April as the Military Child Month, school presentations by veterans, celebration of returning parents from deployment, case consultation with teachers and school personnel, and staff development among others.

    We are pleased to partner with: Garrison Army, Southern Command, The Florida Army National Guard, Mission United, and Military Related Support Organizations.

  • SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND ABEYANCE PROGRAM

    More information coming soon.

  • TEEN PARENT PROGRAM

    TEEN PARENT PROGRAM

    The philosophy of the Teen Parent Program is that dropout prevention is best achieved through the provision of academic and social emotional support. Our purpose is to offer academic alternatives, access to day care, and supportive interventions through counseling to ensure a secure future for the student and child.

    Pregnant and parenting students have the options of remaining in their home schools and receiving limited support services by an assigned teen parent school social worker.  Another option is that they may transfer to one of the three District teen parent centers and receive full support, including day care.

    The services provided by the Teen Parent Social Workers listed here include but are not limited to comprehensive assessment, individual, group and family counseling, parent education and advocacy, crisis intervention, staff consultation, interdisciplinary collaboration with school counselors, other District school social workers, school psychologists, nurses, teachers, other support personnel, and pregnancy prevention education. Furthermore, the Teen Parent Social Workers link clients to appropriate community resources.

    Eligibility: Pregnant or parenting persons of legal school age are eligible for these services. Written confirmation of pregnancy is required for most services.

  • GRADUATE SOCIAL WORK INTERNS

    School Social Work/MSW Internship Program

    The Master of Social Work (MSW) school social work internship program in Broward County Public Schools serves the universities to prepare graduate students to serve many different types of school social work roles in the south Florida area and beyond. Further, the program seeks to enhance students’ understanding of, and sensitivity to, economic and social inequities of students enrolled in public schools. MSW interns are expected to demonstrate specialized school social work practice knowledge and skills to successfully serve individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations.

    The MSW internship program in Broward County Public Schools seeks to prepare MSW students to serve Broward County’s most vulnerable school populations in areas such as mental health, homeless education (HEART program), teen parent program, family therapy in schools, disadvantaged youth, student leadership (mentoring), crisis intervention, child welfare, and disaster relief. These specialized settings demand that students synthesize and apply knowledge and skills in an ethical and competent manner to address needs throughout our school district in a micro, macro, and multi-system service environment. These learning settings help cultivate leadership, increase knowledge, refine skills, and strengthen school social work values in student interns. These experiential learning opportunities help develop proficiency in the social work core competencies in preparation for professional practice.

    All school social work interns are immediately paired with a veteran social worker. The development of a learning plan takes place together, and the intern and instructor work side-by-side in the professional learning environment for the timeline of the practicum. Once a month, MSW interns meet to discuss clinical practice knowledge items specific to working in schools, and discuss their individual goals for meeting their learning plan completion.

    Please contact Mr. Terence McGarry if you have any questions about the MSW internship experience at Broward County Public Schools.

    Lead Contact:
    Terence D. McGarry LCSW, CAP
    754-321-1618
    754-322-3649

  • Need help?
    Start here:
    754-321-1550

Student Services Department