Qualifications
Field Placement is a critical component of Social Work Education, and is where students apply their understanding of theory and skills in real world situations with real people. Shaping the next generation of Social Workers is rewarding, enriching, and important. It is also somewhat time-consuming and can be challenging. To that end, Field Instructors are required to have a minimum of two years’ experience in the social service sector, hold a Social Work degree wherever possible, and work in agencies that provide services to diverse service user populations.
Field Instructors are responsible for ensuring the agency is providing students with a rich social work practicum experience, fostering the opportunity for students to complete all the learning outcomes in their learning agreement. Specific activities include, but are not limed to:
- Conducting a pre-placement interview with students and determine whether the student will be offered a placement;
- Confirming any placement requirements (vulnerable sector check, immunization records, etc.) with the student as soon as possible;
- Welcoming and orienting the student to the agency, its policies, programs, and practices (e.g., recording, filing, computer entries, work hours, dress code, and absence due to illness);
- Clarifying the BSW program's expectations related to students’ learning goals, supervision, hours, and assessment requirements;
- Clarifying the context in which learning will take place by reviewing expectations with respect to frequency and duration of supervision meetings/hours of instruction and teaching tools used to monitor student’s learning;
- Collaborating with students in completing Learning Plans;
- Conducting an ongoing review of appropriate learning tasks and supervision;
- Conducting a mid-term and a final assessment with students;
- Providing on-going feedback to students including 1-1.5 hours of weekly supervision;
- Consulting and liaising with the Faculty Field Liaison including notifying the Faculty Field Liaison at the first sign of concern with respect to students’ competency, suitability, or behaviour.
Support
Field Instructors are well supported throughout placement, and are provided with an Orientation before placement begins (as well as an accompanying handbook), and access to the Canadian Association for Social Work Education's Virtual Field Instructor Course (please email the Field Education Coordinator at travispeck@trentu.ca) to receive access credentials.
Supervision
The Field Instructor should have 1-1.5 hour(s) of designated time a week to connect with the student for supervision. Supervision meetings should include review of: field assignments; concrete feedback on observation of the student; student development; and assessment. Supervision may be split between multiple Field Instructors if the student has more than one. Supervision will also occur on an ad hoc basis throughout the student practicum.
In instances when the Field Instructor does not have a BSW or MSW, students will be provided with additional support/Supervision from their FFL, in addition to their integration seminar (unless there is a staff member at the Placement Agency who is able to provide this Supervision). Formal Social Work Supervision with an FFL counts towards the student’s hours.