Reflections on the Social Work in Schools Program: Insights from School Leaders

In rural and remote areas of Australia, the social determinants of health continue to influence the health and wellbeing of children and young people. In existence for a decade, the Social Work in Schools (SWiS)program offers opportunities to support the wellbeing needs of school students. However, to date, it is unknown how the SWiS program is perceived by school leaders over time. In the qualitative study reported here, semistructured interviews with school leaders(n = 5) were conducted in regional New South Wales. An inductive thematic analysis of data generated four themes: settling in(enhancing the establishment of the student social work role), scopeof practice (the complex ways in which social work students can be utilised in a school setting), challenges of supporting social work students, and the perceived benefits of the SWiS program. The findings revealed an ongoing appreciation by school leaders towards the implementation of the SWiS program and the role played by social work students in supporting children and young people in their school communities. These findings help build evidence for the expansion of the program to include other allied health professional students in schools.