How to Become a School Social Worker in Illinois

School social workers (SSW) are an integral part of a student’s educational team. SSWs work together with teachers, school counselors, psychologists, school administrators, parents, nurses, speech and language pathologists, and community programs to aid student success. SSWs play a crucial role in fostering the well-being of Illinois students and communities by addressing social, emotional, and mental health challenges within schools and universities. They contribute to supportive and inclusive environments for students.

Illinois has the fifth-highest employment rate in the country for Child, Family, and School Social Workers. The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metropolitan area has the third highest employment rate for Child, Family, and School Social workers in the nation.

Social Workers Helping Students Succeed

Social and Emotional Challenges

In schools and universities, students face bullying, peer pressure, family issues, identity struggles, and potentially substance abuse problems.

Housing Assistance

Many students will face homelessness during the school year, which can detrimentally affect psychosocial development and academic achievement.

Approximately 50,000 school-age children were reported homeless by the end of the 2019-2020 school year in Illinois. In the Chicago area alone, nearly 18,000 students face unstable housing situations. The UChicago Inclusive Economy Lab (formerly Poverty Lab) released a comprehensive study in conjunction with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) that found 13 percent of students face homelessness at some point in their academic career, with Black students disproportionately affected. The Illinois Report Card states that 2.3 percent of Illinois students experienced homelessness between 2022 and 2023 across the state.

Social workers are able to help students in unstable housing situations. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and social workers assist qualified Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS), providing transportation services, school supplies, school uniforms, fee waivers, and referrals to community services.

Undocumented Students (“DREAMers”)

School social workers advocate on behalf of undocumented immigrant students, ensuring they are protected by state and federal laws and that they receive public education through grade 12.

Youth in Care

Illinois recognizes children in foster care as “Youth in Care,” or YIC. These children are at higher risk of dropping out of school and are less likely to attend post-secondary education. High mobility rates contribute to delays in YIC’s academic progress. Social workers work with state and local agencies to keep YIC within their school district of origin during transitions.

“Kinship care” refers to care directed by relatives or, in some jurisdictions, close family friends. Kinship caregivers often lack the same support systems and formal training that non-relative foster parents have. Qualified social workers can guide kinship caregivers to appropriate resources.

Children of Incarcerated Parents

Students whose parents are incarcerated face unique challenges. Children may face embarrassment or ridicule from peers and have difficulty expressing their feelings about their family situation. Qualified social workers have the ability to identify and address the potential psychosocial needs of children whose parents are incarcerated.

Students Identifying as LGBTQIA2S+ or LGBTQ+

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/ questioning, intersex, asexual, and two-spirited [LGBTQIA2S+] youth are more likely to suffer harassment, bullying, violence, and mental health struggles, including an increased risk of suicide, than their cisgender straight peers. Despite some improvements in acceptance and inclusion, LGBTQ+ students continue to face marginalization and discrimination. As mental health providers, social workers can help youth who find themselves in dire situations find the support and stability they need to be successful in life by providing community resources.

Students Who are Pregnant and/or Parenting

Teen pregnancy and adolescent parenting are associated with a myriad of challenges. School social workers strive to meet the social and emotional needs of teenage parents and their children. The Illinois School Code also allows youth to receive home instruction or take correspondence courses when they are medically unable to attend due to childbirth or miscarriage.

School social workers need to help pregnant or parenting teens in the following ways:

Mental Health Advocacy

Social workers in educational settings play a pivotal role in identifying and addressing mental health issues. They are able to collaborate with other professionals, such as psychologists and counselors, to develop comprehensive mental health programs.

Learning Differences Assistance

In the educational setting, social workers can guide students and their families toward assessment and resources related to ADHD, Asperger’s, Autism, Dyslexia, and speech and language issues.

