Table of Contents

Field Instruction Mission and Purpose

Letter from the Director of Field Instruction

Welcome MSW Students and Agency Field Instructors to the School of Social Work Office of Field Instruction. 

The Council on Social Work Education states: “the intent of field education is to integrate the theoretical and conceptual contribution of the classroom with the practical world of the practice setting.” Essentially field education teaches future social workers “to think, to perform, and to act ethically and with integrity.” Student experiences during internships can be the most powerful and meaningful aspect of their education. 

Numerous organizations and settings such as family service agencies, community mental health settings, hospitals, residential treatment centers for children, homes for the elderly, group homes, crisis hotlines, health clinics, substance abuse and rehabilitation centers, veteran centers and governmental organizations have provided exciting and challenging opportunities for students to enhance their professional growth and development through experiential learning. 

The School of Social Work at Syracuse University thanks the agencies and professionals within those agencies who take on the role of teaching and mentoring students in their journey to become professional social workers. We understand the time, energy and resources that this commitment takes, and we appreciate the opportunity to work with each of you in the education and training of competent professional social workers.

This manual is intended to provide you with policies, procedures and other important information you will need during the field education practicum. Our goals are to provide an educationally sound experiences to each student, to ensure each student and field instructor is provided with individualized support and consultation and to successfully and effectively facilitate the development of social work competence. 

We hope your field experience will be both challenging and rewarding! 

Tracy T. Walker, L.M.S.W. 

Director of Field Instruction School of Social Work 

David B. School of Education College of Sport and Human Dynamics 244 White Hall 

Syracuse, New York 13244 (t) 315.443.5565 (f) 315.443.5576 (e) ttwalker@syr.edu 

The Office of Field Instruction (O.F.I.) website  is designed to assist both students and field instructors to navigate successfully through the field experience. 

The following Schools of Social Work are to be credited for material in this handbook: SUNY Albany, Hunter College, University of Chicago, California State University, Michigan State University, University of Akron. 

Field Instruction Overview

Field education is the signature pedagogy of Social Work education and is the place where students integrate their knowledge, values and skills of the profession into tangible practice experiences.  The real world social work setting allows students to be socialized to the profession and learn how to effectively navigate multiple settings and systems.  The program has established the policy that as of Fall of 2023, all internships, across all program levels and types are to be located within agency based settings where the student is expected to attend in-person.  The in-person experience is a fundamental requirement of social work education in the program.   

Residential BSSW Program

The BSSW field experience emphasizes generalist social work practice at the micro, mezzo and macro levels. Generalist practice is grounded in the liberal arts and the person and environment construct.  To promote human and social well-being, generalist practitioners use a large range of prevention and intervention methods in their practice with individual, families, groups, organizations, and communities.  The generalist practitioner identifies with the social work profession and applies ethical principles and critical thinking in practice.  Generalist practitioners incorporate diversity in their practice and advocate for human rights and social and economic justice.  They recognize, support, and build on the strengths and resiliency of all human beings.  They engage in research-informed practice and are proactive in responding to the impact of context on professional practice.  The learning experiences should be as broad as possible.

Field Practicum I & II

A field practicum (SWK 435 & 445) is required of the social work major and entails a minimum of 400 hours across 2 semesters of the senior academic year.  Students are placed in a social work setting for a minimum of sixteen hours a week, which meets the requirements for earning five (5) credits per semester.   Field Seminars I & II (SWK 436 and 446) and practice courses (SWK 401 & 402) are co-requisites of field practicum.  

Field Seminar I & II

Field seminar (SWK 436 & 446) facilitates students’ understanding of the learning experience through critical reflection on field and course work.  Students earn one (1) credit hour per semester for field seminar.

Residential MSW Program—60 Credit Hour

Field Instruction occurs throughout the graduate social work curriculum and is concurrent with specific coursework (see table below). Field Instruction requires two separate internships, one at the foundation level and one at the concentration level, either Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) or Advanced Integrated Practice (AIP). 

The foundation level is a minimum of 400 hours (200 per semester) and typically occurs across two consecutive semesters in one academic year. The concentration level is a minimum of 500 hours (250 per semester) and typically occurs across two consecutive semesters in the second or third academic years. Students will intern in social work settings for a minimum of sixteen hours a week, which meets the requirements for earning three credits per semester. A field seminar is a requirement of SWK 671 Field Instruction I, SWK 672 Field Instruction II and SWK 771 Field Instruction III. The field seminar facilitates students’ understanding of the learning experience through critical reflection of field and course work. 

Residential Advanced Standing Program—36 Credit Hour 

Field Instruction for Advanced Standing students is concurrent with specific coursework (see table below). Advanced standing students are required to complete one internship at the concentration level, either Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) or Advanced Integrated Practice (AIP). This field placement is a minimum of 500 hours and typically occurs across two semesters in one academic year. Students are placed in social work settings for a minimum of sixteen hours a week, which meets the requirements for earning three credits per semester. 

Online MSW Program—60 Credit Hour-For Cohorts enrolled prior to Summer 2025

Field Instruction occurs throughout the graduate social work curriculum and is concurrent with specific coursework (see table below). Field Instruction in the traditional online MSW program begins with a 3-credit remote simulated virtual field experience (VFX) course which is followed by a three-semester progressive learning in-person on site agency based internship (3-credits per semester).  This progressive learning internship begins with students developing social work foundation level competencies and then progressing into the development of the concentration level competencies, either Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) or Advanced Integrated Practice (AIP). 

The SWK 671 VFX course allows for 200 hours of internship experience.  The 3-semester progressive learning internship results in a total of a minimum of an additional 700 hours of in-person agency-based field experience.  Students will intern in agency based social work settings for an average of 16-20 hrs. per week depending on how many weeks you engage in your internship. The break down is as follows:  First semester (foundation level) is no less than 200 hours.   Second semester (concentration level)  no less than 250 hours and the third semester (concentration level) is no less than 250.    Students are expected to physically attend their internship at the assigned agency based location.  Students are required to stay in the internship until the last week of their final semester at the internship.  This means that students can not "speed up" and bank hours to end their internship early.  The program model is predicated on a concurrent model of internship and practice class.  

