Graduates of a unique University of New England (UNE) program are proving their worth, helping to improve lives and educational journeys across the state.
A high proportion of UNE social work graduates have been employed as Student Support Officers (SSOs) by the NSW Department of Education in the past year during the state-wide SSO roll-out. All took part in UNE's Social Work in Schools (SWiS) program, which sees social work students spend 500 hours gaining valuable practical experience in schools.
The NSW Education Department consulted SWiS founder Professor Myfanwy Maple and program officer Scott Gartshore before the first 139 SSO positions were created last July; the second roll-out is currently underway. The pair say the success of UNE graduates in finding full-time employment validates the effectiveness of the SWiS program, now in its seventh year.
Intensive SWiS placements in some 25 remote and regional NSW schools have given 94 UNE social work students the opportunity to augment the work of school counsellors, delivering targeted programs and mentoring that builds resilience, coping skills and positive relationships among disadvantaged students. By helping to strengthen emotional and mental health and wellbeing, SWiS participants play a critical role in improving health and educational outcomes by providing additional support that keeps young people engaged with school.
What does an Student Support Officer do?
Full-time SSOs, who are required to have social work or similar qualifications, operate in very much the same way, partnering with learning and support teams and school counselling services to assist students and their families, as well as staff.
The complex emotional and mental needs of students is making new and complex demands of school staff, but UNE graduates report that their SWiS placements have prepared them well. As SSOs, they work closely with school wellbeing teams to design programs and resources that help students to develop social skills, resolve issues around their health and wellbeing, and invest in self-care.
Professor Maple hopes the NSW Education Department's SSO initiative will eventually be taken on by public and private schools in other states and territories.
"It represents an important investment in the mental health and wellbeing of students and also provides an important career pathway for qualified social worker graduates," she said. "Our UNE students have been actively supporting high schools since 2014, helping NSW high school students experiencing distress or poor wellbeing to realise their aspirations. Evidence suggests the SWiS program has helped them to deal with their emotions and to participate more effectively in learning, which enables them to follow tertiary education. This has positive benefits for them, their families and communities."
Each year some 70 social workers graduate from UNE and Scott Gartshore said their successful employment as SSOs can largely be attributed to their SWiS experience. "Schools are reporting to me that they are successful applicants for the SSO positions because they have already undertaken a school placement through SWiS and fully understand the role they are asked to perform in the school community," he said.
UNE has begun working with the NSW Department of Education to examine professional development needs and provide opportunities for SSOs to formalise their expertise or to upskill through a UNE social work qualification online.
