fieldwork: field agencies: requirements
The Practicum Director is responsible for the development and monitoring of all field practicum sites. Agencies may request that they be evaluated by the Practicum Director as a site. The Practicum Director may also contact an agency as a possible field placement site. All agencies which serve as field placement sites are required to
sign an affiliation agreement which stipulates agency and School. All agency practicum sites must meet the following qualifications.
- 1) The agency may not have exclusionary policies or practices that discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, religion, affectional orientation, or national origin. This policy also incorporates compliance with the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs’ requirement that field placement sites honor the Martin Luther King, Jr./Human Rights Day Holiday.
- 2) The agency should be an established program that has community and professional sanction. (Sanction includes, but is not limited to, one of the following: program accreditation by a professional licensing body, employer of Licensed Certified Social Workers, recipient of a grant from a governmental body - 13 - or foundation, longevity of program, operation under auspices of a board of directors, has established accountability procedures.)
- 3) The agency should provide a range of foundation and/or specialist services, in which the student can participate in an array of tasks related to the development of values, knowledge, professional skills, and development of professional self. A learning contract identifying the values, knowledge, professional skills, and development of Professional self values to be developed in the field placement must be negotiated between the agency, the student, and the Faculty Liaison.
- 4) The agency should provide learning experiences in which the student can develop her/his learning goals consistent with the program’s format and mission. The placement is to be consistent with generalist social work practice.
- 5) The agency should provide the student with a physical place within the agency setting (desk, supplies, telephone, support services).
- 6) The agency must provide vehicle or liability coverage if the student will be asked to transport clients. The agency must provide mileage compensation if the job requires more travel than to and from field agency site.
- 7) The agency must provide for a Licensed BSW or MSW employee to serve as the student’s Agency Field Instructor, using the criteria below.
- 8) If the agency does not have a staff person with a BSW or MSW degree, the agency may designate a non-BSW supervisor to oversee the day-to-day activities of the student. The agency will need to hire or use a BSW or MSW from another part of the agency to serve as a consultant, to meet individually with the student a minimum of one hour weekly, for the purpose of helping with social work integration. The consultant must also be accessible to the student by telephone and meet with the student and the agency supervisor a minimum of one hour weekly, to plan and implement the placement learning objectives.
Once an agency reaches an affiliation agreement, the agency and its supervisors will receive login information for the Intern Placement Tracking (IPT) system. This web-based program provides agencies to rely vital information regarding internships and allows students to research agencies to find the best fit for their interests and practical concerns.
For more information on becoming a participating field agency, contact the Field Practicum Director, James Knapp at 208-426-1782 or e-mail to jknapp@boisestate.edu.
Additional information can be found by reviewing the complete Field Practicum Manual:
