Social Work

Student Responsibilities

Supervisory relationship
The relationship with the field supervisor is significant to the outcome of the field education experience. The field supervisor is the agency person to whom a student is directly responsible. The supervisor is there to support and guide the student, facilitate learning, and evaluate the student's performance. If any questions, dissatisfactions, concerns, problems, etc. arise, the student must take initiative to talk to his/her field supervisor. It is not unusual at the beginning of the field placement for the student to have anxiety in approaching the field supervisor. This is a new situation and a new relationship; therefore the student may be unsure of how to proceed. The relationship will develop and change as the student and supervisor get to know one another and adjust to their respective intern and teacher roles. Gradually, the student will feel more comfortable and take on more responsibility in maintaining open and ongoing communication with the field supervisor. 
The effectiveness of field learning is largely determined by student participation.  As an adult learner, the student is responsible for creating his/her learning environment. The student needs to be an active learner—to question, to synthesize, to analyze, to conceptualize, and to develop a sense of ownership in the field experience. Being an active learner includes developing the individualized partnership plan, creating personalized learning outcomes and appropriate tasks, monitoring and evaluating practice, confronting personal biases/prejudices, and assessing one's professional development as a social worker. It also means preparing an agenda for and being actively involved in the weekly supervisory conferences. Most importantly, the student must develop the ability to receive constructive criticism within the context of increasing one's competence as a social worker. Feedback that is specific and focuses on something the student can change is a major factor affecting professional growth. 

Professional behavior
The field placement site is equivalent in many ways to a workplace. The student is expected to maintain regular working hours, be punctual, complete assignments in a responsible and timely manner, follow agency policies and procedures, dress appropriately, and generally conduct oneself in a professional manner. Professional, collegial relationships must be maintained at all times with all individuals in the workplace.
In addition, the student must maintain a professional demeanor that separates personal problems/issues from practice in order to engage successfully in one's professional responsibilities to clients, the agency, and the community. It is expected that the student will inform clients of his/her intern status and maintain full disclosure of his/her intern role while conducting business on behalf of the field placement site. To understand and abide by the NASW Code of Ethics, which provides guidelines for professional conduct, is critical for the student in the field setting.
As a student, one has the privilege of remaining outside any internal conflicts or labor disputes that may occur in the workplace.  If a student is drawn into conflict, the student should immediately discuss the situation with the field supervisor and advise the faculty liaison.

Agency policies
Agencies vary in the policies and procedures that they expect students to follow.  Most agencies require students to attend an orientation session(s). Depending on the size of the agency, this orientation may or may not cover policies specifically geared to the provision of social work services. It is important for the student to meet with the field supervisor to obtain information about the agency's operating procedures. If there is written documentation, the student should be furnished with a copy. Examples of operating procedures include policies on contact with clients outside the agency, transportation of clients, record keeping, personal safety and security, how to handle crisis situations, etc. The student should understand agency policies related to confidentiality, including the Health Insurance Portablity and Accountablity Act (HIPAA), privacy regulations, and always work within the values and ethics of the social work profession.  Standards for culturally competent practice should be followed as well.

Client relationships
The student is expected to be professional in all contacts with clients. It is strictly prohibited to date clients or engage in sexual relationships with clients.
Field sites may have different philosophies on the most appropriate methods of treating clients with which a student may or may not agree. While an intern can certainly have a difference of opinion, one may not proceed in treating clients on one's own assumptions contrary to the expectations that the field site has of its own workers. Philosophical differences should be addressed in field supervision. If the differences relate to ethical issues where ethical behavior maybe compromised, and the student's discussion with the field supervisor is unsatisfactory, the student should contact the faculty liaison.

Additional student guidelines and responsibilities

1. B.S.W. and First Year M.S.W. students are responsible for completing a minimum of 400 field placement hours during the foundation year field education and second year M.S.W. students a minimum of 500 field placement hours required.
2. Students are expected to have regular attendance at the field site and in seminar. Students may not be absent from the field integrative seminar in order to fulfill field site requirements.
3. Students must make up loss time due to field site closings, religious holidays, sickness or any emergency. Students are not expected to report to the field site on Georgia State University holiday closings.
4. Students must continue their field placement until the end of each semester, even if the requisite number of hours have been met prior to the end of the semester.
5. Students are required to maintain professional confidentiality in all of their activities. Field site material used for class assignments should be fully disguised. Audio tapes and videotapes should not be used without the written consent of the field site and the client.
6. Students may have a paper(s)/project(s) assigned by a faculty member (outside of the field education course) that require using the field experience in completing the assignment. In this situation, the student must discuss the assignment with his/her field supervisor and seek written permission when necessary in order to ensure that clients are not harmed, confidentiality is not breached, agency tasks are not compromised, and agency protocol is followed.
7. When there is no social work supervision at a field site, the student must agree to special supervision arrangements set forth by the faculty liaison.
8. As stated in the School of Social Work's Student Handbook:
   The School of Social Work acknowledges and appreciates the obligations students have to employers and/or families. However, the school cannot exempt students from the requirements of the program because of these obligations.  Furthermore, all field placements cannot necessarily be arranged for weekends or evenings for students whose occupational, family or other obligations make it difficult to conform to standard field placement requirements. Students are encouraged early on to make arrangements with whomever necessary before enrolling in the program.