1. SOW4510 BSW Field Education SOW4522 BSW Senior Seminar Adrienne Chel Rodriguez, LCSW Field Education Coordinator Field Education Orientation Department of Social Work

2. For you review….. Social Work Field Instruction Manual available online: http://uwf.edu/cops/departments/social-work/ Learning Contract available online: http://uwf.edu/ceps/departments/social-work/careers-and- internships/bsw-field-instruction/ TK20 available online: https://uwfsocialwork.tk20.com/campustoolshighered/start.do Instructions for using TK20 available online: http://uwf.edu/cops/departments/social-work/tk-20-resources/http://uwf.edu/cops/departments/social-work/tk-20-resources/.

3. Welcome to Field Education Field Education is recognized as the signature pedagogy for social work education. Field Education offers students the opportunity to develop social work competencies and practice behaviors in an agency under the supervision of a professional social worker. Field is the point at which students integrate classroom knowledge into the practice setting. The Field Office is committed to providing students with opportunities to develop and master the competencies set forth by CSWE. Our goal is to support you through each step of this process. Congratulations on reaching this milestone! We look forward to working with each of you. Chel Rodriguez, LCSW Loan Crider, LCSW Field Education Coordinator Assistant Field Education Coordinator

4. SOW4510 Senior Field Instruction: -SOW4510 is a (9) credit hour course -During student’s final semester of study -Student will complete 400 hours in one semester (25 hours per week Spring/Fall or 35 hours per week Summer) - In one agency, to be determined by Field Office - There is an application process for placement in senior field - Student must meet certain eligibility criteria -Requires application via tk20 - Required supervision minimum one hour per week with an approved BSW or MSW -Enroll in and attend weekly SOW4522 Senior Seminar, (3) credit hour course -Student cannot be enrolled in more than one 3-hour course in addition to field and seminar (9-hour course) -Orientation for students entering field in Spring is held the during the Fall semester. Orientation for students entering field in the Summer or Fall is held in the Spring -Students are not to contact potential agencies prior to being instructed to do so by the field office

5. Are you eligible to apply for Senior Field ? Is Spring 2017 your final semester of study? Do you have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher? Do you have a social work GPA of 2.5 or higher? Have you completed all prerequisite social work courses? Have you complete all general education requirements? Do you need more than one (3) hour credit course in addition to field (9 credit hours) and seminar (3 credit yours)?

6. Overview of the Placement Process: 1. Students should have active tk20 account 2. Complete BSW Field Application Spring 2017 in tk20 3. Application subject to approval by Field Coordinator 4. Student must meet with their Academic Advisor for verification that student has completed all eligibility requirements 5. If application is approved, student notified of appointment process for pre-placement interview with Field Coordinator 6. Student participates in pre-placement interview 7. Student is assigned to potential agency (notified by email) 8. Student contacts agency to schedule agency interview 9. Student participates in interview 10. If accepted by the agency, student completes Field Placement Confirmation Form in tk20

7. IMPORTANT REMINDER: Students must meet with their Academic Advisor, Ms. Mack, prior to the preplacement interview for the purpose of verifying each student’s eligibility to proceed to field. The preplacement interview with the Field Coordinator will not occur until after the student has met with Ms. Mack and has a signed copy of his/her degree plan verifying the requirements have been met.

8. Spring 2017 Field Dates (Senior Field) Field Planning Meeting Wednesday, September 14 th at noon Field Application for Spring 2017 opens: Wednesday, September 14 th Field Applications DUE : September 23 rd at 11:59pm Pre-placement interviews with Coordinator : September 26 th -October 7 th Agency Interviews: October 9 th – November 4 th Field Placement Confirmation Forms Due: November 11 th at 11:59pm Field Placement Spring 2017 begins: January 9 th Field Placement Spring 2017 ends: April 28 th -

9. Placement PROCESS Please understand that this is a PROCESS. The field office has established specific protocols due to the high number of students that must be placed each semester During the 2015-2016 year, the field office placed over 200 students There are multiple levels of students entering field each semester, ie. 120-hour, 400-hour, foundation MSW, clinical MSW Please do not contact a potential field agency prior to being instructed to do so by the field office This is also at the request of the agency as they become overwhelmed due to the number of students seeking placement Contacting potential agencies presents many issues and may disrupt placement for you or another student

10. Completing the Field Application Applications must be submitted online via tk20. A copy of your resume must be uploaded in completing the application. Students are asked to provide a brief autobiographical statement, prior experience, learning objectives for the internship, and career goals. 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. Students are instructed to rank their area of interests, however, there is no guarantee a student will be assigned to the agency and/or population requested. You will not be referred to an agency without having submitted the field application in full.

11. Preplacement Interview Following submission and approval of the field application by the Field Coordinator and Academic Advisor, the field coordinator will contact each student to schedule a preplacement 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. Failure to disclose information that may be relevant to a criminal and/or Department of Children and Families background check my result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the program.

12. AGENCY ASSIGNMENT Upon completion of pre-placement interviews, students will be notified by email of their assigned agency. The name of the agency, contact person, and means of contact will be included in this email. 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. The Field Coordinator will make every effort to match students with an agency within reasonable driving distance. However, there are no guarantees regarding preferred location. Students may be required to intern in an agency outside their community to achieve the best educational opportunity. Student preferences are considered but are not a determining fact in agency assignment. Students should be prepared to work with any population!

