School Social Worker

Welcome and thanks for stopping by!  Social workers work in a variety of different places such as hospitals, nursing homes, hospice, children protective services, substance abuse facilities, private practice counseling, schools, and other locations.  School social workers are hired by school districts and are primarily concerned with providing services to students and parents, working with school personnel, and improving school-community relations.  The services that can be provided vary with the needs of the school district.



Kristina Forst is your school social worker.  Mrs. Forst works for the Barton, Dade, Jasper County Special Education Cooperative serving Avilla, Everton, Golden City, Greenfield, Jasper, Lamar, Liberal, and Lockwood School Districts.  She has her Master's Degree in Social Work from Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.  Mrs. Forst is available to work with students who have IEPs receiving special education services and their families from preschool through high school.  Her favorite part of her job is getting to know the students and their families and watching positive changes take place!

What does a school social worker do?  Check this out to learn more about school social work services...School Social Work Brochure.

Helping Students...

  • Increase academic success
  • Improve relationships with peers
  • Cope with challenging life events
  • Improve self-esteem and self-discipline
  • Learn problem-solving skills
  • Learn decision making skills
  • Become resilient, successful learners

Helping Educators...

  • Understand family, cultural, school and community factors that may impact student performance
  • Link with families to address obstacles to academic success
  • Develop and implement strategies to enhance academic success
  • Understand child abuse and neglect reporting laws, procedures and policies
  • Address social, emotional and behavioral challenges of students
  • Coordinate school and community resources to meet student and family needs

Helping Families...

  • Understand the educational and developmental goals of their children
  • Advocate on behalf of their children regarding school performance
  • Link with helpful school and community resources
  • Understand school policies, programs and services
  • Identify and celebrate family strengths that promote academic success

You can reach Mrs. Forst by phone at 417-232-4562 or email at [email protected] .

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