Student Handbook for the Bachelor of Social Work Program (BSW) at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio Capital University-BSW Program Revised 11/25/2019 R. Ross CSWE Accredited since 1974 CSWE-EPAS, 2015 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 4 Welcome to Capital University’s Social Work Program 4 Mission Statement 4 Program Goals 4 Learning Outcomes/Core Competencies and Practice Behaviors 5 Definition of Social Work 7 Generalist Practice 7 Faculty-Student Privacy Policy 8 Exceptions in Faculty-Student Privacy Policy 8 2. Admission to the Social Work Program 9 Admission Policies and Procedures 9 Admission Requirements for the BSW Program 9 General Advising Information 10 Advising Information Specific to the BSW Program 10 Policy for Changing Advisor within the BSW Program 11 Timing 11 Decision 11 Full and Conditional Status 12 Good Standing 12 Probation 12 Transfer Students 12 Transferring Credits to the Program 13 Readmission, Suspension, Dismissal, and Disqualification 14 A.
Readmission to the Program 14 B. Suspension and Dismissal 14 C. University Disciplinary Disqualification 15 3. Academic and Professional Standards 15 Suitability for the Social Work Profession 15 Areas of Concern 16 Programs expectations of professional and academic integrity, and the process whereby students are terminated 16 4.
Student Rights and Responsibilities 28 Academic Integrity 28 Citing Sources 28 Academic Misconduct 29 A. Plagiarism 29 Consequences of Academic Misconduct 30 A. 2nd Offense 30 Student Rights and Procedures Regarding Grievances 30 2 A. Social Work Program 30 B.
General Conduct Name and Pronoun Use in the Classroom 32 Gender Inclusive Communication Statement 32 Human Dignity Policy 32 Non-Discrimination Policy 32 Sexual Harassment Policy 33 A. The Department of Social Work 33 B. BSW Degree Plan 35 7. Student Opportunities 36 Independent Study (SWK 491) 37 Student Participation in Hiring Social Work Faculty 37 Program Assessment Through Student Evaluations 37 A.
Capital University 37 Professional Development and Employment Assistance 37 Student Social Work Association 38 Honors and Awards 38 Undergraduate Scholarship Opportunities 38 9. Acknowledgement of Receipt and Understanding 39 10. General Student Resources 40 11. NASW Code of Ethics 40 Preamble 40 Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics 41 Ethical Principles 43 Ethical Standards 44 3 1.
INTRODUCTION Welcome to Capital University’s Social Work Program This manual is intended for social work majors and those considering entering Capital University’s CSWE-accredited Social Work Program. CSWE is the Council on Social Work Education, and accreditation means we are a nationally approved and endorsed program providing a consistent education in social work values, knowledge, and skills. This consistency and our constant efforts to be current in the social work field will build the successful BSW student’s ability to take the state’s Licensed Social Worker (LSW) licensing exam and to gain entry into a Master of Social Work (MSW) program. It also gives our graduates the confidence that they have received a generalist social work education allowing them to begin quality social work practice upon graduation.
For those interested in social work but not interested in the major, we offer a concentration in geriatrics and a minor in social work. Welcome to Social Work. Please read the following handbook carefully, and feel free to contact the Capital University Social Work Program Associate, Tracy Roberts, at troberts@capital.edu or (614) 236-6315 with any questions. Mission Statement The Social Work Program at Capital University is committed to the provision of the excellent educational preparation of students for generalist practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Consistent with the mission of Capital University, the Social Work Program prepares students to become critical thinkers, lifelong learners, and inspires them to be morally reflective, spiritually alive, and civically engaged in an increasingly diverse society. The Social Work Program is grounded in liberal education and focused on celebrating learning through student-centered professional practice to uphold the advancement of human rights and empowerment to people beyond borders. Program Goals The BSW Program aims to 1. Prepare students for generalist practice in both rural and urban settings with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Prepare students with a foundation for lifelong learning, including graduate education and an awareness of their responsibility to continue their professional growth and development. Prepare students with a broad liberal arts foundation emphasizing the development of knowledgeable, independent, critical thinkers. Prepare students to practice within the values and ethics of the social work profession with an emphasis on service to vulnerable populations and the promotion of social and economic justice and empowerment worldwide. Prepare students to understand a scientific, analytical, and ethical approach to building knowledge and incorporating technological advancements into their practice.
The Social Work Program supports and affirms the Equal Opportunity Policy of Capital University. This commitment to diversity and nondiscrimination is revealed through the composition of the program’s faculty, staff, and student body; curriculum content; recruitment and retention processes; community service commitments; field practicum site choices; promotion and tenure policies; and dissemination of this commitment to its various constituencies. Learning Outcomes/Core Competencies and Practice Behaviors* 1. DEMONSTRATE ETHICAL AND PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR a.
Advocate for client access to the services of social work. Practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual professional development. Attend to professional roles and boundaries. Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and communication.
Engage in career-long learning. Use supervision and consultation. Recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice. Make ethical decisions by applying standards of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.
Tolerate ambiguity in resolving ethical conflicts. Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions. Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research-based knowledge, and practice wisdom. Analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and evaluation.
Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and colleagues. ENGAGE DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENCE IN PRACTICE a. Recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, create, or enhance privilege and power. Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups.
Recognize and communicate their understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experience. View themselves as learners and engage those with whom they work as informants. ADVANCE HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE a. Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination.
Advocate for human rights and social and economic justice. Engage in practices that advance social and economic justice. ENGAGE IN RESEARCH-INFORMED PRACTICE AND PRACTICE-INFORMED RESEARCH a. Use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry.
Research evidence to inform practice. Utilize conceptual frameworks to guide the processes of assessment, intervention, and evaluation. Critique and apply knowledge to understand person and environment. ENGAGE IN POLICY PRACTICE a.
Analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-being. Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action. Continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales, populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging societal trends to provide relevant services. Provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service delivery and practice to improve the quality of social services.
ENGAGE, WITH INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES a. Substantively and affectively prepare for action with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Use empathy and other interpersonal skills. Develop a mutually agreed-upon focus of work and desired outcomes.
ASSESS INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES a. Collect, organize, and interpret client data. Assess client strengths and limitations. Develop mutually agreed-upon intervention goals and objectives.
Select appropriate intervention strategies. INTERVENE WITH INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES a. Initiate actions to achieve organizational goals. Implement prevention interventions that enhance client capacities.
Help clients resolve problems. Negotiate, mediate, and advocate for clients. Facilitate transitions and endings. EVALUATE INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES a.
Select and use appropriate methods for evaluation of outcomes. Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in- environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the evaluation of outcomes. Critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate intervention and program processes and outcomes. Apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels.
* See Core Competencies in Fieldwork Manual and CSWE Core Competencies 2015 6 Definition of Social Work The Social Worker is a professional who uses his/her professional skills, knowledge, and values in generalist practice to optimize clients functioning in their social environment. The Social Worker is also responsible for advocating for social change to support the optimal functioning of clients (Zastrow, 2012). Generalist Practice The Social Work Program is committed to preparing students for generalist social work practice. The basic principle of generalist practice is that baccalaureate social workers are able to utilize the problem-solving process to intervene with various size systems including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
The generalist operates within the systems and person-in-environment framework (sometimes referred to as an ecological model). The generalist expects that many problems will require simultaneous intervention in more than one system (i., individual work with a delinquent adolescent plus work with the family or school) and address problems with a strengths-oriented perspective. Generalist practitioners may play several roles simultaneously or sequentially, depending upon the needs of the client (i., facilitator, advocate, educator, broker, enabler, case manager, and/or mediator). They may serve as lead/facilitator of task groups, socialization groups, information groups, and self-help groups.
They are capable of conducting needs assessments and evaluating their own practice and the programs with which they are associated. They make referrals when client problems so dictate and know when to seek supervision from more experienced staff. Generalists operate within the ethical guidelines prescribed by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics and must be able to work with clients, coworkers, and colleagues from different ethnic, cultural, and professional orientations. The knowledge and skills of the generalist are transferable from one setting to another and from one problem to another (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2011).
References: CSWE-EPAS (2015) https://www.org/getattachment/Accreditation/Standards-and- Policies/2015-EPAS/2015EPASandGlossary.aspx Kirst-Ashman, K. Understanding generalist practice, 6th edition. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. The practice of social work, 7th ed.
Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. 7 Faculty-Student Privacy Policy Faculty and students will respect each other’s right to privacy and will at in a professional manner toward each other as described in Section 2 of the NASW Code of Ethics, found on pages 42-45 in this handbook. Each student has the expectation of privacy for any information, questions, or advice sought or shared in confidence with a faculty member; the faculty member is expected to maintain this confidentiality unless it falls under the exceptions explained below. The private conduct of any member of the department should not be permitted to interfere with the faculty and staff’s professional responsibilities or the student’s conduct and academic responsibilities, as detailed in this handbook and the Capital University Student Handbook.
Students, faculty, and staff should avoid unwarranted negative criticism of another member of the department in any communications with other students, faculty, staff, members of the general public, or in any online communications, such as emails, professor or course rating websites, social media posts, or text messages. Disputes between a faculty member and a student should follow the various grievance policies listed in this handbook and the Capital University Student Handbook. Exceptions to Faculty-Student Privacy Policy Several exceptions to the Faculty-Student Privacy Policy exist: cases involving intent to harm others, situations where people are a danger to themselves or threaten self-harm, legal proceedings requiring records to be subpoenaed, and allegations of abuse. Ohio law requires professionals to report instances of known or suspected abuse against children and the elderly.
As helping and teaching professionals, Social Work educators have an obligation to report child or senior neglect and/or abuse, as does the Social Worker in the practice setting (Meier & Long, 1998). Professional ethics dictate that Social Work educators have a responsibility to not engage in any dual or multiple relationships with students where the risk of possible exploitation or potential harm to the student may arise (NASW, 1996; Meier & Long, 1998). Students give permission within their Field Education application for the program to exchange their information with members of the field placement agency.