Consequences of availability of social work support in a school context: 'Extended' pupil welfare interventions and effects on school performance

Children living in families with alcohol misuse, violence or a parent’s psychiatric illness are not only commonly regarded as a group at risk of developing social problems, but also at risk of failing in school. Teachers and... [ view full abstract ]

Children living in families with alcohol misuse, violence or a parent’s psychiatric illness are not only commonly regarded as a group at risk of developing social problems, but also at risk of failing in school. Teachers and school social workers have important roles to play in identifying these pupils. However research demonstrates that this process can be prolonged. Nor is it unusual that parents and/or pupils are unwilling to accept support until the home situation becomes serious and/or where the pupil’s school achievements have deteriorated.
This presentation is based on an evaluation of the project ‘Extended In-Depth Pupil Welfare’ funded by the Swedish Public Health Agency´s national program ‘Developing New Evidenced Methods for Prevention and Interventions’. The project is based on the hypothesis that, by making established evidence-proven intervention methods normally offered by social services in social service settings available for pupils and their parents in a school setting, children and parents may be more willing to both seek and accept support at an earlier stage than had such interventions been available through normal social services channels. The research questions are: ‘Does availability influence willingness to seek and accept support?’, and ‘In what way does this support influence school performance?’ The empirical base for this presentation draws on (i) data from a survey of parents (N=137) and pupils (N=49) pre- and post-project that focused on perceptions of the availability of support from pupil welfare and socials services, (ii) data on school performance with regard to pupils in receipt of interventions (N=86), and (iii) individual interviews (N=20) with pupils who received interventions. Results indicate that the availability of social workers plays an important role for children’s motivation to seek/or accept support. Pupils regard encounters with the on-site interprofessional support team as impacting on their attendance, approaches to school work and achievement.