The VFX requires students to engage in synchronous live classes for 4 hours per week (scheduled two hours twice a week) and asynchronous content.  Between the 4 hours per week live classes and the asynchronous content, students can expect to be spending a maximum of 13 hours per week on this course.

The SWK 672 Field Instruction II and SWK 771 Field Instruction III and SWK 772 Field Instruction IV courses also require students to attend every other week 1 ½ hour virtual field seminar.  The field seminar facilitates students’ understanding of the learning experience through critical reflection of field and course work. 

Online MSW Program—60 Credit Hour-For Cohorts enrolled summer 2025 and later

Field Instruction occurs throughout the graduate social work curriculum and is concurrent with specific coursework (see table below). Field Instruction requires two separate internships, one at the foundation level and one at the concentration level, either Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) or Advanced Integrated Practice (AIP). 

The foundation level is a minimum of 400 hours (200 per semester) and typically occurs across two consecutive semesters in one academic year. The concentration level is a minimum of 500 hours (250 per semester) and typically occurs across two consecutive semesters in the second or third academic years. Students will intern in social work settings for a minimum of sixteen hours a week, which meets the requirements for earning three credits per semester. A field seminar is a requirement of SWK 671 Field Instruction I, SWK 672 Field Instruction II and SWK 771 Field Instruction III. The field seminar facilitates students’ understanding of the learning experience through critical reflection of field and course work. 

Online MSW Advanced Standing Program—36 Credit Hour 

Field Instruction for Advanced Standing students is concurrent with specific coursework (see table below). Advanced standing students are required to complete one internship at the concentration level, either Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) or Advanced Integrated Practice (AIP). This field placement is a minimum of 500 hours and occurs across two semesters in one academic year. Students are placed in social work settings for a minimum of 16-20 hours a week, which meets the requirements for earning three credits per semester.  Students are expected to physically attend their internship at the assigned agency based location. 

SWK 771 Field Instruction III and SWK 772 Field Instruction IV courses also require students to attend an every other week 1 ½ hour virtual field seminar.  The field seminar facilitates students’ understanding of the learning experience through critical reflection of field and course work. 

Residential BSSW Field Seminar

Purpose of  Field  Seminar:

• Facilitate students’ understanding of the learning experience through critical reflection on field and coursework. 

• Students’ engage in a structured environment in which to integrate theoretical material learned in the classroom with field experiences.  

• The structure and assignments facilitate the synthesis of theory, research, policy, and practice and encourage exploration of the profession’s ethics as they relate to beginning generalist practice. 

• Through the completion of assignments, class discussion, and the field practicum, the student develops an understanding of the social work profession, including values, ethics, social work roles, key theoretical and practice concepts, the use of self, the integration of personal and professional values, and advocacy.

Residential MSW and Advanced Standing Field Seminar

Attendance and participation in the in-classroom field seminar components SWK 671: Field Instruction I w/ seminar, SWK 672: Field Instruction II w/seminar and SWK 771: Field Instruction III w/seminar is required.  Students can count in person seminar class time toward their overall internship hours.  

Purpose of Field Seminar 

• Facilitate students’ understanding of the learning experience through critical reflection on field and coursework. 

• Students’ engage in a structured environment in which to integrate theoretical material learned in the classroom with field experiences.  

• The structure and assignments facilitate the synthesis of theory, research, policy, and practice and encourage exploration of the profession’s ethics as they relate to beginning generalist practice. 

• Through the completion of assignments, class discussion, and the field practicum, the student develops an understanding of the social work profession, including values, ethics, social work roles, key theoretical and practice concepts, the use of self, the integration of personal and professional values, and advocacy. 

Online Traditional MSW and Online Advanced Standing Field Seminar 

Attendance and participation in the field seminar components of SWK 672: Field Instruction II w/seminar and SWK 771: Field Instruction III w/seminar and SWK 772 Field Instruction IV w/seminar is required. Field seminar live sessions occur every other week,  with the schedule established by the field team.   Students can count field seminar synchronous and asynchronous time toward their internship hours.  This is broken down as 2 hours the week of live session (1.5 for live session and .5 for asynchronous work) and .5 hours the week of asynchronous work/no live session.  

Purpose of Field Seminar 

• Facilitate students’ understanding of the learning experience through critical reflection on field and coursework.

• Students engage in a structured environment (asynchronously and synchronously) in which to integrate theoretical material learned in the classroom with field experiences.  

• The structure and assignments facilitate the synthesis of theory, research, policy, and practice and encourage exploration of the profession’s ethics as they relate to beginning generalist practice. 

• Through the completion of assignments and class discussion, the student develops an understanding of the social work profession, including values, ethics, social work roles, key theoretical and practice concepts, the use of self, the integration of personal and professional values, and advocacy. 

Description of Foundation and Concentration Level Internships

*all internships are expected to be in person, on site in approved agency based settings.  Students are expected to physically attend their internship at the assigned location.

Foundation Level 

The foundation level internship emphasizes generalist social work practice at the micro, mezzo and macro levels. Students learn how to advance human rights and social, economic and environmental justice, using a range of engagement, assessment, intervention and evaluation methods in their practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Students will develop their identity as a social work professional, while applying ethical principles and critical thinking in practice. Students will also learn how to engage in policy and research informed practice, while developing an understanding of the importance and influence of diversity and difference in shaping a person’s life experiences. 

Concentration Level 

The concentration level internship, either advanced clinical practice (ACP) or advanced integrated practice (AIP), focuses on a deeper understanding of specific knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes consistent with each concentration area. 

ACP students learn to practice as clinical social workers. Students engage with individuals, families and/or groups to learn clinical assessment, diagnosis, research informed interventions and evaluation skills. Students will learn how to incorporate clinical practices compatible with a client’s culture and values, in addition to identifying barriers to treatment due to prejudice, oppression, privilege and power. Students also develop an understanding of mental health related issues and policies that affect and inform clinical practice settings. 

AIP students learn to effectively navigate multiple levels of social work practice by engaging in varied professional roles and/or functions. Students develop advanced skills in engagement, assessment, research-informed interventions and evaluation at the direct and/or indirect practice level, by working on with multi-disciplinary teams in community-based settings. Students learn to incorporate social work practices compatible with client, organizational and/or community cultures and values, as well as, developing advocacy strategies that address and alleviate causes of oppression. Students also learn how to modify existing policy or develop new policy at the agency, local, state, or federal levels, in order to positively affect social work practice and delivery systems. 

