NCJ Number
209886
Date Published
2001
Length
84 pages
Annotation
This report describes the development and evaluation of a school-based social work service in a primary and secondary school in Dorset, England, which was designed to provide services to children at risk for school maladjustment and misconduct, as well as their families.
Abstract
The Dorset Healthy Alliance Project (DHAP) was coordinated by a project team led by the Project Social Worker (PSW), who was attached to both project schools. The PSW was assisted by a full-time Project Teacher in the primary school and a half-time Project Teacher in the secondary school. DHAP activities included counseling and group work for children and families, consultation and support for teachers, and the development of community and school networks to facilitate mutual family support and interagency collaboration. The evaluation compared outcomes for the two project schools compared with a primary and secondary school without the DHAP. Direct work with DHAP children and their families was evaluated in a series of self-report questionnaires completed by students, parents, and teachers that solicited their views of the project. Records from education, police, probation, and social-worker sources provided data on background social characteristics, delinquent behavior, school suspension rates, children's attitudes toward school and society, staff morale, health education, and educational achievement. The evaluation concluded that the DHAP achieved its objectives, met many of the needs of at-risk children and their families, and improved student school performance and overall staff and student morale. In April 1996, the DHAP was incorporated into the county's school program. 62 references and appended supplementary information