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Selection of Field Sites

The School of Social Work seeks to develop and maintain affiliations with community sites that provide quality field education for all social work students.  The School has a commitment to provide relevant and appropriate practice experiences.  The first year placements represent those settings that offer a generalist practice focus for foundation students.  The second year placements represent agencies, organizations, and corporations that offer opportunities to engage in community partnerships.  The Director of Field Education, social work faculty, or an agency representative may initiate the process for agency selection as a field placement site.  The field director has the responsibility to evaluate the potential of each setting as an available and appropriate field education site.  Students do not negotiate their own field placement sites.

Each active field agency must have a current signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) on file.  This memorandum outlines both the field agency and the university’s responsibilities regarding internships.  The signed MOU covers a three-year period and may be renewed at three-year intervals throughout the course of the ongoing internship arrangement between the agency and the university.

The following criteria are used in the selection of field education sites:

  1. The field site must be committed to upholding social work values and ethics as outlined in the profession’s Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers and be committed to culturally competent practice in addressing diversity as set forth NASW's Standards for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice.  The Code of Ethics and Standards for Cultural Competence should be demonstrated through agency policies and procedures that support program design, service delivery, and professional training.
  2. The field site must be able to provide diversified learning experiences for students that are consistent with the School’s field education objectives as appropriate to the foundation and/or the concentration field placement.
  3. The field site should be committed to providing a work climate that supports creative experiential learning.
  4. The field site must be able to provide qualified field supervisors.
  5. The field site must be able to allocate time for field supervisors to prepare and implement educational supervision for students.
  6. The field site should allow time for field supervisors to participate in meetings, training seminars and/or workshops offered by the School of Social Work.
  7. The field site should provide educational opportunities for students to participate in regular activities such as staff meetings, case presentations, conferences, and in-service training.
  8. The field site must be able to provide appropriate physical space and logistical arrangements for students such as office/desk space, supplies, telephone, support staff, etc., in order to carry out assigned tasks/responsibilities.
  9. The field site must treat all information about students in a confidential manner.
  10. The field site must be an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution and uphold the civil rights and liberties of all individuals in all aspects of the organization and the delivery of services.

If the field site fails to maintain an environment that supports a competent level of social work practice supported by social work values and ethics, it will no longer be used as a field education site for M.S.W. students.  Any other selection criterion not maintained in providing a quality educational experience for students may result in the removal of the site as an approved field placement setting.  To apply for reinstatement requires an evaluation by the Director of Field Education.