School of Social Work houses new center


The School of Social Work announced on Sept. 9 that it will begin housing the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement.

The center works to increase awareness of the role that schools can play in helping students cope during times of crisis, according to the School of Social Work.

The NCSCB is known for giving educators, agencies and organizations resources to help with crisis management in vulnerable populations.

The organization aims to emphasize the role schools can play when critical situations occur and collaborates with various organizations and agencies to improve upon this goal and to function as a source for information, training resources, consultation and technical support.

The center’s relocation to USC will give it access to the School of Social Work’s experience with school-based social work as well as its reputation, research facilities and faculty,

“We believe the addition of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement will help us make even more important and far-reaching contributions to better prepare schools to provide grieving students the support and care they need,” Marilyn Flynn, dean of the School of Social Work, said in a statement.

The National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement was initially founded by David Schonfeld. Schonfeld is a professor of practice at the School of Social Work and is director of the center.

“Together, this partnership will allow to us to collectively build on efforts to help schools meet the needs of children and staff at times of crisis and loss,” Schonfeld said in the release.

Schonfeld is also active in the American Academy of Pediatrics Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council and the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission and the National Commission on Children and Disasters. He also supervises the Coalition to Support Grieving Students.

The center started with funding from the Sept. 11 Children’s Fund and the National Philanthropic Trust. The center currently has support from the New York Life Foundation, which gives the center the ability to provide services to educators in school-based settings.