School Social Worker

School Social Worker takes part in planning and hands-on work with 20 concrete tasks that frame the job. You’ll see who benefits, what paperwork follows, and which steps new staff should master first. Each one shows where we found it, and comes with an AI prompt you can copy and use straight away.

20evidenced tasks
20ready prompts
6tools of the trade
21-1021.00O*NET-SOC code
392,550hold this job (US, BLS 2025)
$59,550median pay/yr (US)
Open School Social Worker in the interactive atlas →

What it pays

Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.

Half of all Child, Family, and School Social Workers in the U.S. earn more than $59,550 a year — the middle 80% land between $42,280 and $95,530. About 392,550 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Child, Family, and School Social Workers”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$59,550typical pay / year
392,550people in this work
$95,530+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
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The work, task by task

These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.

Keeping the record2

Coordinate with child protection agencies

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Notify Child Protective Services and the district liaison about a concern for 10-year-old Maya Hernandez:…
Notify Child Protective Services and the district liaison about a concern for 10-year-old Maya Hernandez: summarize observed injuries, timelines, and family contact attempts, request a joint safety assessment within 24 hours, and copy the principal and myself on all responses.
The tools that do the workWeb browserESCOjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia

Maintain case history records and prepare reports

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Update the case histories for five active students: consolidate notes from home visits, incident reports, and…
Update the case histories for five active students: consolidate notes from home visits, incident reports, and therapy sessions into chronological summaries, attach signed consents, flag high-risk items for the supervisor, and prepare a two-page report for the upcoming MDT meeting on Tuesday.
The tools that do the workPatient electronic medical record EMRMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
Sending & sharing3

Refer clients to community resources

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Compile and send a strengths-based referral packet for Jamal Ortiz to three local providers offering housing…
Compile and send a strengths-based referral packet for Jamal Ortiz to three local providers offering housing support, food assistance, and youth mentoring, include consent form and eligibility notes, and ask each to confirm intake availability by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET

Respond to cases of sexual abuse

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Report an allegation of sexual abuse involving 14-year-old Aisha Khan to the mandated reporter line and the…
Report an allegation of sexual abuse involving 14-year-old Aisha Khan to the mandated reporter line and the district protection lead, provide a factual timeline of disclosures and evidence, request immediate protective measures and a forensic interview within 48 hours, and document all steps in the client record.
The tools that do the workPatient electronic medical record EMRWeb browserjob descriptionsWikipedia

Place children in foster or adoptive homes

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Initiate placement planning for siblings Lucas and Mateo Rivera: notify county placement worker with case…
Initiate placement planning for siblings Lucas and Mateo Rivera: notify county placement worker with case summary, current school performance, cultural and language needs, and preferred kinship options, request placement matching and placement visit within five business days.
The tools that do the workStudent information systems SISMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptionsO*NET
Learning1

Lead group counseling sessions

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Schedule and prepare a weekly closed group counseling session for eight middle school students dealing with…
Schedule and prepare a weekly closed group counseling session for eight middle school students dealing with anxiety: reserve the counseling room for Fridays, create an agenda with grounding exercises and culturally responsive activities, notify parents with consent reminder, and gather pre-group intake forms.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
The daily work14

Assist families in achieving stable lives

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Connect with the Martinez family this week to review housing stability goals, update the family…
Connect with the Martinez family this week to review housing stability goals, update the family strengths-and-needs plan, confirm emergency contact and benefit applications are filed, and schedule a follow-up home visit within three weeks with their consent.
The tools that do the workStudent information systems SISWikipedia

Offer services mandated through courts or voluntarily

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Prepare the court-mandated service packet for Javier Rodriguez, include the latest attendance summary,…
Prepare the court-mandated service packet for Javier Rodriguez, include the latest attendance summary, behavioral incidents, and the signed consent for services, then deliver it to Probation Officer Lee and the family and confirm receipt by Thursday.
The tools that do the workPatient electronic medical record EMRWikipedia

Work with government or non-profit organizations to improve well-being

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Set up a joint meeting with the county child welfare liaison and Community Health Collective next Tuesday to…
Set up a joint meeting with the county child welfare liaison and Community Health Collective next Tuesday to review referral pathways for three high-need students, bring redacted case summaries and a shared action list so we leave with assigned next steps.
The tools that do the workWeb browserWikipedia

