FACULTY OF SOCIAL WORK, UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA

BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK (BSW) DEGREE PROGRAM

FIELD INSTRUCTION SWRK 4120 – 12 CREDIT HOURS

PROPOSED COURSE SYLLABUS – BSW PROGRAM UNDER REVIEW

Field Coordinators:

Alan Curtis, Distance Delivery Social Work Program

Telephone: 204-474-8316

E-mail:

Kelly Scott, Fort Garry and Inner City Social Work Programs

Telephone: 204-474-8300

E-mail:

Janet Brady, NorthernBachelor of Social Work Program

Telephone: 204-778-4271

E-mail:

FloretteGiasson, Université de Saint-Boniface

Telephone: 204-237-1818 ext. 728

E-mail:

The following information is determined and completed upon confirmation of the student in a field setting:

Name of Field Agency/Program:

Address:

Field Instructor:

Telephone:

E-mail:

Field Liaison:

Telephone:

E-mail:

Pre-requisites:

Prior to entering final fieldpracticum, SWRK 4120, studentsmust have successfullycompletedtheir first fieldpracticum, SWRK 3150 (12 credithours); SWRK 3180 – Generalist Practice 2(3 credithours); SWRK 3090 - Field/Focus (3 credithours); SWRK 3230 - Aboriginal 2 (3 credithours); and SWRK 3100 – SystematicInquiry (3 credithours).

Co-requisites:

  • SWRK 4190 – Field/Focus (3 credit hours)

Discussion:How will this 3 credit course operate (across 8 months?) As a co-requisite to field practicum, is it offered every second week?

  • Integrative Seminar – All students must participate in 39 hours of field integrative seminars in addition to the 420 hours (or greater, depending upon the program requirements) of practicum placement.

Comments: This seminar currently works well in programs where there are a small number of students. At NBSWP and USB, the Instructor is given pay of 3 credit hours. The financial implications for DD, FG and IC are significant, particularly since there will be no tuition fees associated with this seminar but a need to hire several instructors in order to fulfill the need. The logistical issues for larger programs (room bookings, setting of times outside of field hours, need for increased interactive, on-line options etc.) are key implications.

Discussion: 18 credit hours (1st module) to be determined and clarified. Is the accelerated/concentrated field going to look different? Pre-reqs the same or different?

Course Description

(Formerly 047.412) A second educationally directed field experience building on SWRK 3150 (formerly 47.315) in which students will have the opportunity to carry a sustained professional role in situations which require the integration of values, knowledge, and skills at the level of a beginning professional practitioner. While students in Access Programs may be required to complete additional field hours, 420 hours is the minimum required for all BSW students. This time commitment includes involvement with the agency in planning for and engaging in practice activity, preparing for and engaging in supervision with appointed Field Instructor and/or On-Site Supervisor, as well as evaluation of performance. In addition to the minimum to the core field hour requirement of the respective program (420 hours or greater), all students must attend 39 hours of integrative seminars.

In addition to educational contact time with the field instructor in individual sessions, some students will have an opportunity to engage in group sessions and or other training as determined by the Field Practicum Instructor. Contact time may also include in-person or on-line/teleconference review meetings with Faculty Liaison, Field Coordinator and/or Field Instructor. The student is graded on a pass/fail basis, subject to satisfactory completion of learning objectives, curriculum requirements and field hours.

Overview

The purpose of field instruction is to ensure that students have appropriately sequenced social work practice experiences in community agency settings. Educationally focused instruction brings to consciousness the self-awareness and discipline required of a generalist professional practitioner. This occurs through a series of progressively more demanding practice situations. It is the component of the curriculum in which the student practices in order to learn. The field experience gives the student the knowledge and the skills to effectively practice in a variety of settings and fields. As noted, a three (3) credit hour Field/Focus2 course (SWRK 4190) must be taken concurrent with the field placement, along with the 39 hours of integrative seminars.

Students engage in SWRK 4120 in a variety of settings and are provided with the opportunity to undertake a range of social work roles. In field practicum, students begin to incorporate academic knowledge, values and ethics of the profession in social work practice.

Course Objectives (Please note that these objectives will change based on proposed curriculum changes and on revisions being made to the existing evaluation forms.)

In SWRK 4120, students will build on the knowledge and skills attained from their experience in first practicum, SWRK 3150. In final field practicum, students are expected to intervene in more complex situations and to facilitate more effective communication. In practicum, students are expected to interact with key people in the field setting appropriately and sensitively. Students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the agency’s structure, mandate, and objectives, an increasing understanding of external organizations/resources as well as an understanding of the overall service delivery system. They are expected todemonstrate an increasing awareness of and attention to underlying verbal and non-verbal communication patterns. Students are expected to clearly demonstrate a commitment to the importance of self-awareness and to seek and integrate constructive and critical feedback from othersas a means to effective professional involvement and development. In final practicum, greater emphasis is placed on the implementation and evaluation components of the case management process.

Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to assess and intervene, to facilitate identification and prioritization of clients’ needs and to respect clients’ rights, including the importance of ensuring self-determination of clients in the process. Students are expected to demonstrate their commitment to the primary consideration of the welfare of the client/participant in their work. Students will also be expected to demonstrate a commitment to ethical behavior as the core of social work practice, including an understanding of the CASW Code of Ethics.