13. AGENCY INTERVIEW PROFESSIONALISM PROFESSIONALISM PROFESSIONALISM -Dress appropriately for the interview. -Arrive a few minutes early, ie. Don’t be late! -Communicate professionally in all oral and written communication with the agency, ie. email and phone conversations. -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. REMEMBER!!!! You are representing the social work profession, the Department of Social Work, and the University of West Florida. First impressions are lasting impressions!!! http://uwf.edu/offices/career-services/

14. Field Confirmation Form …..must be submitted in tk20 by the specified due date. Students will not be permitted to register for the field seminar course until this form is submitted. The Confirmation Form will require the following information: 1. Name of agency 2. Address of agency 3. Name of Field Instructor (BSW or MSW supervisor) 4. Credentials of Field Instructor, ie. BSW, MSW,LCSW 5. Email address of Field Instructor 6. Phone number of Field Instructor In some instances a student will be assigned a Task Supervisor. If the student is assigned to a task supervisor, please contact the Field Office prior to completing the Confirmation Form. Students are responsible for obtaining this information from the agency!

15. 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 spring break, students should remain in the agency so as to ensure continuity of care for the clients served by the intern. Scheduling is negotiated between the student and agency field instructor. Students are not permitted to change this schedule without advance approval from their agency field instructor. Almost all of the placement agencies affiliated with the Department of Social work require 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 to these 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.

16. Agency Requirements Each agency has specific requirements that must be met prior to beginning the internship -Most agencies require a criminal background check (maybe local or Level II) -Some agencies require drug screens -Most hospitals require proof of immunizations, TB test, and/or flu vaccine -Always ask about agency requirements at the time of interview with the agency -Students are responsible for completing ALL agency requirements -Some agencies require the student to incur these requirements

17. The importance of FLEXIBILITY and ability to adapt to CHANGE is an essential social work skill. Start practicing this now! -Things don’t always go as planned, ie. Agencies back out, close, etc., sometimes placements fall through, even at the last minute. -Agencies make decisions independent of the Field Office, and sometimes that involves change that affects the student, ie. change in agency requirements, hours of availability, staff changes. -”I don’t want to work with this population!” “This is the last place I wanted to be!” Students must be prepared to work with any population! -Placements are not driven by student preference…”This isn’t in-line with my career goals!” “My dream is to work with…..!” -Students are placed in agencies capable of providing the opportunities for students to master the social work competencies set forth by CSWE.

18. Important Reminders -Students are no longer permitted to begin field internship hours prior to the star of the semester. -Students receiving an Incomplete must enroll in and pay for a one-hour directed study -Hours cannot be completed between semester breaks -Field placement hours can be concluded no sooner than two weeks prior to the end of the semester.

19. Resolving Issues in Field: Problem-solving Process What do we do as social workers? Notify your seminar instructor of any placement concerns In most cases students are advised to first address their concerns with the Field 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 It may be necessary for all parties to meet in an effort to resolve the problem. This may result in amending the learning contract to include additional goals related to the issue at hand. If the issue is not resolved or remains ongoing the concerns will be reviewed by the Field Coordinator and Department Chair.

20. 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. Any changes in field placement must be facilitated by the Field Coordinator and there must be extenuating circumstances (you cannot change your field placement because you don’t like it, don’t get along with staff, etc.) Students are NOT permitted to terminate their internships. If a student “quits” or decides to discontinue the internship they are at-risk of failing field.

21. 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. SOW4522 is a graded course. The seminar instructor serves as the primary liaison and will complete at least one site visit at the agency per semester.

22. Tk20 Field Binders Field Binders will be made available within the first few weeks of the semester. The Binder can be accessed in tk20 through the Field Experience Tab. The Binder will contain the following information: Learning Contract (Word doc located on Social work website for student to complete and download into Tk20 binder) Log of Field Hours (Word doc template located on Social work website for student to complete and download into Tk20 Binder) Midterm and Final Field Assessments (delivered electronically and completed by Field Instructor) DO NOT click on Submit when downloading these files or completing these assessments. CLICK on SAVE/ADD to complete each task.

23. Who’s who? Roles Seminar Instructor: The UWF Faculty assigned to teach SOW4510 and SOW4522. Seminar meets weekly. Field Agency: The agency in which the student is placed to complete their Field Instruction. Field Instructor: The BSW or MSW supervisor providing the one hour per week of required social work supervision. Task Supervisor: A non-social work degreed person responsible for supervising student’s day-to-day activities. Not all students have a task supervisor, as their field instructor is present to oversee the student’s day-to-day activities. Off-site Supervision: On occasion a student may intern in an agency in which there are experienced, qualified persons on-staff who hold a degree(s) in a field other than social work. In this case, you will meet with a social work degreed person off-site to complete the one-hour per week of required supervision. Please note that this person will be your field instructor, and your supervisor in the agency will be a task supervisor.

24. Measuring Progress: Assessments The Student Learning Contract will define the goals of your internship. Specific tasks through which you can achieve those goals will be identified and included in the learning contract. The Learning Contract will be completed by the student, with input from their Field Instructor and/or Task Supervisor, typically within the first two weeks of the semester. The Learning Contract is reviewed and approved by the seminar instructor. http://uwf.edu/ceps/departments/social-work/careers-and-internships/bsw-field-instruction/ Midterm and Final Assessments will be completed by the Field Instructor. Progress towards completion of each identified activity included in the Learning Contract will be rated. These assessments will be completed online via tk20. The Field Instructor will receive a link at beginning of the semester to access both the midterm and final assessments, via email, through which they can access and complete each assessment. Once completed, the student will be able to view the evaluation in tk20.

25. 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 : https://www.socialworkers.org/ https://www.socialworkers.org/

26. Please direct any questions or concerns to the Field Coordinator Adrienne Chel Rodriguez, LCSW arodriguez@uwf.edu (850)474-2941

27. Please direct any questions or concerns regarding your degree plan or academic status to your Academic Advisor Erica Mack, MSW emack@uwf.edu (850)474-3259

28. Please direct any questions or concerns regarding tk20 to Loan Crider, LCSW lcrider@uwf.edu (850)474-2709