Both concentrations ensure that graduates will have a curriculum that meets the New York State L.M.S.W. and L.C.S.W. course requirements. 

Progressive Learning - Online MSW-60 Credit Program (Foundation to Concentration)

The progressive learning internship format is a distinctive feature of our MSW Online program.  Students in the MSW Online program will complete their 700 hours of internship at one human service agency: beginning at the foundation level and transitioning into a concentration level experience either in advanced clinical practice (ACP) or advanced integrated practice (AIP).  The breakdown of hours in both levels of internship is fluid and dependent on the student’s progression in the internship, as well as the field instructor’s assessment of student’s readiness to transition into a more focused and skilled level of social work.  Students in progressive learning should spend roughly 200 foundation hours engaging in generalist social work practice at the micro, mezzo and macro levels, while the concentration internship should consist of roughly 500 hours.  The goal is for students to develop a deep understanding of the knowledge, values, skills and cognitive and affective processing within the context of social work field education with little to no placement disruptions. 

Requirements for Entering Foundation and Concentration Level Field Instruction 

BSSW Level

Students in the BSSW program are eligible to register for SWK 435-436: Field Practicum I/Field Seminar I, when the following conditions are met:

1. The student has been admitted to the School of Social Work as a candidate for the BSSW.

2. The student has passed all completed prerequisite social work practice courses (SWK 201: Social Work Skills Lab I, SWK 202: Social Work Skills Lab II, SWK 301: Foundations of Social Work Practice and SWK 328: Human Diversity).

3. The student is within 45 credit hours of completing the BSSW degree (having completed 75 credits)

4. Part-time students must have senior status and will complete the degree program within two semesters of completing the field experience.

5. The student has a 2.5 GPA in the required Social Work courses.

6. The student has electronically submitted a current resume and the on line BSSW "Application for Field Instruction Placement" that is available on the School of Social Work website under field instruction.

7. The student is not on academic probation (a social work student will not be permitted to register either for SWK 435-436 or SWK 445-446 while on academic probation).

Exceptions to this pattern require prior approval by the Director of Field Instruction and the Director of the Undergraduate Program.

Residential MSW-60 credit Foundation Level 

Full-time residential MSW program students are automatically eligible to begin field placement planning upon acceptance and matriculation into the MSW program. Readiness for field placement will be assessed during the placement planning process. 

Students entering the part-time MSW program will be eligible for field placement after they complete the first year of classes (or a minimum of 12 credit hours). Readiness for field placement will be assessed during the placement planning process. Academic probation status will be taken into consideration during this assessment. 

Residential MSW-60 credit program and Advanced Standing Concentration Level 

Full-time and Part-time Advanced Standing students are automatically eligible to begin field placement planning upon acceptance and matriculation into the MSW program. Readiness and timeline for field placement will be assessed during the placement planning process.

Full-time and part-time MSW 60 credit students entering concentration level field placement must have passed field instruction I & II and the co-requisites of SWK 601 and SWK 602. Readiness and timeline for concentration level field placement is also assessed at the time of concentration level placement planning. 

Online MSW 60-credit and Advanced Standing

All MSW online students are automatically eligible to begin field placement planning upon acceptance and matriculation into the MSW program. Readiness for field placement will be assessed during the placement planning process. Academic probation status will be taken into consideration during this assessment. 

Selection of Field Instruction Settings 

The School of Social Work has long standing relationships with many excellent human service agencies in the Central New York area and around the United States and continually  in new relationships with agencies across the country.  These settings offer a broad array of practice modalities and serve a variety of populations. In addition, the O.F.I. is continuously recruiting new field instruction settings. Below are the policies, criteria and procedures for selecting field settings.  We do not provide internships to students who are located outside of the United States.  

Policy:

Vetting of Field Instruction settings (also referred to as agencies) occurs at the Office of Field Instruction (O.F.I.) level while official University/Agency contracting occurs at the School of Education (SOE) College level. The O.F.I. is responsible for recruitment and assessment of new field settings, along with referral to School of Education College for initiation of a contract. A field instruction site is not an approved setting until the Syracuse University-Agency agreement has been fully executed. Students cannot enter the internship site until a fully executed agreement is on file. 

Procedure:

The O.F.I. (one of the Field Office team) completes an assessment utilizing the below criteria to determine appropriateness of the setting for social work internships. For residential agencies, the field team member will provide information about the field setting to the Director of Field Education to discuss and determine appropriateness.  For online agencies outside of CNY,  the placement specialist will provide information about the field setting to the Assistant Director of MSW Online Field Education. After appropriateness of setting has been determined, the O.F.I. or the online management company associated with online placement planning is responsible for completing  initiating paperwork that is submitted to the School of Education College Contracts to begin the contracting process. The contracting process can take an average of 3 months and is managed by the School of Education College administrative team in partnership with SU Risk Management/Legal department. 

Criteria: 

Broadly speaking, the School looks for evidence of commitment to social work principles and values, this is done first by reviewing the mission, values and goals of the organization to ensure alignment with social work principles and values. The field office meets with the organization's leadership to discuss the obligations and requirements for the agency to become an internship partner agency. During this meeting, the field office assesses the agency's capacity to foster a climate conducive to student learning. In addition, new agencies complete the internship description form (residential) or the agency qualifications form (online). This form provides information about the kinds of internship tasks the student can engage in at the setting, who the proposed field instructor(s) are, and other demographic information which allows the O.F.I. to vet the agency appropriately.

All agency partners must be able to meet the obligations outlined in the Syracuse University School of Education College Agency Agreement. Following is a list of more specific criteria for agency selection. Many of these same criteria are outlined in the Syracuse University School of Education College Agency Agreement. 

• The agency must be located within the United States.

