Social Work Practice in Managing School Social Problems in Abuja Secondary Schools

Secondary school environments in Nigeria present a complex landscape of social problems that require professional social work intervention to safeguard students' academic achievement and mental health. This study examines social work practice in managing school social problems in secondary schools in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, with focus on schools in Bwari and Kuje area councils. A mixed-method design is adopted, with 70 school social workers, school counsellors, students, and headteachers as respondents. Structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews are used, with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis applied. The study identifies truancy, bullying, substance use, teenage pregnancy, and academic failure as the dominant school social problems requiring professional intervention in the sampled schools. Social workers in school settings perform individual counselling, group work, referral, and community liaison functions. The study notes, however, that the majority of schools lack qualified school social workers, with guidance counsellors performing social work functions without appropriate professional training. Inter-professional boundaries between guidance counselling and social work are poorly defined in school welfare policy. Recommendations include formalising school social work as a distinct professional role within Nigeria's education welfare system, requiring deployment of qualified social workers in all public secondary schools, and establishing formal referral pathways between school welfare staff and community social services. Keywords: school social work, secondary schools, Abuja, social problems, student welfare