The primary objectives of this course will be met when the student is able to demonstrate the following:

  • Professional Values
  • Commitment to empowerment approach and strengths perspective in work with others
  • Ability to take initiative and responsibility for all aspects of professional development
  • Commitment to planning and organizing all aspects of social work student role and field placement responsibilities
  • Effectiveness within Agency and Community
  • Ability to refer clients appropriately to community resources
  • Ability to develop effective working relationships with agency and community staff
  • Ongoing commitment to use of conflict resolution and problem-solving skills
  • Comprehension and Integration of Theoretical Knowledge
  • Ability to generalize theoretical knowledge from one practice situation to another
  • Ability to understand and apply social policy to practice
  • Ability to integrate theoretical knowledge into practice with a clear rationale for intervention
  • Effective Use of Supervision
  • Ability to actively seek and integrate feedback in future work
  • Increased independence and autonomy in increasing knowledge and skills in practice
  • Increased ability to accurately assess one’s own level of effectiveness in practice
  • Self-Awareness
  • Ongoing commitment to taking risks to increase professional competency
  • Ability to identify on own and deal with personal issues that may impede upon practice
  • Written Skills
  • Ability to document in a professional and timely manner
  • Ability to use current technology as required in practicum
  • Respectful and unbiased position in case-specific recording and meets agency requirements and standards
  • Ability to write for diverse audiences
  • Understanding of Diversity
  • Ability to recognize own perspective of culture, race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age and disability and potential implications for professional practice
  • Ability to demonstrate empathy and understanding of discrimination and oppression experienced by individuals and groups, both from a historic and current context
  • Ability to build knowledge base and identify issues related to diversity in practice
  • Ability to promote social justice by advocating for policy and practice that addresses the needs of clients served
  • Understanding of the importance of the advocacy role with diverse clients and the ability to link clients to culturally appropriate resources, whenever possible
  • Communication, Interviewing and Engagement Skills
  • Understanding of the importance of effective communication skills
  • Use of appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills
  • Use of language appropriate to client’s level of understanding
  • Ability to question, challenge and employ confrontation skills when necessary
  • Use of empowerment in providing service and support to others
  • Ability to articulate student role to client and to demonstrate a client centered approach in all areas of practice
  • Use of effective interpersonal and communication skills with individuals, families, groups, organizations and/or communities
  • Ability to assist client in expressing feelings, thoughts, needs and goals in an interview process
  • Use of a client-centred approach in developing rapport and providing support to others
  • Information Collection and Assessment
  • Ability to understand issues of concern from the context of the client being served
  • Understanding of the implications, negative and positive, of social policy on the lives of people being served
  • Ability to be clear and specific in data collection and to begin to recognize biases
  • Understanding of assessment as an ongoing process and an ability to consistently use assessment skills as a framework for practice
  • Ability to facilitate client’s identification and recognition of strengths and abilities
  • Planning/Contracting and Goal-Setting
  • Understanding of the importance of planning, contracting and goal-setting to social work practice
  • Ability to respond to crisis appropriately
  • Ability to engage and mutually contract with client by establishing and prioritizing goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely
  • Intervention Skills
  • Use of a client-centred approach and an ability to maintain a professional supportive role throughout the process
  • Understanding of all contacts with clients and collaterals as a form of intervention
  • Ability to develop an intervention plan relative to the assessment and contracting process and a framework for addressing priorities
  • Ability to undertake the roles of mediator, advocate, facilitator and educator, as appropriate
  • Closure
  • Ability to engage with client in reviewing the extent to which goals are addressed
  • Ability to provide information to client regarding other resources and to assist with navigating, if required, at the time of closure
  • Sensitivity to closure issues and ability to close effectively with clients and all relevant others
  • Ability to seek and respond professionally to feedback from the client concerning the service provided by the student and or agency social workers
  • Evaluation
  • Ability to identify the criteria considered in assessing the outcome of intervention
  • Initiative in seeking critical and constructive feedback from others in the process of evaluating an intervention as well as one’s own social work abilities and skills
  • Ability to use critical and constructive feedback in building on professional strengths and working to improve areas of identified need

Throughout the practicum course, students will be evaluated on their ongoing development of skills and integration of knowledge and values in practice. Students are expected to take responsibility for their learning and to demonstrate initiative in accessing feedback regarding the effectiveness of their interventions. A student’s professional growth, development and performance are measured relative to individual, field agency and university expectations. Upon successful completion, students will have the basic knowledge and skills to prepare them for beginning social work practice.

Methods

In field practicum, students are expected to demonstrate professional behaviour in all aspects of training and practice. Students are expected to engage in ongoing critical thinking and to ensure that their knowledge and understanding are shared and reflected in a comprehensive manner in the work undertaken in the field setting.

The SWRK 3150 final evaluation will be provided to the Field Instructor to promote continuity of learning and appropriate sequencing of the field experience. The SWRK 3150 evaluation should be closely tied to the learning contract developed in SWRK 4120. Upon reviewing the SWRK 3150 evaluation, the instructor and student should highlight and incorporate key areas of need for further development in the learning contract developed for final field practicum, SWRK 4120.