• The agency must be able to provide in person on site learning experiences that allow the student to practice and integrate the nine social work competencies. In the foundation year, the agency must have the capacity to engage the student in generalist practice. In the concentration year the agency must be able to provide students with the specific learning opportunities associated with the students concentration; 

• The agency must allow the students across all program options in its field education program demonstrate social work competencies through in-person contact with clients and constituencies; 

• The agency has evidenced that they seek to develop staff and improve programs through training, supervision and connection to the work of experts in their relevant fields; 

• The agency must have available qualified BSSW and/or MSW Field Instructors and can provide them the support necessary to function as field instructors, plan the student’s program, prepare for and hold supervisory conferences, attend field instruction orientations and trainings, and generally supervise the student’s progress. The agency is given the list of Field Instructor Responsibilities. 

• The agency has policies and procedures for the workplace, and for governing ethical practice

• The agency acknowledges the student as a learner whose assignment must be geared to learning needs rather than the scheduling demands and workload of the agency. Student assignments must be flexible enough to maximize learning, providing opportunities for foundation and/or concentration learning experiences. 

• The agency must allow the student access to case records and other appropriate material, and recognizes that the student may present de-identified client information for classroom discussions and assignments. 

• The agency allows the student to take part in staff meetings, in-service staff training, interagency conferences and such other educational opportunities as might arise. 

• The agency can provide adequate physical space for meeting with clients, report writing, as well as access to technology necessary for recordkeeping

A private practice group may become an approved site if the site can meet the above criteria.  If the for profit  private practice group is billing as a result of the work being done by the student,  the agency will provide an appropriately paid internship.  

Selection of Field Instructors 

Policy

The field education program requires that the Field Instructor of a BSSW intern:

• possess Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW) or a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) degree from an accredited school of social work;

• have two years post-BSSW/MSW experience in an agency/institutional setting;

•  be licensed within the scope of practice as defined by the New York State licensure statute;

• have an expressed interest in and willingness to accept the field instructor’s role and responsibilities within the School’s field education framework. This includes a capacity to share professional knowledge and experience, facilitate development of student competencies and practice behaviors.

The Field education program requires that the Field Instructor of a graduate intern: 

• possess a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) degree from an accredited school of social work; 

• have two years post-MSW experience in an agency/institutional setting; 

• be licensed as required by the jurisdiction they are practicing in,  and consistent with the scope of practice they are engaged in; 

• be a licensed clinical social worker for advanced clinical practice internships; and 

• have an expressed interest in and willingness to accept the field instructor’s role and responsibilities within the Program’s field education framework. This includes a capacity to share professional knowledge and experience, facilitate development of student competencies and practice behaviors, review and approve timesheets, and complete internship evaluations. . 

Residential BSSW and MSW Program Procedure

Potential field instructor’s are often identified first by the field setting and referred to the O.F.I. for review and approval. The potential field instructor is sent an e-mail asking them to complete a field instructor application and provide a resume. Attached to the e-mail are several items to inform the field instructor of the responsibilities of being a field instructor, includes the MSW Field Manual, F.A.Q.’s for Field Instructors, and Placement Typology (see Appendix VI). The field application asks the potential field instructor their practice educational background, professional background, their active professional licenses and/or certifications they hold, any past field instruction experience and the reason for wanting to become a field instructor. In addition, the O.F.I. asks about any past disciplinary actions. Lastly, the O.F.I. asks the field instructor to agree to the below. Upon receipt of the field instructor application and resume, the O.F.I. team reviews the applications and determines if the potential field instructor meets the requirements. The Office Coordinator verifies there license via New York State Office of Professions website. 

Online MSW Traditional and Online Advanced Standing 

Potential field instructors are often identified first by the field setting and referred to the O.F.I. for review and approval.  The potential field instructor is sent an email asking them to provide a resume and licensure information, if applicable.  The potential field instructor will also be provided with information about the responsibilities of being a field instructor, including the MSW Field Manual and list below.

• Value the educational process for social work students 

• Ensure that the student is adequately oriented to the agency/program and work being done, this should include opportunities for the student to observe social work interactions with clients and then be observed when first interacting with clients.  

• Document supervision sessions, including subject matter, feedback and remedial recommendations discussed 

• Provide constructive and effective feedback on an ongoing basis, and as much as possible, base this feedback from direct observation of student in the workplace, during staff/group meetings, during client sessions, and supervision.

• Complete a Professional Development Plan in cooperation with the student 

• Expose students to diversity and offer an array of opportunities to enhance the educational experience 

• Assist students in developing practice skills that are grounded in a bio/psycho/social/spiritual/cultural/environmental context 

• Differentiate with students between student learning and employee expectations 

• Assist students in gaining a strengths-based perspective in practice 

• Provide students with a minimum of one hour of supervision per week throughout the internship,  with the understanding that there will need to be more frequent consultation, supervision and direct observations of student work during the orientation period. 

• Address performance issues with the student and field liaison if needed. 

• Participate in the student/program evaluation process and complete a formal evaluation at the end of each semester. 

• Attend Field Instructor Orientation, F.I. workshops, field visits and review information provided by the Field Office. 

• Adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics and professional values 

Task Supervisors/ Non-BSSW/Non-MSW Field Instructors 

Task Supervisors

In select instances where valuable learning experiences exist in a setting, a human service professional engaged in social work functions may serve as a task supervisor. Selections are made on an individual basis dependent upon the agency’s learning opportunities and the task supervisor’s ability and capacity to provide experiential learning. In instances where a task supervisor is designated to provide the primary day-to-day oversight, the agency is required to also designate someone to provide the required BSSW/MSW supervision, on a weekly basis. with a BSSW/ MSW.

Non-BSSW/MSW Supervisors

Individuals that do not fully meet the criteria set forth by the CSWE are not permitted to be field instructors. In cases where students have a task supervisor, each student also meets weekly with a fully qualified social work field supervisor at the community agency who reinforces the social work perspective.

The field program has grandfathered some non-MSW field instructors who were approved prior to the above policy implementation.  In these cases, when a student is placed with one of the grandfathered Non-MSW field instructors, the field liaison reinforces the social work perspective through additional conversations with both the student and field instructor, along with a purposeful focus in seminar and in field visits.

MSW Student as Task Supervisor 

In some cases, an MSW student who is also a staff person at an internship site may serve as a task supervisor to a Syracuse University BSSW social work intern. To ensure adequate supervision is provided to the intern, and to mitigate the potential for dual relationships or other risk issues, the procedure below is followed: 

• Only MSW students who are in the concentration portion of the program and are staff members at the field site may provide task supervision 

• The designated concentration level MSW student/staff member may provide task supervision to BSSW interns only. 

