A candidate’s answer to this question will reveal their experience working with clients in a school setting and the social work theories that they base their practice on. This will help you to determine if they practice in a way that aligns with how the school works. What to look for in an answer:

• Knowledge of relevant methods and techniques
• Competence in social work in a school setting
• Knowledge of best practices

The answer to this question will show you how the school social worker handles possible conflict and their ability to understand where other people are coming from. You want a candidate who can see the bigger picture of a student’s educational needs in order to provide them with the supports that they need. They should be willing to work with the students’ parents and collaboratively problem solve. What to look for in an answer:

• Ability to work well in group settings
• Willingness to collaborate with other professionals
• Working knowledge of the IEP process

You want a candidate who possesses unique expertise in both child and family work and who is able to address school and community issues that impede educational success. Preferably, you want your school social worker to have consultative skills that can help other faculty and staff adhere to any given intervention with students. What to look for in an answer:

• Awareness of multi-tiered programs to encourage positive academic and behavioral outcomes in students
• Ability to evaluate the effectiveness of their work
• Dedication to monitoring the progress of their students

A school social worker helps to create an environment in the school that fosters academic achievement. Look for a candidate who mentions policies and procedures that create safe environments and makes an effort to advocate for effective practices. The school social worker should be at the hub of creating a well-oiled machine for the school that leads to success. What to look for in an answer:

• Ability to enhance best practices within the school
• Knowledge of effective and safe policies and procedures
• Understanding of the importance to foster a supportive relationships between students, parents, staff and community partners

The candidate’s answer to this question will illustrate their macro-practice competence in school social work. Look for an answer that mentions coordinating services within the school and reaching out to community partners to get services for the students. It would be best if they mentioned challenging existing barriers to accessing mental health, behavioral and juvenile justice resources that promote academic and behavioral success for all of the students. What to look for in an answer:

• Knowledge of the services schools provide
• Ability to navigate service delivery systems
• Ability to provide interdisciplinary collaboration and coordination

School social workers rely on having a trusting relationship with students to do their jobs. They need each student's trust to successfully discover the factors influencing a problem and implement meaningful change. It can be challenging for students to build trust with a new adult in their lives, especially if they are already struggling. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate has the empathy, emotional intelligence and awareness to cultivate trust with students in a healthy way. A good answer should show:

• Compassion for students
• Patience
• Relationship-building