When extreme emergent operational or environmental conditions lead or are likely to lead to suspension of in-person field education, the Berkeley Social Welfare MSW field program follows established protocols for proactive communication and decision-making. In any emergency situation, our overarching goals and guiding principles mirror those of the Berkeley campus to (1) prioritize health and safety, and (2) preserve our academic and professional training missions to the greatest extent possible.
Short-term disruptions to in-person field placement, or those localized to individual students or agencies are normally handled according to our policy on Field Placement Attendance in Times of Disruption.
Longer-term disruptions and those impacting the entire UC Berkeley and larger communities are managed under existing campus protocols for emergency response and crisis management. Decisions about continuing in-person classes and learning activities, including in-person field placement, are generally made by a central campus committee typically composed of instructional, medical, legal, administrative, and other cognizant stakeholders. Decisions are arrived at by weighing the educational mission of the University; student health and safety; and the public health and safety of the local community. The campus reserves the right to suspend in-person learning immediately at any time with notice, in response to any emergency orders, public health directives or other disaster response mandates issued by state, county, or City of Berkeley authorities.
When in-person learning is suspended at Berkeley:
-
All students and field agency sites will be immediately notified by the Berkeley Social Welfare Dean’s Office and the field program via email.
-
Our instructional goal is to preserve in-person field education learning opportunities to the greatest extent possible while also weighing the agency context of practice, individual student risk, and currently available public health and safety guidance. Students will be provided with approved alternative field education opportunities as allowed, either in agencies that can provide fully remote learning opportunities, or in the form of Berkeley Social Welfare field program-delivered field internship activities that will count toward student field education requirements.
-
Agencies and students will be encouraged and supported in adapting student learning to an all-remote environment, whenever possible. When not possible:
-
The student may petition for a reduction in field hours requirements.
-
The student may petition for an exception to the suspension of in-person field education as permitted (see the following section for more information).
-
The Social Welfare MSW field education program will assume responsibility for providing approved alternative pathways for field practicum completion that are remote and compliant with relevant accreditation and school educational standards governing competency-based professional education. Alternative pathways may include skill-based training, special projects, continuing education courses, professional development activities, additional service activities, or additional proposals.
On balance, our policy is to follow all campus guidelines, and to provide students the most up-to-date information available about public health and safety conditions. Our goal is to assist students in making informed decisions about their field education in relation to their current learning and future occupational goals and commitments. We appreciate that such decisions are complex, may not align with student or faculty preferences, and may require students to ultimately make decisions that are incongruent with their original goals in pursuing an MSW degree, given what our program can reasonably offer under extreme circumstances.
Exceptions to Suspension of In-Person Field Placement
When Berkeley Social Welfare suspends in-person field education, students currently enrolled in field practicum may be allowed to petition for an exception if their field placement agency continues operations. All of the following criteria must be clearly met for a student to be eligible for approval to continue with in-person field placement when the campus has suspended in-person learning activities:
-
Policy Exceptions Permitted by UC Berkeley: Campus authorities have explicitly communicated the conditions and procedures required for academic units to request exceptions to emergency directives suspending in-person learning, including fieldwork courses required for completing a graduate professional degree.
-
Agency-Based Learning Necessitates In-Person Attendance: The core of the student's agency-based learning can only be achieved by in-person attendance at least some of the time because of the nature of services provided, or options for remote learning are severely limited or do not exist.
-
Enhanced Safety Protocols are in Place: In addition to existent occupational health and safety measures or emergency mandates that may be in effect, the setting and student are willing and able to commit to higher levels of safety and enhanced measures beyond what is minimally required or recommended to reduce and mitigate risk.
-
Student Understanding of Risk: The student fully understands the elevated risk they, and those who live or socialize them, may face by their resumption of in-person field education, and is willing and able to engage in risk reduction.
-
Strict Adherence to Public Health Guidance: In public health emergency situations the student understands and agrees to follow all statewide, regional, and UC Berkeley campus public health orders, even when outside the learning environment, to reduce and mitigate risk while at internship.
-
Lack of Coercion: The student is not being pressured by the agency or others to engage in in-person field education and is not doing so out of fear of not being considered employable by the agency.
Even if all of the above criteria are clearly met, approval for an exception to in-person field is not guaranteed. The Berkeley Social Welfare MSW field program may also establish additional requirements as necessary at any time.
Students should contact their assigned Field Consultant to request consideration for an exception to suspension of in-person field education when allowed. Requests require approval of the Chair of Field Education.