The Pupil Services Team operates to assist at the primary and secondary levels, grades K-12.  The team members may be the Director of Student Services, social workers who frequently collaborate with the superintendent, the assistant superintendents, principals, psychologists, guidance counselors, and special education coordinators.  Various team members meet at least bi-monthly to evaluate referrals from administrators, building principals, guidance counselors, or other staff. 

Once information is gathered and the team meets, students and/or families may be referred to community services, referred for counseling services or referred to another facility or community resources.  Parental involvement is helpful in servicing students but is not mandatory to put supports in place.  Students are monitored for progress following initial referrals.

Hempfield School District presently employs two full time social workers / home and school visitors who serve as a liaison between school and community resources and groups.  Their primary roles are to:

• Address the needs of the student population and their families, thereby providing support and services to the schools and families in order to reduce educational barriers and enhance the students’ educational experience 
  
• Facilitate the implementation of parent education programs, parent at risk training, etc.
  
• Explore the needs for after school programming, tutoring services, and diversity awareness programs
  
• Collaborate with principals and staff regarding student needs, and to facilitate in-house staff development regarding local social services
  
• Monitor students’ attendance, assist attendance personnel and principals to ensure procedural uniformity when following regulations and BECs of the school attendance laws, attend court proceedings on attendance issues as district representatives
  
• Ensure students are living within the jurisdiction of the district,
  
• Serve as team members on the crisis team with the special education services. 
  
• Serve as the homeless student liaisons for the district.  They meet with the homeless students and their families to make necessary social services and supportive services connections. 

It is recognized that as a result of the continuously growing school population that student social work needs will continue to grow and therefore strategic efforts will continually be facilitated to continue to support student access to appropriate social services.  Hempfield School District maintains an open relationship and collaboration with Children and Youth Services, Juvenile Probation, Mental Health Mental Retardation, counseling agencies and other community resources to facilitate access to appropriate needs.