All students in field practicum are expected to attend Field Orientation sessions, as facilitated by the Faculty, and to attend all In-Agency Orientation sessions. All students are also required to complete the following as part of their field practicum course:

  • Learning Contract
  • Weekly Professional Reflective Journals
  • Time-Logs (and accompanying linkage with learning goals)
  • Attendance in (and logging of hours) bi-weekly integrative seminars, including submission of all required assignments

Additional methods and approaches taken to facilitate learning in field practicum settings will vary based on the agency/program in which the student is placed. The field instructor has the primary responsibility for determining and selecting other areas of involvement for the student, based on the learning goals identified in the contracting phase. The learning opportunities should be based on a generalist approach to social work practice and be varied enough to allow exposure to as many aspects of practice as are available in the field setting. The Field Instructor has several tools to choose from in order to enhance student learning and to assess student performance. These methods may include the following:

  • Verbal reports
  • Contracting with Field Instructor and preparing for and reviewing field progress via regular supervision meetings
  • Student initiating discussion with Field Instructor regarding any outstanding areas of concern or inquiry pertaining to the field practicum and/or as documented in the weekly Professional Reflective Journal
  • Completion of all tasks as determined by Field Instructor. This may include tools to support assessment/intervention process (e.g., genograms, eco-maps)
  • Process recordings
  • File recordings
  • Summary recordings
  • Case conference presentations
  • Referrals for service and/or funding
  • Presentation seminars and workshops
  • Program or policy development tasks
  • Training (e.g., ASIST, Risk Assessment)
  • Completion of all evaluation documents (e.g., mid-term, final)
  • Modelling/Shadowing
  • Video/DVD recordings
  • Audio tapes
  • Direct in-person observations
  • One-way mirror observation
  • Client meeting co-facilitation
  • Group co-facilitation

Statement of Practice: If a student fails to submit a requested assignment (including Professional Reflective Journals) or does not make himself or herself available for supervision or evaluation, a failing grade may be assigned. This will be assigned at the discretion of the Field Coordinator (who is the Instructor of Record), in consultation with the Field Instructor and Faculty Liaison.

Meetings and Workshops: All students are expected to participate in meetings and workshops that are organized as part of the Field Program. Information and planning meetings held prior to the actual placement date are not counted as part of the required hours in placement. Workshops related to the Field Program that the student attends during the academic year in which their placement occurs can be counted as part of the field placement hours.

If a student is uncertain as to whether a particular training opportunity or workshop (offered during field placement) is applicable to their learning contract with the agency and therefore included in field hours, he/she should consult with his/her appointed field instructor.

Course Expectations

The schedule of time required for the field placement will be included in the Key Dates Form and the Learning Contract.

  • Fort Garry and Distance Delivery Social Work Program students complete 420 hours
  • Inner City Social Work Program students complete 500 field hours
  • Northern BSW Program students complete 490 field hours
  • Université de Saint-Boniface BSW Program students complete 450 field hours

Any variation to the field hour requirement must be negotiated with the Field Instructor, Field Liaison and Field Coordinator. If a student is unable to attend field practicum due to agency closure, such as a statutory or agency-specific holiday, the student must make up the field hours for that particular day.

Grading

Students are expected to complete all field-related work, including demonstration of skills and abilities, as outlined in the Field Evaluation Form. All Field Instructors and Field Students are required to complete a mid-term and final evaluation document, as part of the Field Evaluation Form. This is the tool used to determine and assign grades. A final grade will be determined based on completed assignments, Field Instructor’s observation of student’s performance including attainment of student’s learning objectives (as stipulated in the Learning Contract), completion of program expectations (as determined by the Field Instructor/On-Site Supervisor), demonstration of professional suitability and meeting of curriculum requirements as outlined on the course syllabus and Field Evaluation Forms, including completion of field hour requirements. The evaluation of a student is done on a pass/fail basis.

SWRK 4120 is a co-requisite course with SWRK 4190- Field/Focus. If a student voluntarily withdraws from one course, he/she must withdraw from the other. Similarly, if a student fails SWRK 4120 or SWRK 4190, he/she will be given a failing grade in the accompanying co-requisite course. Similarly, if a student does not successfully complete the 39 hours of integrative seminars, he/she will be given a failing grade in SWRK 4120. Is this an accurate interpretation of the integrative seminar – does the student fail field if the seminar has not been completed in full? We will need to add in relevant information here.

Grade appeals should initially be discussed with the Field Instructor. Appeals of final grades are to be requested by the student to the Instructor with a support rationale in writing. This may be followed by additional consultation with the Faculty Liaison and finally the Field Coordinator. Outstanding issues may be appealed to the Appeals Committee of the Faculty of Social Work.

Please refer to the B.S.W. Student Handbook for further details on academic regulations and procedures.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined in the University of Manitoba General Calendar, and it carries serious academic penalties. If you are unsure of the appropriate practices to avoid plagiarism please consult with the instructor.