10 years of school social work: Offer supports education  

District Administrator Dr. Reinhard Kubat informs about an important service that celebrated its 10th anniversary last year in the district: school social work. "School social work has been carried out at the educational institutions in the district since 2008," says the district administrator. Since 2010, the expert staff has been employed by the district as the school authority. Very different fields are combined in school social work: youth work and social pedagogy, youth welfare and individual support come together here - an ideal complement to the classic teaching mission.

In the 1990s, Waldeck-Frankenberg had already recognised the need for socio-educational staff due to the changed living environments of children and young people. Working groups and committees determined the exact needs and developed concepts until the time came in 2008 at eight schools in the district. Initially, the school social work positions were financed by the state of Hesse within the framework of the "Tuition Guarantee Plus", and the specialists were employed by the State Education Authority. Since 2010, the district has been responsible for two-thirds of the funding; the remaining third has been paid by the schools from their own budgets since 2015.

In the anniversary year 2020, there were 23 ladies working in school social work; team leader and socio-educational supervision are in the hands of Ms Svenja Lotze in the Schools and Education Department of the district. From the Kaulbach School in Bad Arolsen or the Comprehensive School in Battenberg to the Primary School in Edertal or the Hans-Viessmann School in Frankenberg to the Old State School in Korbach or the Lake Edersee School in Herzhausen - all types of schools in almost the entire district benefit from the important contact persons in the learning and living environment of school. Twice a year, the school social workers meet for service meetings to network and to gain a common knowledge of current challenges and services in Waldeck-Frankenberg. In addition, regional team meetings take place. At the beginning of the new school year, there is also a team day with, for example, experiential exercises for team training.

Just as diverse as the schools in the district are the counselling services in school social work. Most pupils make use of the offer several times, the focus is on the age group 11 - 16 years. Both female and male children and adolescents seek counselling with the school social worker, most frequently in grammar schools. Most of these are ad hoc talks, often followed by an agreement on goals and their review. Difficulties in the classroom and personal life issues are at the top of the list of reasons for counselling. Contact with relatives and cooperation with other institutions have proven to be additional support for school social work.

School social work will continue to be an important topic at the local educational institutions, District Administrator Dr Kubat concludes his information. He calls on all children and young people at schools with social workers to make use of the free offer if they feel they need to talk to someone who is not a relative, friend or teacher. "We are happy to provide this assistance and will of course continue to offer it," emphasises the district administrator.