• The Office of Field Instruction (O.F.I.) will be responsible for reviewing and approving any such requests prior to the start of the internship 

• The O.F.I. will ensure that the BSSW intern is fully informed and will document the intern’s consent. The intern will agree to communicate timely with the assigned field liaison should any concerns or issues arise that could impact the intern’s learning. 

• In such a case, the O.F.I. will inform the agency-based field instructor and a decision will be made to assign the student to a different task supervisor or to relocate the student to a new field placement agency. 

Placement Planning

All social work internships are expected to be in person and on site at an approved agency. The School of Social Work engages in an individualized placement planning process with each residential and online student.  Students are required to complete specific field related documentation (dependent on which program they are in), submit a current resume and participate in a field placement planning related meetings with an assigned Internship Placement Coordinator (also know as Placement Specialists in the online program). The residential and online placement planning protocol and procedure are outlined below. 

Please Note: All correspondence from the field office will be via syr.edu e-mail, per University policy. 

Residential Placement Planning Protocol

• The School of Social Work uses a cooperative placement planning process to match a student with an appropriate field placement.

• Students may not contact potential field placement agencies without the approval of their Internship Placement Coordinator. 

• The Internship Placement Coordinator will make every effort to place a student in his/her population, setting and area of interest in Social Work. 

• Field placement sites are sometimes available within a student’s home community. However, some students may need to commute in order to have access to specific types of experiences (see search radius policy). 

• Field placement sites offering night and weekend hours are extremely limited. Your Internship Placement Coordinator will make every effort to accommodate your scheduling needs, however the O.F.I. cannot guarantee specific placement hours or an internship that can accommodate your work or personal schedules. (see Student Planning of Internship Hours policy)

• The field placement is not officially confirmed until formal notification has been sent from the field office to the student and agency. 

• Students considering a placement with their employer should refer to the Employment-based Placement Policy. 

•  

  • Note: It is the student’s responsibility to have a preliminary discussion with their employer to ascertain their willingness to work with the school and the student to create an employment-based placement opportunity before the student meets with their Internship Placement Coordinator. 

• Any student who has not been able to secure an approved placement by the end of the add/drop date will be required to drop field and all other required co-requisite courses. Placement planning will then be postponed to the following fall semester. (see Student Unsuccessful in Securing an Internship policy)

• Students who have not met with a placement planner before August 1st are not guaranteed that they will be allowed to enter the placement planning process. The O.F.I. will assess the feasibility of securing a placement and determine if it is possible to move forward. 

• The O.F.I. has the authority to stop the placement planning process at any point if the student is behaving unprofessionally or if they are unable to follow the placement planning protocol. 

• Any changes in the placement planning process should be communicated immediately. This includes communication from the O.F.I. to the student (i.e. program closure, loss of Field Instructor at the location, or change in address), or from the student to the O.F.I. (i.e. student’s placement interests change, student moves, or takes a leave of absence). 

Residential Placement Planning Procedure 

Residential BSSW, Residential MSW Newly Matriculated Full-Time, Part-Time Students Entering Field for the First Time, and All Advanced Standing Students: 

• Students will be contacted via e-mail by the O.F.I’s office manager to begin the placement planning process 

• Students are directed to complete the online field application and upload a recent resume in the Tevera Field Education Software

• If the student does not complete the field application and resume in a timely manner (2 weeks), the O.F.I. will send a reminder e-mail. If we still do not hear from the student after 2 weeks the O.F.I. will call the student. If we are unable to connect with the student after this, the O.F.I. will send an e-mail notifying the student that they will be taken off the list for placement planning and the O.F.I. will no longer attempt contact. 

• The Director of Field Instruction will assign the student an internship placement planner once all field documentation has been submitted

• The assigned Internship Placement Coordinator will contact the student to schedule a placement planning meeting. If the student does not respond to our request for a placement planning meeting, the O.F.I. will send one reminder e-mail, if no response, then the placement planner will attempt contact via the phone. If the student does not respond to the placement planner within a month of being assigned, the student will be notified that they are being taken off the list for placement planning and will not be allowed to enter field in the fall. 

• The Internship Placement Coordinator will meet with each student to review the field application and resume. A general orientation to field instruction and its role in the curriculum is provided as needed. During the placement planning meeting the Internship Placement Coordinator will: 

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  • Assess the student’s experiences and learning interests. 

  • Provide feedback and corrections to the resume, if necessary. 

  • Research possible placements within the student’s area of interest. 

  • Provide interview tips and materials, and role play a “mock” interview when necessary. 

• At the completion of the placement planning meeting, two to three pre-approved settings are selected as potential locations for internships. 

• The Internship Placement Coordinator sends an e-mail of interest with the student’s name and resume, via email, to the pre-approved settings. 

• The student will likewise receive am e-mail indicating the agreed upon pre-approved settings and the address, phone number and email address of each agency field instructor or contact person. 

• It is the student’s responsibility to contact and interview at each potential location. 

• If the student has difficulty connecting with the potential setting to secure an interview after several good faith attempts, the student should notify the Internship Placement Coordinator immediately. 

The final placement decision is made by the mutual agreement of the Field Instructor, student, and the Internship Placement Coordinator. Placements are not considered finalized until a formal e-mail of confirmation has been sent to the student and Field Instructor from the O.F.I office manager.

As a professional courtesy, students are expected to send an e-mail of acceptance to their chosen agency as well as e-mails declining to any field instructor with whom they have interviewed and not selected the site as their practicum. This can be done via email, copying in the assigned Placement Coordinator. 

Residential MSW Full-time and Part-Time Students Entering Concentration Level Placement (N/A to advanced standing students): 

• In most cases, the assigned Internship Placement Coordinator who is the student’s current field liaison will be the placement planner for the concentration level placement planning. 

• Placement planning will be initiated through an e-mail to the student either from their assigned placement planner or the OFI office manager.

• Prior to this placement planning meeting, the student must complete and submit the Concentration Level Field Placement Application and current resume via the Tevera Field Education Software System.

