fieldwork manual - Ramapo College

BSW FIELD EDUCATION MANUAL [pic] Social Work Program
School of Social Science and
Human Services
Ramapo College of New Jersey
2014-2015 Welcome, to the Field Education department of the Social Work Program at
Ramapo College of New Jersey. The social work profession deems field education as its signature pedagogy.
As such, field education is the framework in which students are socialized
to the profession of social work and learn to function as social workers.
Field instruction is designed to enable students to apply and integrate
theoretical concepts, knowledge and practical skills learned in the
classroom. This manual is designed to help field instructors and students understand
the social work program, its philosophies, policies and curriculum. We
hope it will answer most of the questions you have and that it will help
make the field placement experience one that is exciting and productive for
both the student and field instructor. This manual contains general and curriculum information about Ramapo
College and the School of Social Science and Human Services. The outcome
objectives, curriculum, and procedures of the Baccalaureate Social Work
Program are described as well as curriculum, policies, and procedures for
the field education component of the program. The Educational Policy and
Accreditation Standards (EPAS) of the Council on Social Work Education are
included. The Field Instructor is a vital person in the field education experience
who works as a team member with the faculty. The field instructor is a
participant in the educational process and is therefore called by the title
of instructor, rather than supervisor. This manual is the program's official reference and procedural guide for
social work students, program faculty, agency field instructors, and agency
task supervisors. It is subject to periodic revisions to reflect program
improvements. Your feedback on the program is welcome in the form of
evaluations contained in this manual and as participants in the broader
community of social workers. The college faculty and administration recognize that the field instructor
role requires an expenditure of time, patience, and a commitment to
furthering the profession. Yours is a valued contribution to the quality
and excellence of the social work program at Ramapo College of New Jersey. Kindest Regards, Suzanne Badawi, MSW, LCSW
Director of Field Education
Social Work Program
201.684.7132
sbadawi@ramapo.edu Table of Contents Introduction 2
Purpose of the Manual 2
Table Of Contents 3
Ramapo College's Mission 5
Social Work at Ramapo College 6
The Mission of the Social Work Program 8
Program Goals 9
Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards: Competencies, Expected
Learning Outcomes/Practice Behaviors 10
Social Work Faculty 13
The Program's Conception of Generalist Social Work Practice 17
Fieldwork Program 19
Field Curriculum 19
Field Program Structure 20
Field Program Policies 21
Employment Based Field Education
Guidelines................................................................22 Employment Based Field Education
Application..............................................................24
Field Work Process 28
Placement, Assignments, and Supervision 28
SWRK 225 Introduction to Social Work 29
SWRK 325 & 326 Theory and Practice of Social Work I and II - Practice with
Individuals, Families and Small Groups 31
SWRK 327 Theory and Practice of Social Work III Practice With Communities
and Organizations 34
Responsibilities in Field Education 36
Responsibilities of the College Social Work Program 36
Responsibilities of the Agency 37
Responsibilities of the Student 38
Criteria for Selecting Agencies 40
Field Site Evaluation 41
Criteria for Selecting Field Instructors 42
Placing and Monitoring of Student Placements 43
Maintaining Field Liaison Contacts with Agencies 45
Field Instructor Orientation and Training 47
Field Instructor Input into the Program 48
Student Orientation to Field Placement 49
Developing Fieldwork Tasks and Assignments with Students 52
and the Learning Contract 52
Student Learning Contract 53
Outline for Process Recording 60
Field Placement Time Sheet 62
Evaluation - Assessment of Field Outcomes 63
Evaluation For Introduction To Social Work 66
Field Evaluation - Assessment of Student Progress - Theory And Practice Of
Social Work I, II, and III 68
The Field Placement Assessment Instrument (FPPAI) 69
Endings 74
Overview of the Social Work Curriculum 75
Liberal Arts And Social Work Course Sequencing 77
Social Work Professional Foundation Courses 79
Elective Social Work Courses 82
Research in The Social Work Curriculum 83
Admissions Criteria And Procedures 84
Application Process 85
Probation 87
Termination 89
Appendix 90
College - Agency Affiliation
Agreement.....................................................................
.........90
Agency Information Form 95
Student Evaluation of Field Placement 97
Field Instructor Evaluation of Program 100
Ramapo College Anti-Discrimination Policy 104 Ramapo College's Mission Ramapo College of New Jersey is a comprehensive institution of higher
education dedicated to the promotion of teaching and learning within a
strong liberal arts based curriculum, thus earning the designation "New
Jersey's Public Liberal Arts College." Its curricular emphases include the
liberal arts and sciences, social sciences, fine and performing arts, and
the professional programs within a residential and sustainable living and
learning environment. Organized into thematic learning communities, Ramapo College provides
academic excellence through its interdisciplinary curriculum, international
education, intercultural understanding and experiential learning
opportunities. These four emphases, supported by global partnerships
established in Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, the Caribbean, and
several Native American tribal communities, have become central themes in
Ramapo College's excellence in the teaching and learning continuum. Ramapo College is committed to maintaining strength and opportunity through
diversity of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and economic
background among faculty, staff, and students. Ramapo College is a
selective institution committed to providing equal access to under-
represented populations. Barrier-free, the College maintains a continuing
commitment to persons with disabilities. Ramapo College provides a rich living and learning environment through
almost 100 student organizations, intramural sports, and intercollegiate
athletics. The College maintains a strong positive and economic impact on
the surrounding communities by partnering with area communities,
corporations, schools, service organizations, and governmental entities,
while sharing its intellectual and cultural resources and its facilities.
Ramapo College of New Jersey is committed to providing service and ethical
leadership through international understanding and the creation of 21st
century partnerships.
Social Work at Ramapo College
The Social Work Program, initially accredited by the Council on Social Work
Education in 1979 (retroactive to 1977), has in many ways been at the
vanguard in serving the college's mission. Its interdisciplinary approach,
as exemplified by the program's ecological systems perspective, is central
to the social work curriculum and consistent with the academic organizing
principle of Ramapo College. The Social Work Program offers students a
course of study that goes beyond the limits of single academic disciplines
or subject areas to achieve an integrated understanding of problems facing
individuals, groups, families, organizations, and communities in the
contemporary world. The integration of liberal arts content with social
work knowledge, values, and skills is the bedrock of the social work
curriculum. The program's strong emphasis on cultural diversity, social
work values and ethics, social and environmental justice, critical
thinking, and service to clients and community agencies are exemplary
illustrations of the College's mission. The Social Work Program's preparation of its graduates to be competent,
committed, and culturally sensitive practitioners able to serve diverse
population groups is consistent with the College's mission of promoting
intercultural education. Social work field internships with agencies in the
region serve Haitian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian
immigrants, Latino and African-American communities, and the Ramapough
Indians. These are among the most well developed intercultural experiential
learning opportunities at the College. Incorporation of content on the physical environmental into the social work
curriculum and the development of macro practice field placements with an
emphasis on confronting environmental problems are compatible with the
College's mission of promoting sustainability. The social work program
faculty considers the physical environment an important social welfare
issue. New Jersey has one of the nation's heaviest concentrations of the
federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund sites and a
majority of the state's waterways are too polluted for fishing