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Selection of Field Supervisors

The field supervisor’s role is critical in facilitating a student’s learning and providing a positive educational experience for the student.  The field supervisor serves as a role model for professional social work practice and carries final responsibility for the student’s training in the field site.  The selection of the field supervisor is a responsibility of both the field site and the field director.  When the site identifies a potential field supervisor, it is the responsibility of the field director or his/her representative toensure that this person meets the selection criteria.

Prior to the start of field placement, field supervisors are invited to attend a field supervisors’ training.  There are separate training sessions for foundation field supervisors and concentration field supervisors.  Foundation field supervisors’ training emphasizes the generalist curriculum and educational objectives of the first year while the concentration field supervisors’ training emphasizes the community partnerships curriculum and educational objectives of the second year.  Both training sessions provide tools and information to aid and support all field supervisors in their teaching role.  The orientation sessions are the first of five training modules leading to a certification for field supervisors. The Schools of Social Work in the Atlanta and Athens areas collaborate on this training certificate program and require that all field supervisors complete the five training modules.  The four additional modules are offered during the course of the academic year.  At the end of the academic year, feedback is solicited from field supervisors about the M.S.W. program and the field component.  Feedback and suggestions are presented routinely by the field director to both faculty and the field advisory board to inform field education, M.S.W. curriculum, and the overall M.S.W. program.

The following criteria are used in selecting field supervisors in approved field placement sites:

  1. The field supervisor must be a graduate of an accredited school of social work. A master's or bachelor's level social work should have a least post-degree practice experience.  In exceptional cases, particularly in second-year community partnerships field placements, there may be an agency/organization that affords a valuable educational opportunity but no on-site social work supervision.  The available field supervisor may have another combination of training, work, and supervisory experience coupled with personal/professional standards and values consistent with those of social work.  These situations shall be evaluated on a case by case basis by the field director.
  2. The field supervisor must have a professional philosophy consistent with the values and ethics of the social work profession.
  3. The field supervisor must have been employed by the field site for at least six months.
  4. The field supervisor must demonstrate a commitment and ability to teach M.S.W. students and act in a supervisory role.
  5. The field supervisor must be committed to his/her own professional growth.
  6. The field supervisor must be willing to devote the time to:
    1. attend training seminars/meetings for field supervisors sponsored by the School of Social Work;
    2. provide field site orientation to the student, including an overview of agency policies and regulations that govern practice;
    3. assist the student in developing the individualized partnership plan that outlines the student’s learning outcomes to be achieved during the field placement by selecting appropriate student tasks and identifying methods for evaluating the student’s performance;
    4. provide regularly scheduled weekly supervision with the student (a minimum of one hour per week);
    5. schedule a field site visit with the faculty liaison each semester to discuss student progress, agency needs/concerns, and any revisions to the partnership plan;
    6. confer as needed (in addition to the scheduled site visits) with the faculty liaison; and
    7. evaluate the student’s performance through written evaluations and provide verbal feedback to the student on his/her professional performance in the field agency.

The field supervisor must be on-site and on-duty when a student is in field placement. During those periods when a field supervisor is not available, another qualified staff member must be available on-site to the student. In case of a temporary absence or vacation, the field supervisor or his/her immediate supervisor must arrange alternative supervisory plans for the student and inform the faculty liaison of the arrangements. If a field supervisor leaves the agency or is given another assignment, he/she must contact the faculty liaison to discuss alternative plans for the student.

Two-way communication is critical to the overall success of field education. At the end of the academic year, feedback is solicited from field supervisors about the BSW or MSW program and field component as appropriate. Such feedback and suggestions are presented routinely to both faculty and the field advisory board by the field director to inform field education, the curriculum, and other program areas.