• The Internship Placement Coordinator will meet with each student to review the field application and resume. A general orientation to Concentration Level field instruction and its role in the curriculum is provided as needed. During the placement planning meeting the Internship Placement Coordinator will: 

•  

  • Assess the student’s experiences and learning interests. 

  • Provide feedback and corrections to the resume, if necessary. 

  • Research possible placements within the student’s area of interest. 

  • Provide interview tips and materials, and role-play a “mock” interview when necessary. 

At the completion of the interview, two to three pre-approved settings are selected as potential locations for internships. Students will receive contact information for locations via e-mail. It is the student’s responsibility to contact and interview at each potential location. 

The final placement decision is made by the mutual agreement of the Field Instructor, student, and the Internship Placement Coordinator. Placements are not considered finalized until a formal letter of confirmation has been sent to the student and Field Instructor from the Internship Placement Coordinator. 

As a professional courtesy, students are expected to send a letter of acceptance to their chosen agency as well as letters declining to any field instructor with whom they have interviewed and not selected the site as their practicum. This can be done via email or formal letter with copies sent to the assigned Placement Coordinator. 

Full-time Residential Student Planning of Internship Hours

Full time students are expected to be able to engage in 16-20 hours of  internship each week they are in field.  Students will be able to count their field seminar class time towards their internship hours,    The majority of social work learning opportunities in human services, health care, and other settings occurs during the work week M-F 8-5pm,  and there are very few internships that are fully in the evening and on the weekends.  The community service delivery system drives the available times when students can engage in an internship.     It is expected that the student be able to engage at an internship a minimum of at least 1 day during the typical work week (M-F).  The more availability the student has to engage in an internship the more likelihood of finding a setting that can meet the students needs.  Some sites may be able to offer  opportunities in the early evenings 5-8 pm during the work week  or on weekends,  but this tends to be rare and inconsistent across the differing community and service delivery systems.  The School of Social Work cannot guarantee an internship that is only in the evenings and/or weekends.

Students should plan to disclose any vacation or other time off that is already planned with the site prior to accepting and confirming the internship.

 Once the internship has begun, the student will be required to outline the number of internship hours per week,  their weekly schedule and any specific information for school breaks or other planned time off for the academic year.  

Part-time Residential Planning of Internship Hours

• Online and Residential Part-time students entering field instruction (SWK 671, 672, 771 or 772) are required to have a minimum of one (1) full day available during the M-F work week to complete at least 10 hours of internship time toward the16-20 hours of internship time. The community has very few evening and weekend hours available for a social work internship. The ability to utilize evening and weekend to supplement the 1 full day is dependent on the availability of evening and weekend internship opportunities at the placement site, and the availability of appropriate supervision during these times.  The preferred and recommended arrangement is to have 2 days available during the M-F work week to complete their 16-20 hours.  We are not able to accommodate students who have no flexibility in their work weeks.  

• If you are only able to do 10 hours a week, you should communicate this to your placement planner.  Your internship will last longer than the expected time frame  (all advanced standing and residential:  50 weeks at 10 hours per week,  progressive learning:  70 weeks at 10 hours per week).  This would require students to take a planned incomplete at the end of each semester that they are enrolled in field.  The Incomplete allows the student to complete the required time into the next semester.  Students can register for the next level of field instruction while also having an incomplete on record for the previous field instruction course. 

• If you do not have any flexibility in your employment to have at least one weekday open, it is not the right time for you to complete this program.

• Completing an internship in your current place of employment may be an option. For more information, refer to the employment-based internship section of this manual.

Online Program Placement Planning Protocol 

• Securing an internship is dependent on formalizing an agency legal agreement to partner, a successful interview and both parties accepting the placement.  

• The number of approved sites is dependent on whether or not the School has placed students in the area in prior semesters.  In many cases,  the O.F.I. will be recruiting new agencies within the students search radius and is not working from an already established partnership.

• Students may not contact potential field placement agencies without the approval of their Placement Specialist. 

• Students can provide referrals for possible internship sites in their area.

• The Placement Specialist will make every effort to place a student in his/her population, setting and area of interest in Social Work. 

• Field placement sites are often available within a student’s home community. However, some students may need to commute in order to have access to specific types of experiences (see search radius policy). 

• Field placement sites offering night and weekend hours can be limited depending on the community you live in. Your Placement Specialist will make every effort to accommodate your scheduling needs, however the O.F.I. cannot guarantee specific placement hours or an internship that can accommodate your work or personal schedules. (see Student Planning of Internship Hours policy)

• The field placement is not officially confirmed until formal notification has been sent from the field office to the student and agency. 

• Students considering a placement with their employer should refer to the Employment-based Placement Policy. 

  • Note: It is the student’s responsibility to have a preliminary discussion with their employer to ascertain their willingness to work with the school and the student to create an employment-based placement opportunity before the student meets with their Placement Specialist. 

• Any student who has not been able to secure an approved placement by the end of the add/drop date will be required to drop field and all other required co-requisite courses. Placement planning will then continue with a new timeline. (see Student Unsuccessful in Securing an Internship policy)

• The Placement Specialist has the authority to stop the placement planning process at any point if the student is behaving unprofessionally or if they are unable to follow the placement planning protocol. 

• Any changes in the placement planning process should be communicated immediately. This includes communication from the Placement Specialist to the student (i.e. program closure, loss of Field Instructor at the location, or change in address), or from the student to the Placement Specialist. (i.e. student’s placement interests change, student moves, or takes a leave of absence). 

Online Program Placement Planning Procedure

All newly matriculated online students (MSW and Advanced Standing) are required to attend an in person, on site internship. The program does not allow 100% remote internships.  See below policy located in Internship Roles, Responsibilities and Policies Section of this manual titled Accumulating Hours Off Site and Unobserved for specifics regarding when students can engage in internship experiences that are off site and unobserved.

• Once students are admitted into the program, they will be sent an ITE (Intent to Enroll) and an Intake Form. The intake form will gather information for the student that is pertinent for the field team to find a suitable field placement for the student.

• About 4-5 months before a student’s Field Start Date, they will receive an email from their placement specialist asking to set up a Group Welcome Call. This call will allow the student and Placement Specialist to get to know each other and address the following items:

  • Timeline for internship and what to expect in terms of communication from placement specialist

  • Key placement policies and expectations of the internship placement team

  • Roles of the field department (placement specialist, field liaison, etc.)

  • Referrals

  • Placement Clearances: background checks, etc. needed to enter their field placement

• After the group welcome call, students will receive a follow-up email from their placement specialist recapping the internship timeline and expectations and requesting any additional information.

• Students will also have the option to set up a 1:1 meeting with their placement specialist to discuss information specific to their placement, such as transportation concerns, interest areas, and special circumstances (i.e. working full time, limited access to transportation, relocation, etc).

• Keeping in mind the information gathered from the Welcome Call and intake form, the Placement Specialist will begin the search for a suitable internship site. Once an agency is identified and has expressed a willingness to work with a student, the Placement Specialist will work with the agency to gather all necessary paperwork for faculty approval.

• Once the field placement site is approved, the placement specialist will send an email notification to the student informing them of their potential internship site and next steps.

  • The student must reach out to the agency within 48 hours.

  • The student must set up an interview with the agency.

  • All students will have an opportunity to set up time to talk with their internship placement specialist about interview tips or agency questions if interested.

• Once the placement specialist has heard back from the student, they will send a notification to the agency letting them know that the student will be reaching out to set up an interview.

• After the site interview, placement specialists will reach out to the site to gain feedback on the student's interview. Once the placement team receives word from the agency (either a verbal acceptance or a written email) that they have accepted the student, the placement specialist will ensure that the MOU has been signed by the site, if not already done so. Once the MOU has been signed, the placement specialist will follow up with both the site and the student to confirm the internship and to start the student’s onboarding process (i.e. confirm the student’s first day at the site and identify any other clearance requirements that the student will need to get started). 

• Clearance information will be sent to the student as needed with a request to follow up once all clearance items have been taken care of with the agency and the first day has been scheduled.

Online Planning of Internship Hours

• Online a students entering field instruction (SWK 672, 771 or 772) are required to have a minimum of one (1) full day available during the M-F work week to complete at least 8 hours of internship time toward the16-20 hours of internship time. The community has very few evening and weekend hours available for a social work internship. The ability to utilize evening and weekend to supplement the 1 full day is dependent on the availability of evening and weekend internship opportunities at the placement site, and the availability of appropriate supervision during these times.  The preferred and recommended arrangement is to have 2 days available during the M-F work week to complete their 16-20 hours.  We are not able to accommodate students who have no flexibility in their work weeks.  

• If you are only able to do 10 hours a week, you should communicate this to your placement planner.  Your internship will last longer than the expected time frame  (all advanced standing and residential:  50 weeks at 10 hours per week,  progressive learning:  70 weeks at 10 hours per week).  This would require students to take a planned incomplete at the end of each semester that they are enrolled in field.  The Incomplete allows the student to complete the required time into the next semester.  Students can register for the next level of field instruction while also having an incomplete on record for the previous field instruction course. 

• If you do not have any flexibility in your employment to have at least one weekday open, it is not the right time for you to complete this program.

• Completing an internship in your current place of employment may be an option. For more information, refer to the employment-based internship section of this manual.

Notification Regarding Felony Convictions and Unprofessional Conduct 

Students admitted to the Master’s Program are hereby notified that having pending charges, felony conviction or sanctions for unprofessional conduct may impact potential for obtaining field placement which is a requirement for graduation.  This may also impact the students ability to obtain social work licensure and future employment as a social worker. 

Students who cannot secure a placement after three interviews due to their criminal background or sanctions for unprofessional conduct will be notified that the O.F.I. is unable to secure them a placement. Next steps will be discussed. 

Students with questions or concerns regarding this can contact their Internship Placement Coordinator or the Field Director. 

Employment-Based Field Placement 

Students who are already employed by a human service agency often inquire about using their employer as a field instruction site. There are guidelines that must be met to be placed at an existing employment site for a social work internship. First and foremost, the agency must meet the criteria to be an internship site and be willing to engage in an SU/Agency agreement that outlines each entities responsibilities relating to field work by the University students at the agency.  The SU/Agency agreement is a legal document that is negotiated between the SU and agency legal teams and covers all University students that will be placed at the agency in the future (whether employees or not).   

Students are required to complete a separate formal employment-based proposal application process.  The Field Director or Assistant Field Director must approve the proposal for the employment-based internship to be officially confirmed.

Traditional Residential MSW students are required to complete two separate internships over the course of the program. It is rare for a student to be placed with the same agency for both their foundation and concentration internships. Occasionally this may be approved by the O.F.I. if the agency is able to provide two distinct experiences for students.

Policy: 

If a student wishes to request completing an internship within an agency in which they will be simultaneously employed, the following minimal conditions must be met: 

1. The site must meet the criteria outlined in the “Selection of Field Instruction Settings” policy.

2. The site must be a field site partner or be willing to engage in the SU legal contracting process to become a field site partner.

3. A staff member who meets the minimum field instructor requirements as outlined in the “Selection of Field Instructors” policy; 

4. The student intern can propose that their current job tasks be considered internship tasks and learning opportunities.  This is only approved if:

   1. Each job duty that is being proposed as an internship task/learning opportunity must align with at least one of the 9 social work competencies; 

   2. If the student is unable to align all 9 competencies (or in progressive learning internships all 9 generalist and 9 concentration competencies),  the student must add additional internship activities/learning opportunities to ensure that all 9 social work competencies are being developed,  this is especially relevant for those who are in a progressive learning environment where you will be expected to align to the generalist and concentration competencies. 

5. The student intern can propose to not utilize their current job toward their internship and can independently negotiate with their employer to propose an internship separate from their job duties .

6. The student can count up to 20 hours a week toward internship hours.

7. In either above scenario, the agency must provide a different staff member to provide the social work field instruction.  There is an inherent dual role and potential conflict when the current supervisor oversees the supervision from both the employer and field instructor (teacher) standpoint.   However, in certain instances the O.F.I. will assess utilizing the current supervisor under the following conditions: 

   1. the supervisor provides a proposal referencing how they will ensure distinct supervision that will will be focused in the student internship role, including agreeing to providing the staff member a minimum of 1 hour individual supervision in addition any supervision that is provided in the employee role.

