Social Work Practice Flashcards
7 cards from real SSW practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Social Work Practice flashcards as text
A school social worker is meeting with a student who discloses that her stepfather has been hitting her with a belt, leaving marks. What is the social worker's FIRST priority?
Answer: File a mandated report with child protective services
Mandated reporters must file a report with child protective services immediately upon reasonable suspicion of abuse, before taking any other action.
Which theoretical framework emphasizes examining the interaction between an individual and their multiple environmental systems, such as family, school, and community?
Answer: Ecological systems theory
Ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner) examines how individuals interact with nested environmental systems including microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem.
A school social worker uses scaling questions to help a student identify progress toward goals. This technique is MOST associated with which practice model?
Answer: Solution-focused brief therapy
Scaling questions (e.g., 'On a scale of 1–10, where are you now?') are a core technique of solution-focused brief therapy.
A student with an IEP is consistently excluded from general education lunch due to behavioral concerns. The school social worker should FIRST:
Answer: Consult with the IEP team to review the least restrictive environment requirement
IDEA requires students with disabilities be educated in the least restrictive environment; the IEP team must review and justify any exclusion from general education settings.
When conducting a biopsychosocial assessment, a school social worker gathers information about a student's diet, sleep, and medical history. These factors fall under which domain?
Answer: Biological
The biological domain of a biopsychosocial assessment includes physical health, genetics, medical history, nutrition, and sleep.
A school social worker notices a pattern of school absences among students from one neighborhood. The MOST appropriate systems-level intervention would be to:
Answer: Partner with community agencies to address transportation and safety barriers
Addressing structural barriers through community partnerships is a macro-level intervention targeting the root causes of chronic absenteeism.
Which ethical principle requires the school social worker to provide services competently and avoid actions that could harm the student?
Answer: Non-maleficence
Non-maleficence is the ethical duty to 'do no harm,' requiring practitioners to act within their competence and avoid harmful interventions.