This evaluation provides new insights into the Social Workers in Schools (SWiS) initiative.
Social workers in Schools (SWiS) is a government-funded, community social work service provided in most declie 1-3 primary and intermediate schools, and kura kaupapa Māori.
Key Results
The research looked at the impact of SWiS on:
- stand-downs and suspensions from school
- care and protection notifications
- Police apprehensions for alleged offending.
The research found encouraging results for some student groups that may be attributable to SWiS.
For example, Māori boys enrolled in SWiS base schools showed a drop in rates of police apprehensions compared to Māori boys in schools that did not get SWiS in the expansion.
For Pacific students there were lower rates of care and protection notifications to Child, Youth and Family (the predecessor to Oranga Tamariki).