Criminal Conviction History
To be eligible for placement into an agency-based field practicum, students must meet and continuously maintain eligibility requirements for mandatory coverage under Berkeley Social Welfare’s professional liability insurance policy. After being admitted to the MSW program, students are assessed for their eligibility for field education by participating in a comprehensive, interactive process with their assigned Field Consultant. As part of this assessment, students must disclose all relevant ethical violations or legal convictions before the pre-placement process can begin.
Required disclosures include convictions prior to entry into the MSW program, and offenses that occur that may lead to conviction while a current student at Berkeley. Failure to fully disclose relevant circumstances at any time during the admissions or when required will subject a student to recommendation for dismissal from the Social Welfare MSW Program.
Disclosure does not automatically disqualify a student from field placement, although it is possible that some agencies may not accept for field placement a student with certain criminal history backgrounds or a positive drug screen. If, however, an appropriate field placement cannot be arranged for a student because of the recent nature or severity of criminal history, the student may not be able to continue in the program. It is also possible that a criminal history could limit or prohibit a student's or graduate's ability to obtain social work licensure, a specialized credential (such as school social work), or employment in the field. The California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), which licenses social workers in California, evaluates all social work license applications with a prior conviction history on a case-by-case basis to determine the applicant's ability to practice with safety to the public. For more information, please visit California BBS: Criminal Convictions.
Agency Disclosure and Background Check Requirements
When a Social Welfare MSW student seeking field placement does have a conviction history, however remote, we do require disclosure to any potential field placement site. We typically ask students to disclose at the time of their placement interview, and we confirm that the disclosure has happened before finalizing the placement.
In addition to required disclosures, many agencies are also legally mandated to perform their own criminal background checks or fingerprinting on prospective employees or interns. It is also possible that students may be required to complete multiple background checks or fingerprinting processes due to privacy limitations on sharing sensitive personal data. Students are responsible for obtaining any required background checks or fingerprinting at their own expense.
Health Screenings
Some field placement sites require additional health screening beyond the university’s mandatory tuberculosis (TB) screening and immunization requirements. Some placements also require a general physical examination, respiratory capacity screening, or urine toxicology screen. Since students are likely to be expected to obtain required health screenings at their own expense, we recommend students utilize University Health Services (Tang Center).
Agencies should notify Field Consultants of any changes to requirements and Field Consultants should advise interested students of known clearance requirements that may be extensive. If a student does not wish to submit to legal or health screening for whatever reason, they may request information about other available placement options.