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SBIRT - School Social Work

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Role of the School Social Worker

School social workers provide mental health support to students who are struggling with mental, social, and emotional health challenges across all domains: school, home, and community. School social workers...

  • Support students who may need more focused social emotional support
  • Coordinate care with outside service providers
  • Partner with caregivers and families to support their student's success

Students are connected with the school social worker or the social worker intern through referral from their SEL or College and Career counselors, teachers, parents, other students, or themselves.

SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral To)

Over the summer, Kennedy Catholic High School was fortunate to receive a grant from the King County Best Start for Kids initiative to help us implement a school-based screening, brief intervention, and referral to services (SB-SBIRT) program. The goal of the SB-SBIRT program is to promote students’ physical, emotional, and social well-being. The SB-SBIRT program is also designed to minimize drug, alcohol, and nicotine use among our high school students.

This year, we are implementing this program across our high school population. We recognize that the last four years have been especially difficult for our students. Unexpected losses among our school population and the added stress of a global pandemic have resulted in many students experiencing increased rates of anxiety and depression.  

Starting in October, we will be screening students using the Check Yourself screener. The screener is used to help us identify students who may be struggling with issues and barriers that make it difficult for them to thrive in school. The results are used to help us connect students with resources and supports to help them be successful at school, at home, and in their community.

We are starting our screening process with Seniors, then 9th grade students, followed by Juniors, and finally Sophomores. Beginning with the 2023/2024 school year, we will screening incoming 9th grade and transfer students. The screener is voluntary, and information is kept confidential. Caregivers and students have the ability to opt out of taking the screener.     

Other local school districts have been successfully implementing this program since 2018. It has allowed these school districts to successfully identify, support, and connect their students with services and resources to help them be successful in school. You can visit Highline School for more information on how the program has worked for them. You can also visit King County Human Services Department for a data snapshot on SBIRT.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our SBIRT Coordinator, Susan Tiffany or at (206) 957-9721.