Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSW 520 – Foundation Practicum Seminar I

Credits - 4

Description

Social Work Practicum/Seminar I (SSW 520) is the first of a two-semester, sequenced course designed to provide students with a supervised foundation practice experience in a social service agency/organization. The practicum includes experiential learning in social work skills for multi-level and multi-sector practice in a specialized setting. The seminar introduces the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, the World Health Organization’s Definition of Health and the International Federation of Social Workers’ Policy Statement on Health into discussions of how resource equity, social justice and universal health and healthcare across the life span effects work with client systems. Students complete 560 hours in the agency/ organization setting over two semesters (SSW 520 & SSW 522). Each student receives a minimum of 1 hour of weekly, individual field instruction from an MSW level social worker. Students are expected to abide by The Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers in their practice with clients and agencies/organizations. The seminar provides students with an opportunity to discuss and reflect on professional social work issues from their practicum experience regarding assessment, specific interventions with client systems and the application of practice theories. Students use the seminar to monitor their own learning experience and their progress in attaining their professional goals with respect to people’s membership in groups and communities (urban, regional and rural) distinguished by class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, and culture while honoring each person’s individuality.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:

1. Practice social inclusion to enable people, populations, and communities to fully participate in society, enhance human bonds in the context of cultural diversity and ensure improved quality of life and equitable resource distribution. EPAS Competencies 2 & 3
2. Engage in culturally-informed relationship building, being respectful of the complexity and diversity of contexts and circumstances. EPAS Competencies 3 & 6
3. Utilize theories of human behavior, social systems and social inclusion when offering interventions with people and their environments. EPAS Competency 8
4. Promote ethical reflection, critical consciousness and shared decision-making based in social work values and with consideration of the broader contexts of the world in which we live. EPAS Competency 1
5. Balance the roles of helpers, activists, and advocates through collaboration with communities to build healthy and sustainable resources. EPAS Competencies 2, 5, & 6
6. Engage as critical consumers and producers of research as it relates to assessment, intervention and evaluation of clinical and community practices. EPAS Competencies 4, 7, 8 & 9
7. Practice person-centered and collaborative community partnerships across diverse settings. EPAS Competency 6

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and oral, written, and electronic communication.
2. Apply understanding of the importance of diversity and difference in shaping life experiences in all levels of social work practice and engages clients, organizations and/or communities as experts in their own experience.
3. Apply their understanding of social inclusion (social, economic, and environmental justice) to advocate for and engage in practices that advance social inclusion (social, economic, and environmental justice) through the identification and assessment of social policies that impact well-being service delivery and access to services.
4. Apply self-awareness and self-regulation to manage the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse clients and constituencies.
5. Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage diverse clients, organizations, and/or communities.
6. Collect, organize, and apply critical thinking to interpret ongoing assessment information from clients, organizations, and/or communities.
7. Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the analysis of ongoing assessment information, developing mutually agreed upon intervention goals with clients, organizations, and/or communities and can utilize client feedback or other evaluation methods to improve practice, policy and/or service delivery.
8. Use inter-professional collaboration in the process of assessment, developing interventions and evaluating practice to achieve beneficial outcomes for clients, organizations and/or communities.
9. Make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the Social Work Codes of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision-making, ethical conduct of research and use of technology, and additional codes of ethics as appropriate to context.

Accreditation Standards Addressed:

• CSWE EPAS 2015 Competencies
• Competency 1–Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
• Competency 2 –Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
• Competency 3 –Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
• Competency 5 –Engage in Policy Practice
• Competency 6 –Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
• Competency 7 –Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
• Competency 8 –Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
• Competency 9 –Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communitie

Assignments

A variety of learning activities are designed to support the course objectives, facilitate different learning styles, and build a community of learners. Learning activities for each module include the following:

Readings and Multimedia

There are two recommend texts in this course. While there are not prescribed readings from these texts, you are required to read and utilize throughout the course. Your instructor may integrate and suggest readings throughout the modules. We recommend that you utilize the Bibliography extended readings. Additional readings in the modules will be introduced as the forms and supporting documents needed for completion. There are a few videos presented as learning material, but the majority of videos in this course are student-created each week.

Discussions

Each week you will engage in weekly video assignments and discuss some of your peers’ field experiences. You will also post one self-care tip that you are employing and discuss amongst your classmates. There are several optional discussion boards in this course that you may utilize to ask questions about a specific assignment. Midway through the course, you will have discussion opportunities about being a mandated reporter in your state and what the laws require.

We recommend that you utilize the Bibliography extended readings to integrate into your discussions and assignments.

Writing Assignments, Projects, and Assessments

There are several assignments in this course, which are all tailored around strengthening your field internship and experiences. These assignments will be collaborative with your field instructor and seminar instructor and there will be plenty of time for review, comment, and submission. These will be highlighted throughout the course along with several reminders and prompts to get started. All of your assignments (including all of your forms) must be submitted via the assignment link and not via email. Any assignments (including all of your forms) submitted through Send Email or email will not be accepted.

Grading and Feedback 

Feedback will be provided within the assignment submission tool.

Due Dates: Due dates for all learning activities are provided in the Course Schedule

Grading Policy

The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown