2.2 Selection and Approval of Field Instructors

The following selection criteria are used to evaluate and approve agency-based field instructors for the Berkeley Social Welfare MSW Program:

  1. A Master's degree from an accredited school of social work.
  2. A minimum of two years of postgraduate work experience in the area in which they are instructing.
  3. An ongoing commitment to competency-based, professional social work education.
  4. Knowledge of the agency, its policies and procedures, and its relation to the community. In general, this includes secure employment by the agency for a period of 12 months and success at their assigned tasks.
  5. A commitment to participate in annual trainings and related professional development activities and to work with the Berkeley Social Welfare MSW Program field faculty throughout the field education process.
  6. A commitment to abide by the NASW Code of Ethics, especially as it pertains to field education roles.
  7. A commitment to fulfill time commitments relating to orienting, instructing, and evaluating assigned students following school policies and using the school's competency-based tools.

To establish their eligibility, prospective agency-based field instructors submit an online application and attach a copy of their professional resume. In addition, we typically interview new field instructors during an initial virtual consultation or visit to confirm they meet the full criteria and that they understand the responsibilities they are undertaking and our key policies and procedures.

In some situations, an approved field agency does not have a member of their staff who meets the above criteria (particularly, holding an MSW from a CSWE-accredited program) but is otherwise believed to be able to offer an excellent learning experience for MSW students. In this instance, we first consider whether a comparable agency-based placement who can assign a qualified field instructor is available for the intended student. When this is not the case, we then consider whether the agency is able to hire a qualified consultant or enlist a qualified volunteer who meets the above criteria, and when possible, we help them identify and engage qualified persons. In this scenario, we designate an on-site field instructor who orients the student, assigns tasks, reviews task completion, and provides feedback to the student and an off-site field instructor who provides additional consultation, reinforcing the social work perspective on all learning assignments and experiences. Typically, in this arrangement, the off-site field instructor provides no less than individual consultation for one hour or group consultation for two hours at a frequency of every two weeks. Both the on-site and off-site field instructors collaboratively complete field documents and participate in training, site visits, and monitoring conducted by the Field Faculty.

On a limited basis, our faculty or affiliates may serve as off-site field instructors for select students where no other qualified individual can be enlisted and we believe the placement otherwise substantially meets the student's career goals.