Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 565 Administration & Supervision (Spring A 2023)

Credits - 3

Description

This course explores the roles and functions of social workers in various administrative and supervisory capacities, and how the work of the human service program is done through the efforts of its staff. Students gain an understanding of the financial management process, human resource issues, board leadership development, and task group leadership.

WCHP Core Values: Collaboration, Leadership, Critical Thinking

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, students will:

1. Understand and apply principles of social inclusion and other relevant professional standards in the leadership of sustainable, equitable and diverse human service organizations and other complex systems. Program Outcomes 1, 5
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the significance of social work supervision in terms of history, working definition, purpose and its relevance to professional social work practice and apply appropriate theoretical supervision models in various social work practice settings. Program Outcome 3
3. Demonstrate advanced knowledge to articulate the concept of transformative and other leadership styles in a multitude of non-profit settings. Program Outcome 7
4. Analyze and evaluate the impact of policies and social contexts on the leadership and administration of human service organizations and other complex systems and the resulting impact on client populations. Program Outcome 6
5. Possess an understanding of the basic functions of the management, leadership, supervisory and team roles in administrative practice, i.e., planning, monitoring, controlling and organizing, and utilize self-reflection to identify their social work identity. Program Outcome 4

Accreditation Standards Addressed: Council on Social Work Education Educational and Practice Standards (EPAS)

• Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior (EPAS 1)
• Advance Human Rights and Social, and Environmental Justice (EPAS 3)
• Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice (EPAS 4)
• Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities (EPAS 9)

Assignments

Learning Activities

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:

Whole-Class Discussions

Every week, students will be required to participate in one or more discussions for which instructions will be provided. Some of these discussions will be done in small groups as a way for students to work as a designated task team to develop advanced practice skills in coordination, collaboration, facilitation, presentation, and leadership. Online instructor feedback will be conducted throughout the term to assess the student’s engagement and contributions to the discussions.

Hiring Committee: Small-Group Work and Discussions

The focus of the work in this area is to collaborate in a small group and produce a number of assignments and discussions. Through these activities, you will practice your own leadership skills. The due dates for the initial posts vary from week to week; please check individual weeks for the exact timeline.

Week 4 Assignment: Leadership and Supervision Interview with a Social Worker

For this paper, you will need to interview a social worker who has been in the field for at least two years and ideally is someone who has provided supervision for either an intern or professional social workers. To be submitted by Tuesday of Week 4.

Week 7 Case Study Student Reflection Assignment

Throughout this course, we have been following the Jane Addams Children and Family Center case study. Referring to the case materials, online discussion, course readings, and class activities, provide a 5-7 page reflection.

You will submit a detailed outline of your paper in Week 5. The outline should include all of the headings you plan to use (some are required) and a description of the content (two to three sentences).

A draft of your paper should be submitted to the discussion forum in Week 6. Students should provide a response and feedback on at least one (1) peer’s paper by the end of Week 6.

After you received feedback, please consider making changes to the paper as necessary. The final, revised paper should be submitted for grading no later than Tuesday at 11:59 pm at the end of Week 7.

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

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

Assignment	Point Value	Percentage of total grade
Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement	1	1%
Discussions	30 (5 pts each)	30%
Hiring Committee (Groups)	30 (5 pts each)	30%
Week 1 Assignment	5	5%
Week 4 Assignment (Interview)	10	10%
Week 5 Assignment (Case Study Reflection Outline)	3	3%
Week 7 Interagency Meeting Exercise	2	2%
Week 7 Assignment (Case Study Reflection)	19	19%
Total	100 points	100%

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00