Date of Conferral

4-30-2024

Date of Award

April 2024

Degree

Doctor of Social Work (DSW)

School

Social Work

Advisor

Renata Hedrington-Jones

Abstract

Research has indicated that school social workers employ a variety of strategies or interventions that affect the child’s adjustment in school. The psychological, physical, and social issues impacting children after the death of a parent can have long term effects on their development. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding strategies that provide support for children’s adjustment to the grief process following a parent’s death. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to identify strategies to improve, enhance, and contribute to social work practice. The study was guided by Kubler-Ross’s grief theory, ecological systems theory, and assumptions of trauma-informed care. Interview questions were designed to identify school social workers role in supporting children after a parental death, the strategies used, the benefits, and challenges of implementation. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 10 participants who were school social workers in Virginia school systems. Through open-ended questions and conversations, the researcher was able to create an understanding of the phenomenon of supporting bereaved students. The findings of this study include the following themes: the need to implement parental death into grief treatment, the need to ensure professionals receive proper training and education, the importance of policies to be introduced to support evidenced based treatment, and the importance of acknowledging the efforts of school social workers to service their clients. All social workers working in the field of child welfare may benefit from the results of this study, leading to positive social change. The research in this study highlights the benefits of implementing grief and loss strategies due to parental death in school settings.

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