School Social Worker, Secondary

Come join our life-changing team building hope, resilience and well-being serving the community as an School Social Worker serving at-risk youth high school students grades 10th - 12th!

Shift Details: Full-time - 40 hours/week

Schedule: Monday-Friday 

Compensation: starting at $53,000 annual salary

Location: 2300 Kennedy St NE, Suite 140, Minneapolis, MN 55413

About the job:

Under general supervision, the VOA High School Social Worker will promote and support students' academic and social success by providing professional level casework services. Support services will include crisis services, social/emotional skill instruction, assistance with students' connection to appropriate external resources as necessary, consultation with families and/or staff daily to support students' success in the education and social environment.

Essential functions:

• Provides direct social/emotional skill service to students.


• Contacts parents of students with relevant information and responds to parent questions and concerns.


• Provides direct social/emotional evidence based and culturally responsive intervention for students; consults with staff regarding support and interventions for students, interpreting behaviors for staff.


• Facilitates social skills groups.


• Collaborates with community mental health providers and case managers.


• Connects students and families with basic needs resources; communicates, problem solves, and shares information with community partners.


• Provides individual and group support for students and families around issues of grief and loss, trauma, suicide ideation, etc.; provides classroom lessons on grief and loss; psycho-education; collaborates with crisis assessors talks with families about crisis assessment resources, arranges for crisis assessment.


• Prepares Child Protective Services referrals reporting abuse and neglect concerns.


• Collaborates with Homeless and Highly Mobile Students program to advocate and implement the McKinney Vento requirements; provides support to homeless and highly mobile students; trains staff on the McKinney Vento law.


• Implements attendance interventions and support in conjunction with the Student Engagement Specialist.


• Participates in Response to Intervention/data teams; reviews referral data; assist teachers in interventions.


• Coordinator for 504 law accommodations plans.


• Intervenes in student alcohol/drug issues.


• Gay Straight Alliance support and group facilitation.


• Must be able to transport students and/or parents


• Enthusiastically promotes the school’s goals and priorities in compliance with all policies and procedures.


• Maintains absolute confidentiality of work-related issues, records and student’s information.

Job Highlights:

• Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance


• 403(b) Retirement Plan


• HSA & FSA Plans


• Employer Paid Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability


• Quality training, continuing career education and leadership programs


• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Holiday, & Sick Days)

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Masters degree in Social Work preferred


• Valid SSW license preferred

Volunteers of America-MN is dedicated to helping people in need. Our education program, located in Minneapolis, provides high school diplomas through unique rigorous academic programming and individualized counseling to students and young adults of the Minneapolis Public Schools. VOA High School is an innovative high school program serving at-risk high school students (grades 10-12). Students at VOA HS are immersed in project-based and expeditionary learning activities on a regular basis. The program also provides increased access to high quality student support and contains an internal Independent Study Program to meet the needs of students with children, jobs, or other obstacles which prevent daily school attendance.

About Us:

VOA High School is part of Volunteers of America MN/WI which serves as an affiliate of Volunteers of America parent organization.

Volunteers of America MN/WI is a nonprofit health and human services organization that annually serves more than 25,000 children, adolescents and their families, older adults, students, persons with disabilities and special needs, and adults completing incarceration. Since 1896 we have helped people gain self-reliance, dignity, and hope.

Take pride in helping others and join us today!

At VOA, we celebrate sharing, encouraging, and embracing diversity. Equal Employment Opportunities are available to all without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military and veteran status and any other characteristics protected by applicable law. We believe that blending individual strengths and unique personal differences nurtures and supports our organizations' shared commitment to our mission and creates an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and has the opportunity to do their personal best.