SOW4510 BSW Field Education SOW5532 Foundation Field Education Adrienne Chel Rodriguez, LCSW Field Education Coordinator Field Education Orientation Department of Social Work

Welcome to Field Education Social Work Field Instruction Manual available online at: TK20 available online: Instructions for using TK20 available online at:

OVERVIEW OF THE FIELD PROCESS: 1. Activate tk20 account 2. Complete Field Application Spring 2015 in tk20 3. Application subject to approval by Field Coordinator 4. Student notified of application status 5. If application is approved, student will be notified of appointment for pre-placement interview with Field Coordinator 6. Student participates in pre-placement interview 7. Student is assigned to potential agency 8. Student contacts agency to schedule agency interview 9. If accepted by the agency, student completes Field Placement Confirmation Form in tk20

What level are you? BSW Internship: Senior Status Undergraduates, Final Semester -One semester at the same agency -Completion of 400 hours in one semester (25 hours per week Spring/Fall or 35 hours per week Summer) -Required supervision minimum one hour per week with an approved BSW or MSW -Attend weekly seminar (SOW4522) This is a generalist practice placement in which students should expect to be able to observe and practice social work skills such as assessments, interviewing skills, community networking/referrals, group work, use of supervision and beginning treatment planning.

MSW Foundation Internship: 1 st year MSW placement -Completed during the second semester for Full-time students -Completed during the third semester for Part-time students -One semester at the same agency. -Student completes 300 hours in one semester (about 20 hours per week) -Minimum supervision requirement is one hour per week with an approved MSW supervisor -Attend seminar weekly in conjunction with field placement (SOW5532) The MSW Foundation is similar to that of the BSW in that it is a generalist placement. Students will learn foundation social work skills such as assessment, interviewing skills, community networking/referrals, group work, use of supervision and beginning treatment planning.

Integrative Field Seminar Course During each semester that a social work student is in field placement, the student is concurrently enrolled in an Integrative Field Seminar Class taught by regular or adjunct faculty. The purpose of this class is to integrate social work research, theory, and policy with activities the student is involved in while in the field placement. Field Seminar Course Attendance is MANDATORY. Attendance policies will be further outlined in the syllabus. Excessive absences will result in a grade of “unsatisfactory” for field (5532). SOW4522 is a graded course. Field Education Contract Students are responsible for creating a collaborative learning contract with their field instructor at the agency. The process of initiating the contract will be addressed during the course of field seminar. Templates for the learning contracts are available online:

Spring 2015 Field Dates Field Applications Due: Friday October 4 th Pre-placement interviews with Coordinator : October 6 th -10 th Agency Interviews October 10 th -November 10 th Field Placement Confirmation Forms Due: Friday November 14 th Field Placement begins: January 6 th Midterm: Monday March 2 nd Field Placement ends: Friday April 24 th You can report to your internship up to two weeks prior to the start of the semester with approval from the Field Coordinator. Field placement hours can be concluded no sooner than two weeks prior to the end of the semester. Students are expected to adhere to agency hours of operation rather than the academic calendar. Scheduling is negotiated between the student and field I instructor. Students are not permitted to change this schedule without advance approval from their field instructor.

Internship Attendance & Availability Students are expected to report to their agency as scheduled. Excessive absences an/or tardiness will result in termination from the agency. Students are to adhere to the agency schedule. In the event of holidays or breaks, students should remain in the agency so as to ensure continuity of care for the clients served by the intern. Almost all of the placement agencies affiliated with the Department of Social work require that a majority of hours be completed during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm). Placements that provide opportunities to work evenings and weekends are rare and cannot be guaranteed. Most field instructors work during regular business hours and the majority of services are provided during regular business hours hence opportunities capable of providing quality supervision and a relevant learning experience are limited at those times. If a students foresees that their schedule will be unable to offer the flexibility needed to be present during at least a portion of regular business hours, students are encouraged to consider if this is the semester to enter field.

Completing the Field Application Applications must be submitted online via tk20. A copy of your resume must be uploaded in completing the application. Please proofread you’re application and resume’ carefully as agencies have declined to interview students upon reviewing applications containing grammatical errors, misspelled words, excessive typo’s, etc. You will not be referred to an agency without having submitted the field application in full. Pre-placement Interview Following submission and approval of the field application, the field coordinator will be in touch to schedule a pre-placement interview. You will need to discuss with the Field Coordinator any current or past situations in your life that may impact where you should be placed (i.e., being in recovery, being the victim of domestic violence, having a terminally ill relative, etc). If there are any legal issues in your past it is important that you discuss such with the Field Coordinator. Prior legal involvement may not exclude you from completing your internship. However, agencies vary in their background policy requirements therefore it is necessary to address this prior to being referred to an agency.

Either during or shortly after the pre-placement interview students are referred to an agency. Under NO circumstances are you to contact an agency before being advised to do so by the Field Coordinator. Please contact your agency as soon as you are referred. Time is of the essence as some agencies require several weeks to complete the process of backgrounds, drug screens, etc. At the time of the interview please inquire as to agency screening process. Some agencies require the student to incur the cost of backgrounds, drug screens, immunizations, physicals, etc. Some agencies require immunizations such as the flu vaccine The Field Coordinator will make every effort to match students with an agency within reasonable driving distance. However, there are no guarantees and students may be required to intern in an agency outside your community to achieve the best educational opportunity. The Field Coordinator will make every effort to place students according to preference. Preferences will be discussed during the pre-placement interview. During the agency interview please discuss scheduling. A student’s schedule must be approved by the field instructor, as well as any changes made after the fact.

AGENCY INTERVIEW -Dress appropriately for the interview. -Arrive a few minutes early, ie. Don’t be late! -Inquire as to appropriate dress during the interview. -Please treat the agency interview as if is a job interview. At the time of the interview or shortly after the student will be notified as to the agency’s decision. If the agency accepts the intern, the next step is to complete the Field Placement Confirmation Form in tk20. The Field Confirmation Form will require the following information: 1. Name of agency 2. Address of agency 3. Name of Field Instructor (MSW or for undergraduate, BSW, supervisor) 4. Credentials of Field Instructor, ie. MSW, LMHC, LCSW 5. Phone number of Field Instructor 6. Name of Task Supervisor if applicable 7. Credentials of Task Supervisor 8. Phone number of Task Supervisor

EMPLOYMENT-BASED INTERNSHIPS Students must complete the Employment-Based Internship Application Employment-based internships are subject to approval by the Field Coordinator Request applicatIon from the Field Coordinator

Resolving Issues in Field Notify your seminar instructor of any placement concerns In most cases students are advised to first address their concerns with the Feld instructor prior to the seminar instructor intervening If the student is unable to resolve the issue in speaking with his/her supervisor the seminar instructor will intervene in assisting to resolve the issue t maybe necessary to complete a Performance Improvement Plan The Performance Improvement Plant will identify areas of concern along with the goals and responsibilities of each person Failure to comply with Performance Improvement Plan may result n termination from the agency

TERMINATION Unethical behavior Attendance problems Inappropriate behavior Unwillingness to accept feedback and make corrections in words and/or behavior Walking away from placement Inability to integrate theory and practice Students are not permitted to change field placements without consent of the Field Coordinator. Changes are permitted on under extenuating circumstances, ie. you cannot change your field placement because you don’t like it, don’t get along with staff, etc. CODE OF ETHICS Read the Code of Ethics prior to beginning your field placement. Ethical practice in field will be evaluated based on the NASW Code of Ethics available online at :

Please direct any questions or concerns to the Field Coordinator Adrienne Chel Rodriguez, LCSW (850)