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February
2010
Dear Colleagues:
March is an important month. Not only is it Social Work Month, but the first
week in March is School Social Work Week. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and
Representative Patrick Kennedy tried unsuccessfully to sponsor a bill in
Congress which would have officially proclaimed the first week in March as
School Social Week. I was equally unsuccessful in asking Governor Charlie
Crist to make a similar proclamation for Florida School Social Work Week.
So, as president of the Florida Association of School Social Workers, I
hereby proclaim:
Florida School Social Work Week
March 1- 5, 2010
This got me thinking about the history of school social work. School social
work had its early roots in 1906-07 New York, Boston, Chicago, and New
Haven. There was great concern for underprivileged students at that time. We
were known as “Home Visitors” back then. The first Visiting Teacher program
was instituted in Rochester, New York, in 1913.
By 1918 all states had compulsory attendance laws, making education a right
not a privilege. In the 1922 book, What Is Social Casework, Mary Richmond
has a whole chapter on visiting teaching. The focus of school social work in
its early days was on poverty, poor health, and attendance. School social
workers were seen as liaisons between home/school/community.
In the 1920’s the Mental Hygiene Movement shifted attention to nervous
disorders and behavioral problems. After a decline of growth in the 1930’s,
the 1940’s-60 saw an emphasis in collaboration and communication with
teachers and other school personnel. There was also a call to school social
workers to become involved in policy development. It was during this time,
in 1942, that our predecessors organized as FAVT/SSW and became the first
statewide school social work association in the nation. Eventually, the
school social work profession was formally recognized with the passage of
the Education of All Handicapped Children’s Act of 1975.
During the 1980’s school social workers were being replaced by other school
personnel doing similar work, as a result of inflation and budget cuts. This
led to NASW establishing a national school social work credential in 1992.
In 1994 a group of 64 school social workers formed the School Social Work
Association of America as the premier professional national organization for
school social workers.
With the advent of the 21st century School Social Work once again is
undergoing a shift in focus. These days there is a greater emphasis on
evidence based practices and intervention methods that will focus on
successful outcomes, known as Response to Intervention (RtI). We have come a
long way but still close to our roots.
Happy School Social Work Week!

Doug
Spohn, MSS/AC SW
President
Florida Association of School Social Workers
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