Abuse Prevention and Intervention

Some grade school students may bear the brunt of physical abuse or neglect at home, and it’s only in the school setting that others become aware. Qualified social workers can identify and report abuse and neglect of school-age children. University and college social workers can guide adult-age students dealing with domestic violence to community resources.

How Social Workers are Helping in the Chicago Area

Office of Social Emotional Learning (OSEL)

Within the Chicago Public School system, the Office of Social Emotional Learning (OSEL) provides students with multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) regarding students’ social, emotional, and behavioral development. Social workers provide help in various ways within this network of support.

Think First/ Anger Coping

Think First cognitive behavioral group interventions are facilitated in the Chicago Public School System by social workers, school counselors, psychologists, and/or community providers in high school settings for students grades 9 through 12. Within this program, students learn how to cope with feelings of anger and aggression and find appropriate responses to triggers. Self-calming strategies, conflict management, and attributional retraining are covered. Think First aims to “equip students with the social processing and behavioral skills needed to reduce impulsive and reactive aggressive responses to anger.” Students meet for fifteen group sessions.

Anger Coping is used in Chicago Public School System elementary school settings for grades 3 through 8. Within this program, qualified mental health professionals teach students social processing and behavioral skills to guide impulse control and reduce reactive aggressive responses. Students learn the connection between “thoughts-feelings-behavior,” physiological responses to anger, and self-calming techniques. Students meet over the course of twelve to thirteen weeks in group sessions.

Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS)

Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) is a nationally recognized program that Illinois utilizes. CBITS is a cognitive-behavioral group therapy intervention designed to reduce Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and depression caused by exposure to violence. Social workers, school counselors, psychologists, and/or community providers facilitate CBITS for students in grades 3 through 12. Qualified specialists assess each student’s risk factors for developing chronic anxiety, depression, and aggressive behaviors.

Social Skills Group Intervention (S.S.GRIN)

S.S.GRIN promotes social skills and self-awareness for students in grades Pre-K through 2. This program is delivered by social workers, school counselors, and psychologists.

Requirements to Become a School Social Worker in Illinois

Licensure

Meeting the requirements for state licensure in Illinois rests on meeting education standards and gaining the necessary field experience. In Illinois, there are two levels of licensure: a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), each with different requirements.

LSWs can work in many of the same places as LCSWs, but not necessarily in private practice. LSW licensure typically reduces the scope of practice a social worker can cover while LCSW licensure allows for a more expanded scope of practice. LSWs may need more supervision and usually cannot diagnose or treat mental health disorders.

To become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree is required. MSW programs typically take two years to complete, though this may take longer. Several MSW programs are available, allowing you to meet on-campus or online at any one of several highly reputable colleges and universities throughout Illinois.

What is a PEL?

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requires that all social workers at a public or approved non-public program obtain a Professional Educator License (PEL). Candidates need to complete several hundred hours of internship and field experience work in the school setting. The initial PEL includes a credential called an endorsement. Different tests are required depending on the endorsement being pursued.

Teaching Endorsements

Teaching endorsements may be related to grade level or subject matter, including:

Administrative Endorsements

School Support Personnel Endorsements

Social Workers in University and College Settings

The NASW’s Center for Workforce Studies & Social Work Practice outlines the occupational profile of social workers at the university and college level, focusing on the psychosocial functioning of individual students. Issues that may be addressed include:

Career Paths

Social workers employed at universities and colleges come across multiple career paths. Possible job titles include, but are not limited to:

Responsibilities

Higher Education social workers can have a range of job functions based on student needs. Job functions that a social worker at a university or college may perform are:

Specializations

Social workers may find that obtaining further specialization in substance and alcohol abuse or addiction counseling is beneficial for higher education employment. Immigration and refugee policy training and TESOL certification can further benefit the student body at Illinois campuses.

Discover more about other social work specializations in Illinois.

2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics job market trends and salary figures for child, family, and school social workers, healthcare social workers, mental health and substance abuse social workers, and social workers (all others) are based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed February 2024.