SSW Community Resources 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student discloses that her family has no food at home over the weekend. Which IMMEDIATE community resource should the school social worker connect them to?
- SNAP enrollment office
- School-based or community backpack food program (Correct answer)
- WIC clinic
- Meals on Wheels
Correct answer: School-based or community backpack food program
Backpack food programs provide weekend meals directly to food-insecure students and offer immediate relief while longer-term solutions like SNAP are pursued.
Question 2: Which community resource is specifically designed to support families of children with developmental disabilities through service coordination?
- Early Intervention (Part C of IDEA) (Correct answer)
- Vocational Rehabilitation Services
- Area Agency on Aging
- TANF
Correct answer: Early Intervention (Part C of IDEA)
Early Intervention under Part C of IDEA provides service coordination for children birth to age 3 with developmental delays or disabilities.
Question 3: A school social worker wants to connect a student's family to transportation assistance. Which resource is MOST commonly available at the county level?
- Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation (Correct answer)
- Department of Motor Vehicles
- AmeriCorps volunteer program
- State vocational training program
Correct answer: Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation
Medicaid covers non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) for eligible families needing rides to medical appointments, which is administered at the county level.
Question 4: What is the role of a 'navigator' in the context of community resource access for school families?
- A licensed therapist who provides counseling
- A trained professional who helps individuals enroll in health insurance or public benefits (Correct answer)
- A school administrator who oversees IEP meetings
- A court-appointed advocate for children in foster care
Correct answer: A trained professional who helps individuals enroll in health insurance or public benefits
Navigators are trained and certified to provide unbiased help to individuals and families enrolling in health coverage through the marketplace or Medicaid.
Question 5: A student's family is being evicted and needs legal help. Which community resource is most appropriate?
- Local library legal self-help center
- Legal aid organization (Correct answer)
- Family court clerk's office
- State bar association referral service
Correct answer: Legal aid organization
Legal aid organizations provide free civil legal services to low-income individuals, including representation in eviction and housing cases.
Question 6: Which program provides free or reduced-cost eyeglasses and vision care for children from low-income families?
- InfantSEE
- Vision USA or Lions Club vision programs (Correct answer)
- Medicare Part B
- IDEA supplemental services
Correct answer: Vision USA or Lions Club vision programs
Vision USA and Lions Club programs offer free vision exams and eyewear to low-income, uninsured individuals, including school-age children.
Question 7: When a school social worker identifies a gap in community services for students, what is the MOST appropriate systems-level response?
- Refer students to services in another district
- Advocate for resource development through community planning or coalition building (Correct answer)
- Document the gap and take no further action
- Provide the service themselves outside of work hours
Correct answer: Advocate for resource development through community planning or coalition building
School social workers have a professional responsibility to advocate at the systems level by participating in community planning efforts to address service gaps.
SSW Community Resources 3
A student discloses that her family has no food at home over the weekend.
Which IMMEDIATE community resource should the school social worker connect them to?