School Social Work Case Characteristics, Services, and Dispositions: Year One Results

Abstract
This article describes the results from the first year of a longitudinal study of a school social work caseload in a large midwestern school district. The purpose of the investigation was to examine the relationship among case characteristics, types of services provided, and case dispositions. Data were collected using a management information system developed by a partnership of university and school social work staff. School social work caseload data for 911 students were analyzed using descriptive and logistic regression techniques. Referral reasons were associated with the referral source and student characteristics. The process of model building for a logistic regression analysis of positive case disposition revealed significant differences in the model of case disposition for students referred for three reasons or more compared with the full sample. Implications of the results for understanding social work practice and assessing the potential of using administrative data to capture school social work caseload information are discussed.