School of Social Welfare Hosts Conference for Long Island School Social Workers

June 12, 2024
2 min read

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Event Focused on Working with Latine/x Students and Creating Trauma Sensitive Schools

Last month, the School of Social Welfare welcomed more than 170 social workers representing public and private schools in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

The inaugural event was co-sponsored with the NYS School Social Worker’s Association and was organized by Robin DeLuca-Acconi, clinical associate professor in the School of Social Welfare and director of the School Social Work Workforce Development, Programs and Partnerships.

The conference was an opportunity for school social workers to network and share innovative resources, intervention strategies and best practices focused on issues and skills critical to school social workers. DeLuca-Acconi presented on Working with Latine/x, Undocumented Students/Strategies for Creating Trauma Sensitive Schools, along with Anna I. Coward, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and licensed clinical psychologist, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine.

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“When I was a school social worker, I was the only social worker in the school and often felt isolated. I developed this conference as a way to create a sense of community amongst school social workers throughout Long Island,” said DeLuca-Acconi. “There was so much compassion, wisdom and dedication in the room, it was very inspiring to see the networking. We welcomed many of our alumni. This will be an annual event where school social workers continue to connect with one another and share their expertise.”

“The conference was an amazing opportunity to see firsthand the immense passion, knowledge, and compassion of school social workers,” said Coward. “It was a privilege to meet so many inspiring people working tirelessly for our kids. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn together about the experiences of immigrant kids and to explore ways in which we can continue to work towards better care for our communities.”