UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND SOCIAL WORK PRACTICUM MANUAL for FIELD INSTRUCTORS and PRACTICUM STUDENTS University of Portland Social Work Program 5000 N. Portland, OR 97203 2021-2022 TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW OF THE SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM AND CURRICULUM 3 Social Work Program Goals and Competencies 3-9 Social Work Major Requirements 9 OVERVIEW OF THE PRACTICUM 10 Procedures and Criteria for Selection of Practicum Agencies and Instructors 10-12 Roles Related to the Social Work Practicum 13-15 Guidelines for Field Instructors and Supervision 16-17 Policies for Admission, Continuance, and Termination 18-19 Social Work Practicum Course Outline 20-31 Learning Contract Guidelines 32-34 FORMS (These can be printed or copied from the manual for use) 35 • Application to the Social Work Practicum Program 36-39 • Agency Screening Form (Agency Information Form) 40-41 • Agency Placement Agreement 42-44 • Student Semester Evaluation for Fall Semester 45-50 • Student Semester Evaluation for Spring Semester 51-56 • Students Evaluation of Field Instructor and Agency 57-58 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS AND FIELD INSTRUCTORS 59 University of Portland Academic Year Calendar 2021-22 60-62 Field Instructor Expectations at a Glance 63 Other Important Reminders for Field Instructors 64 Information on the Social Work Program and copies of this manual and forms can be accessed by contacting Lizz Schallert, Practicum Director, at schaller@up.edu, or Dr. Alice Gates, Social Work Program Director, at gatesa@up.edu 2 OVERVIEW OF THE SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM AND CURRICULUM In keeping with the missions of the University and College of Arts and Sciences, the Dorothy Day Social Work Program offers an academically rigorous program enriched by intensive, educationally-directed field experiences and is committed to service, leadership, and social justice. The goals of the program are: Program Goal I: To provide a generalist social work curriculum based on a foundation of social, economic, and environmental justice.
Program Goal II: To promote educational and experiential contexts that emphasize ethical, value-based, and culturally responsive social work practice. Program Goal III: To offer curricular and field opportunities that facilitate and support advanced graduate study and service leadership roles in diverse settings and communities. The program seeks to prepare students to become culturally competent, ethical social work practitioners in a wide range of settings and to assume leadership roles in diverse societies. Based upon Catholic social teachings, the social work program is dedicated to work with vulnerable and marginalized populations such as women, older adults, and people with disabilities.
It affirms the values of human diversity, self-determination, community and global solidarity, and sustainability. To achieve its goals, the social work program integrates a liberal arts foundation with social work values, skills, and knowledge to prepare students for service that is reflective, responsible, informed by scholarly knowledge, and responsive to the communities they serve. SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM COMPETENCIES AND PRACTICE BEHAVIORS Social Work graduates of the University of Portland should be able to: [1] Articulate social work values that form the foundation of practice such as advocacy for human rights and social and economic justice. Identify with the social work profession b.
Advocate for human rights and social and economic justice [2] Utilize critical thinking and ethical conceptualization skills when addressing social problems and approaches to working with those problems. Apply ethical principles in practice b. Apply critical thinking in practice [3] Competently apply social work skills that are informed by theory, research, and best practices and that consider the cultural and other contexts in which practice occurs. Incorporate diversity in practice b.
Engage in informed research c. Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment 3 d. Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well being e. Respond to contexts that shape practice f.
Engage, assess, intervene, evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities The Dorothy Day Social Work Program is accredited by a national body, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). As a CSWE accredited program, the social work program has the following competencies and observable behaviors for social work majors that flow from the program’s mission and learning objectives: Social work students and graduates of the University of Portland should be able to: Competency One: Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior. Social workers understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards, as well as relevant laws and regulations that may impact practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Social workers understand frameworks of ethical decision-making and how to apply principles of critical thinking to those frameworks in practice, research, and policy arenas.
Social workers recognize personal values and the distinction between personal and professional values. They also understand how their personal experiences and affective reactions influence their professional judgment and behavior. Social workers understand the profession’s history, its mission, and the roles and responsibilities of the profession. Social Workers also understand the role of other professions when engaged in inter-professional teams.
