Overall management of the field program is provided by the Director of Field Education and supported administratively by the Administrative Analyst for Field Education. Field Faculty members are actively involved in establishing and implementing policies and procedures. Additional input on program issues and changes is also sought periodically from participating agencies and students. The field program curriculum and administration is overseen by the School's Associate Dean and Dean and by the School's faculty through the MSW Curriculum Committee.
Student Roles and Responsibilities
Social work students are adult learners, capable of being - and expected to be - active participants in the field instruction process. Students are expected to assess their baseline practice competencies, to clarify their professional learning needs and objectives, and to play an active role in determining the appropriate setting for both of their field placements.
Because social work students are assigned duties in public agencies that serve vulnerable populations and will, upon graduation, be eligible to perform the full range of entry-level social work services, students in field placement are expected to behave in a professional manner at all times. Students are guided by the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers, by agency codes of conduct, by the UC Berkeley Code of Student Conduct, and by the Academic and Professional Standards for Master of Social Welfare Students articulated in the MSW Student Handbook.
Throughout the placement period, the student should play an active role in defining the agenda for field instruction meetings, including identifying issues that should be discussed. While Field Instructors are encouraged to provide proactive instruction when possible, students are also expected to learn how to identify and resolve dilemmas independently by using critical thinking and applying professional judgment. Finally, students are also expected to demonstrate engaged and receptive approaches to learning which include initiating activities and responding to feedback and direction.
Students must introduce themselves as students or interns to clients and colleagues, and should not convey the impression that they are regular agency staff or already possess their MSW degree.
Field Faculty Roles and Responsibilities
The Berkeley Social Welfare MSW field program faculty includes the Chair of Field Education and a group of Field Consultants who have primary responsibility for MSW field education. These specialists develop, match and monitor field placements; facilitate student acquisition of identified practice competencies; support Field Instructors; and determine and assign grades for field education courses. Field Consultants also often teach practice courses in the Social Welfare MSW Program, and help to link the curriculum with current practice trends and concerns.
Field Consultants are the direct liaisons between field placement agencies and Berkeley Social Welfare. They support all parties involved in each field placement, ensuring that the student's educational needs are met, that the placement experience is mutually beneficial to both agency and student, and that student competencies develop maximally in all identified areas. Their deep, ongoing involvement in public agencies helps to keep the School current on policy, program development, and practice issues.
Social Welfare MSW Program field faculty responsibilities include:
- Maintaining knowledge of changes in policy, practice, and institutions in their assigned field of practice in order to enhance the relevancy of school curricula.
- Recruiting, screening, and orienting desirable new placement settings.
- Maintaining and improving existing placement settings.
- Guiding the placement process of assigned students by conducting assessments, determining student eligibility for field education, considering all available placements, and facilitating or recommending matches whenever possible.
- Orienting, training, supporting, and evaluating agency Field Instructors and other involved agency personnel.
- Leading field integration seminars.
- Assisting with the development of competency-based Learning Agreements and reviewing competency-based evaluations.
- Maintaining regular contacts with Field Instructors and students to support the field instructional process and to solve any problems that might arise regarding a placement or student's performance.
- Participating in the evaluation of students, Field Instructors, and agency settings.
- Offering individual educational or professional advising, mentoring, and/or coaching to students and Field Instructors.
- Determining and submitting student grades in field education courses.
Field Instructor Roles and Responsibilities
The Field Instructor is the student's teacher in the agency, providing administrative and educational supervision to the student. The relationship between students and their Field Instructors is central to students' learning and preparation for social work practice. Field Instructors serve as teachers, supervisors, mentors, and gatekeepers for the profession. Satisfactory student progress in field instruction depends on agency support, student readiness for placement, school-based preparation, and the skill of the Field Instructor in managing the field instruction process.
Field Instructors must have sufficient training and experience in the required practice modalities to supervise student’s work. These practice domains include but are not limited to case management, counseling, group work, advocacy, referral, resource development, family work, needs assessment, evaluation, policy and program development and implementation, personnel and fiscal management, development, and/or other clinical or administrative services. All Field Instructors are required to complete a workshop orienting them to the role of field instructor, and are offered annual opportunities to update and advance their field instruction skills.
Agency Manager Roles and Responsibilities
Effective field education requires a significant commitment on the part of agency management. The development of an agency field education program, even if for only one student per year, requires careful planning. Therefore, responsible agency manager(s) should be involved in the initial development of the placement plan and in periodically reviewing, with Field Consultants and agency staff or Field Instructors, the effectiveness of the field placement program within the agency.
Agency Training Coordinator Roles and Responsibilities
Many agencies hosting social work field placements designate a particular staff member as Training Coordinator. Training Coordinators play a key role in the design of agency placement arrangements and often manage the placement process, including selection of participating program units and Field Instructors. They provide orientation, facilitation, and additional support services for both Field Instructors and students. When an agency Training Coordinator is designated, the Field Consultant establishes a close working relationship with that person to facilitate mutual planning and effective response to any problems that might arise.