Washtenaw Alliance for Virtual Education (WAVE)

1.0  FTE School Social Worker/Advisor Position 

Summary: 1.0  FTE (7th-12 grade) school social worker & advisor (general education) to support students with social, emotional, and mental health needs at WAVE. Work in a diverse, equity-centered, collaborative, innovative school to provide therapeutic social work services including restorative practices, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and other strategies to promote coping with mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety.  In addition, collaboration will take place on a regular basis with instructional staff. This position is year-round, covering 210 working days..

Qualifications: Valid Michigan Social Work certification, MA in Social Work, or equivalent required. Preference for candidates with experience working with diverse students and families. Secondary school experience preferred. 

Education and/or Experience: Qualification and certification to serve as a school social worker. Experience, qualification and interest in activities that have focused around prosocial behaviors and mental health. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities include the following: 

Assume school social worker responsibilities including the overarching goal of working collaboratively and positively with diverse students and families to promote social, emotional, and academic development for general education students. 

• Provide crisis intervention for situations such as conflicts, homelessness, incarceration, grief and loss, and mental health crises.
• Work collaboratively with staff, advisors, students, and families to identify student needs through screening, intake assessments, and referrals, and to develop and implement plans that support student achievement.
• Make referrals and facilitate warm hand-offs to community partners.
• Assist diverse students and families in initiating therapy with community providers.
• Conduct home visits to assess and support student and family needs.
• Complete clinical and level of care assessments as well as development and implement care plans for individual students
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to equity, social justice, and inclusion in all practices and position responsibilities
• Implement and formalize restorative practices to address conflicts and disciplinary issues.
• Educate staff on the restorative justice process and facilitate restorative justice circles.
• Support staff in conflict mediation between students and/or between students and staff.
• Actively participate in the threat assessment process and crisis team as needed.
• Work collaboratively with the student support team (counselors, special educations school social worker) with the development, implementation, and assessment of student support programs to support students including Tier 2 intervention groups
• Coordinates and collaborates with a youth's network of care, including primary healthcare, family, and natural support.
• Completes comprehensive psycho-social assessment for cases where funding and reimbursement guidelines require a qualified Masters prepared clinician 
• Engage in and promote equity-centered trauma-informed practices to support students recovering from trauma and grief 
• Present mental health and counseling initiatives to staff, students, and families to educate the community about mental health as well as promote strategies to manage anxiety, depression, and other mental health symptoms and illnesses 
• Communicate regularly with students, staff, and families to partner on solutions to support student achievement
• Provide debriefing and emotional support to staff following school-related crisis events
• Work collaboratively with administrator to address student concerns with academic, social, and emotional needs including home visits
• Collect, examine, and share data on student achievement and interventions for support
• Participate in WAVE professional development
• Work to partner with community programs to support students with social, emotional, economic, mental health, and academic needs. 
• Represent WAVE to the community and participates in meetings, workshops, and/or conference
• Assess for risk of suicide/homicide and to differentiate intensity of service needed
• Advise a small group of students with collaboration with general education staff for progress towards a high school diploma and post-secondary planning
• Other duties as assigned by the principal

Language Skills: Highly proficient in written and verbal communication with a particular emphasis on subject area specific competence and interpersonal communications. 

Technical Skills: Ability to use computer technology for research, data management, communication and other instruction. Experience with LMSes, Google Drive, and Power School preferred. 

Reasoning Ability: Highly proficient in subject area reasoning, problem solving, organizational dynamics and emotional intelligence. 

Physical Demands: Capability to perform duties normally associated with secondary teaching. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment: School building consisting of office space, classrooms and specialty facilities. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essentials of this job. 

WAVE Mission: The mission of WAVE is to inspire students of all backgrounds and experiences to achieve academic and personal success through their unique paths. We support holistic student development, both personal and educational. Staff and students work collaboratively to nurture the skills of self-advocacy, respect for other cultures, and self-pride. Our ultimate goals are to give students opportunities to become productive citizens in their communities and empower them with the skills and resiliency needed to embrace life. 

Position Starting Date: March 1st, 2026 or as soon as possible

Contacts: Sarah Giddings, WAVE Program Director - [email protected]