Implement two-generation family strategies

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Create a two-generation action plan for the Singh household: list parent workforce and education goals, child…
Create a two-generation action plan for the Singh household: list parent workforce and education goals, child therapeutic supports and school-based accommodations, refer the parent to the district adult ed program, and book a family planning meeting in two weeks.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordWikipedia

Improve children's social and psychological functioning

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Assess Mateo in a 30-minute social-emotional check today, document strengths and concerns, put recommended…
Assess Mateo in a 30-minute social-emotional check today, document strengths and concerns, put recommended classroom supports and a referral to school counseling in his file, and notify his teacher and parents of the plan by end of day.
The tools that do the workEasyCBMESCO

Care for children during the day

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Arrange supervised daytime care for little Ava on Wednesday, confirm caregiver availability, complete the…
Arrange supervised daytime care for little Ava on Wednesday, confirm caregiver availability, complete the emergency health and authorization form, add the session to the school day schedule, and text the parents the pickup plan.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookESCO

Arrange for medical, psychiatric, or remedial tests

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Arrange medical, psychiatric, or remedial testing for Miguel Rivera by contacting his pediatrician and the…
Arrange medical, psychiatric, or remedial testing for Miguel Rivera by contacting his pediatrician and the district psychologist, attach his consent form, request results be sent to my office within three weeks, and confirm appointment times with Miguel's mother by Friday.
The tools that do the workPatient electronic medical record EMRStudent information systems SISjob descriptionsO*NET

Collect supplementary information needed to assist client, such as employment records, medical records, or school reports.

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Collect supplementary records for Aisha Khan by requesting her last two pay stubs from her employer, medical…
Collect supplementary records for Aisha Khan by requesting her last two pay stubs from her employer, medical notes from Dr. Li, and her previous school progress report, then file each received record in her case file and notify Aisha when the packet is complete.
The tools that do the workStudent information systems SISPatient electronic medical record EMRO*NET

Conduct social research.

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Conduct social research on chronic absenteeism by pulling attendance trends for grades 6–8, mapping…
Conduct social research on chronic absenteeism by pulling attendance trends for grades 6–8, mapping contributing factors from our last six case notes, summarise findings with equity-focused recommendations, and circulate the one-page brief to the principal and district attendance lead by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workStudent information systems SISO*NET

Supervise other social workers.

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Supervise Lina Gomez and Rafael Ortiz this month by reviewing their open caseloads, signing off on three…
Supervise Lina Gomez and Rafael Ortiz this month by reviewing their open caseloads, signing off on three critical safety assessments, scheduling one joint case consultation, and sending written feedback on cultural responsiveness by next Tuesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordStudent information systems SISO*NET

Develop and review service plans with clients

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Develop and review Maria Santos's service plan with her and her guardian tomorrow: update goals for school…
Develop and review Maria Santos's service plan with her and her guardian tomorrow: update goals for school attendance and counseling, set measurable steps for the next six weeks, document agreed referrals, and get guardian signature on the revised plan before leaving the meeting.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordStudent information systems SISjob descriptions

Consult with teachers and school personnel

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Consult with Ms. Lopez and the fourth-grade team about Jamal Perez today: share classroom interventions…
Consult with Ms. Lopez and the fourth-grade team about Jamal Perez today: share classroom interventions tried, review behavioural data for the past month, agree on two classroom adaptations and a parent outreach plan, and note responsibilities and deadlines in the team summary.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookStudent information systems SISjob descriptions

Apply socially just working principles

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Rewrite our team’s intake and follow-up notes so they show how we applied racial equity and culturally…
Rewrite our team’s intake and follow-up notes so they show how we applied racial equity and culturally responsive decision-making for Elena Rivera’s case, include what we offered, why we prioritized her housing plea, and the measurable next steps for school, family, and community partners by Friday.
The tools that do the workPatient electronic medical record EMRESCOsee the evidence ↗

Maintain the trust of service users

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Draft a one-page letter to share with Jamal Brooks and his guardian that explains what we discussed, why…
Draft a one-page letter to share with Jamal Brooks and his guardian that explains what we discussed, why certain details were kept confidential, what permissions I need to share with teachers or housing services, and the exact actions I will take next week to support him.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordESCOsee the evidence ↗

Says who?

These are the pages we read to build this. Open any of them and check us.

The logs, files & records this job keeps

Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.

Related careers

Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.

The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.

The rest of the map

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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses