FY 25-26 SPED SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER

JOB TITLE: SPED School Social Worker (MSW)

STATUS: Full Time; Exempt

REPORTS TO: Director of Student Support Services

CAMPUS: Schoolwide

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

Vaughn Next Century Learning Center (“Vaughn”), located in Pacoima, is a large urban public school within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Since the early 1970s, low student achievement had been a pattern. In 1993, tired of being helpless and hopeless, Vaughn became the first conversion charter school in the nation and was authorized by LAUSD. The charter was renewed most recently in 2018. Vaughn has over 25 years of experience as a successful independent charter school serving the district’s low-income students. This previously failing elementary public school is now a full-service, community-based, K-12th charter school that assures all students are college/career ready, digitally literate, and globally competent. 

POSITION OVERVIEW

The School Social Worker (MSW) at Vaughn Next Century Learning Center is a full-time, exempt position that plays a vital role in supporting students’ emotional and mental health through direct services and collaborative school-based interventions. Reporting to the Director of Student Support Services, the social worker provides Designated Instructional Services (DIS) counseling and Educationally Related Intensive Counseling Services (ERICS). The position requires a Pupil Personnel Services Credential in social work and either a valid LCSW license or ASW registration in California. This role is essential in advancing Vaughn’s mission to create a safe, inclusive, and supportive K–12 learning environment where all students are prepared to thrive.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provides Designated Instructional Services (DIS) and Educationally Related Intensive Counseling Services (ERICS). This may include individual, group, and family treatment to students who are at risk of school failure due to chronic absences, social, behavioral, and emotional problems or address clinical symptoms of trauma, depression, anxiety, and other clinical issues utilizing evidence-based and/or evidence-informed practices. 
• Offer Counseling and Guidance and Psychological Services/Educationally Related Intensive Counseling Services to students with disabilities (individual and group)  
• Provides student and parent psycho-education on social-emotional issues that impact learning.
• Collaborates with administration, teachers and school staff to develop strategies for classroom management, and positive behavior support planning and implementation as aligned with students’ individual needs. 
• Provides crisis support services (risk assessment, safety planning, brief counseling, linkages, recovery support in the event of a natural disaster, community event, or act of violence/terrorism) as necessary. 
• Conducts staff development to address barriers to learning and restore and maintain a safe and healthy learning environment for students, staff, and parents, including the Impact of Trauma and Learning, Psychological First Aid, Crisis Intervention, and Suicide Prevention Services.
• Utilizes electronic health records systems (Aeries and Welligent) for documentation pertaining to programmatic requirements, and to comply with federal, state, and district regulations. 
• Collaborates with other Vaughn mental health staff and any outside mental health providers to ensure a comprehensive plan of support for students.
• Participate in IEP meetings, parent conferences,