Social workers recognize the importance of life-long learning and are committed to continually updating their skills to ensure they are relevant and effective. Social workers also understand emerging forms of technology and the ethical use of technology in social work practice. Behaviors associated with this competency are: a.) Make ethical decisions by applying social work codes of ethics, laws and regulations, and ethical models.) Use self-reflection and regulation to manage personal values, maintain professionalism, and plan for professional development in practice.) Demonstrate professional demeanor including appearance and oral, written, and electronic communication.) Use supervision and consultation to guide and inform professional judgment and behavior.) Demonstrate ability to recognize signs of and effectively respond to stress, conflict, burnout, and vicarious trauma, and to plan for self care. 4 Competency Two: Engage in diversity and difference in practice.
Social workers understand how diversity and difference characterize and shape the human experience and are critical to the formation of identity. The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of multiple factors including but not limited to age, class, color, culture, disability and ability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, marital status, political ideology, race, religion/spirituality, sex, sexual orientation, and tribal sovereign status. Social workers understand that, as a consequence of difference, a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege, power, and acclaim. Social workers also understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination and recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values, including social, economic, political, and cultural exclusions, may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create privilege and power.
Behaviors associated with this competency are: a.) Apply and communicate understanding of the importance of diversity and difference in shaping life experiences in practice at micro, mezzo, and macro levels.) Apply principles of cultural humility and present selves as learners and engage clients and constituents as experts of their own experiences.) Engage with others around identity and difference, and apply self-awareness and regulation to manage the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse clients and constituents.) Apply knowledge of the historical and contemporary dynamics of privilege and oppression in society. Competency Three: Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice. Social workers understand that every person regardless of position in society has fundamental human rights such as freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, health care, and education. Social workers understand the global interconnections of oppression and human rights violations, and are knowledgeable about theories of human need and social justice and strategies to promote social and economic justice and human rights.
Social workers understand strategies designed to eliminate oppressive structural barriers to ensure that social goods, rights, and responsibilities are distributed equitably and that civil, political, environmental, economic, social, and cultural human rights are protected. Behaviors associated with this competency are: a.) Apply understanding of social, economic, and environmental justice to advocate for human rights at the individual and systems levels.) Understand dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression, and engage in practices that advance social, economic, and environmental justice. Competency Four: Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice. Social workers understand quantitative and qualitative research methods and their respective roles in advancing a science of social work and in evaluating their practice.
Social workers know the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and culturally informed and ethical approaches to building knowledge. Social workers understand that evidence that informs practice derives from multi-disciplinary sources and multiple ways of knowing. They also understand the processes for translating research findings into effective practice. Behaviors associated with this competency are: a.) Use practice experience and theory to inform scientific inquiry and research and translate research evidence to inform and improve practice, policy, and service delivery.) Apply critical thinking to analyze quantitative and qualitative research methods and research findings.
Competency Five: Engage in policy practice. Social workers understand that human rights and social justice, as well as social welfare and services, are mediated by policy and its implementation at the federal, state, and local levels. Social workers understand the history and current structures of social policies and services, the role of policy in service delivery, and the role of practice in policy development. Social workers understand their role in policy development and implementation within their practice settings at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels and they actively engage in policy practice to effect change within those settings.
Social workers recognize and understand the historical, social, cultural, economic, organizational, environmental, and global influences that affect social policy. They are also knowledgeable about policy formulation, analysis, implementation, and evaluation. Behaviors associated with this competency are: a.) Identify social policy at the local, state, federal, and global levels that impacts well-being, service delivery, and access to social services.) Assess how social welfare and economic policies impact the delivery of and access to social services.) Apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice in local and global contexts. 6 Competency Six: Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Social workers understand that engagement is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers value the importance of human relationships. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and the social environment, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge to facilitate engagement with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand strategies to engage diverse clients and constituencies to advance practice effectiveness.
Social workers understand how their personal experiences and affective reactions may impact their ability to effectively engage with diverse clients and constituencies. Social workers value principles of relationship-building and inter-professional collaboration to facilitate engagement with clients, constituencies, and other professionals as appropriate. Behaviors associated with this competency are: a.) Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in- environment, and other multidisciplinary and critical theoretical frameworks to engage with clients and communities.) Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage diverse clients and communities. Competency Seven: Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Social workers understand that assessment is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and the social environment, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in the assessment of diverse clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand methods of assessment with diverse clients and constituencies to advance practice effectiveness. Social workers recognize the implications of the larger practice context in the assessment process and value the importance of inter-professional collaboration in this process.
Social workers understand how their personal experiences and affective reactions may affect their assessment and decision-making. Behaviors associated with this competency are: a.) Collect and organize data, and apply critical thinking to interpret information from clients and communities.) Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in- environment, and other multidisciplinary and critical theoretical frameworks in the analysis of assessment data from clients and communities.