Notre Dame has a school social worker who attends the school for one day per week.
The role of the social worker is to be a support for all members of the school community to facilitate the learning and wellbeing of all students. The aim is to empower people to grow through challenging and difficult experiences. This may be achieved through supportive counselling, consultation, giving information or referral to community agencies. The social worker may work with individual children and families, small groups or whole class groups/classes.
Some of the areas with which the social worker may be involved include:
- Families facing challenges or crises that may be affecting their child’s education for example parenting struggles, family conflicts, family separation, illness or loss.
- An individual child experiencing difficulties with emotional expression or regulation for example anxieties or anger.
- Problems concerning children forming positive friendships or relating to their peers. This may include training in social skills and conflict resolution.
- Class groups dealing with particular issues or concerns, for example, Year Six students preparing for the transition to high school.
- Arrangements can be made to talk with the social worker after initial discussion with the classroom teacher. Alternatively, an appointment with the social worker can be made through the school office.