   2. complete a field education supervision template (outlines distinct intern caseload, paperwork under intern role, and chain of liability), this template will include a problem solving plan for how to manage conflicts if/when they come up.

Procedure: 

It is expected that the student will have discussed the option for Employment-based Placement with the employing agency administrator responsible for staffing decisions prior to the student’s placement planning meeting.

Interested students should complete the “Employment Based Application” form after consultation with the field office. The form is located on Tevera Field Education Software in the “My Sites” tab or for Online students, through your placement specialist.

The Application for Employment-based Placement is: 

• Initiated and completed by the student with assistance and consultation from their proposed field instructor. 

• Authorized by the employing agency with signatures as indicated.

• Reviewed by the Field Director or the Assistant Field Director. 

Final approval of the Application for Employment-based Placement occurs when the student and agency receive a formal letter of confirmation finalizing the placement. Approval of employment-based internship is determined by the O.F.I. An approved and signed copy of the Application for Employment-based Placement will be sent to the agency, student and put on file.

All inquiries regarding employment-based placement should be directed to the Office of Field Instruction. 

Student is Unsuccessful in Securing an Internship 

Residential Policy

Students are given up to three opportunities to interview at potential field settings to secure an internship. The field office will not send students to an unlimited amount of interviews. 

If the above process does not result in a confirmed placement, the Internship Placement Coordinator will meet with the student to discuss what transpired in the interviews and explore reasons why they have been unable to secure a placement. Feedback from the field instructors or interviewers will be used to explore and reassess a student’s readiness for field. Options for next steps will be explored in a meeting with the student and may include: 

1. Engaging the student in a “mock” interview to assess for areas of improvement and/or readiness for field and then giving student a final opportunity to interview at a potential field setting. 

2. In cases when the reason for not securing a placement is due to the students availability (whether due to working full or part time or personal reasons), the students schedule will be reviewed to determine if it is feasible to secure any internship with the student’s schedule. If the student cannot change their schedule to accommodate an internship then the student will need to take a leave of absence until the time when they can be available to complete an internship. 

3. Asking the student to register as a part-time student to take coursework that gives the program an opportunity to assess the student’s readiness for practice prior to entering field. 

4. Counseling the student to re-evaluate his/her choice of social work as a career. 

In some instances, the O.F.I. may terminate the placement planning process and the student will not be permitted to re-enter field until certain conditions have been met. Such a decision is based upon the Internship Placement Coordinator’s assessment, findings and feedback from interviewers. The student would then be informed by letter that the O.F.I. will not pursue placement planning at this time and describe conditions that must be met to be reconsidered for placement. The MSW Program Director is notified of the decision of the O.F.I. In such cases, the student has the right to request an Academic Hearing from the MSW Program Director to appeal the decision of the O.F.I. 

Online Policy 

Students are not provided an unlimited amount of agencies to interview with and in many circumstances, online students may have only one to two viable placements and interviews depending on agency recruitment and partnership opportunities in their area. Students are encouraged to take into consideration availability of different sites within their community and search radius prior to declining an internship.    If the placement planning process outlined above does not result in a confirmed placement, the placement specialist will meet with the student to discuss why they have been unable to secure a placement and the plan moving forward which can include:

1. In cases when the reason for not securing a placement is due to the students availability (whether due to working full or part time or personal reasons), the students schedule will be reviewed to determine if it is feasible to secure any internship with the student’s schedule. If the student cannot change their schedule to accommodate an internship then the student will need to take a leave of absence until the time when they can be available to complete an internship. 

2. In cases when the reason for not securing a placement is due to the O.F.I. not being able to secure a site for the student to interview with,  then the student will be advised to take courses and the OFI will continue to search for an internship setting so that the student can engage in internship the following semester.

3. In cases when a site has concerns with the students readiness for a social work internship,   the student will be provided with feedback and the OFI might engage in developing an alternative plan or counseling the student to re-evaluate his/her choice of social work as a career.  

Search Radius for Internships

Residential Programs:  The O.F.I will secure placements within Central New York County  that the student resides unless otherwise requested by the student.  Students will not be expected to drive over a 60-mile radius.

MSW Online Programs:  The OFI will secure placements within a 60-mile radius of the students residence.  The School of Social Work does not allow international placements.  All placements must occur within the United States.  

International Internships Policy

Students cannot complete their internships outside of the continental United States and Hawaii. Students will not be placed internationally, including U.S. military bases, or in U.S. territories. Students living abroad with an upcoming placement term will need to relocate to the continental United States or Hawaii in order to be assigned a placement. Students are required to provide written notice of a new address at least 14 weeks prior to the first placement term so the placement team can work to secure a placement site. Placement is not guaranteed for students who do not adhere to these requirements and not following the requirements may necessitate a leave of absence from the program. 

MSW Online Relocation Policy

The O.F.I. understand that you may need to relocate while you are in the program, for reasons unrelated to the program. If relocation occurs prior to or during your placement terms and you have no additional coursework to complete, you may need to take a leave of absence from the program until the placement team is able to secure a placement in the new preferred placement area. In an effort to minimize disruption to your program of study, you must provide a minimum of 1 term of written notice prior to relocation. Placement is not guaranteed for students who do not adhere to the foregoing requirements.

Placement within the Students Social Work Interest Areas

The O.F.I. does consider the students areas of interest when securing potential internships for students.  The students are asked to rank their interest areas on the field application.  Although we cannot guarantee that the OFI staff will be able to align your specific interests with your internship, staff will try their best to do so.  Internships are intended to provide you with developing competency in the social work competency areas which are meant to be transferable across systems and populations.

Acceptance Timeframe for Field Application Requesting Placement

The OFI will accept applications requesting field placement up to 10 weeks prior to the start of the internship course.  Students should be aware that the contract agreement process between the University and internship organization can take up to 3-6 months,  this means that the student who is following the OFI timelines for placement planning are more likely to secure and confirm an internship .

Internship Roles, Responsibilities and Policies

Field Instructor Role and Responsibilities 

For BSSW students, a BSSW and two years post undergraduate experience is required. The field instructor must possess a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) degree from an accredited school of social work and have at least two years post-MSW experience in an agency/institutional setting. Field Instructors providing clinical supervision may have additional years of post MSW experience and an advanced credential to supervise students in some settings associated with the ACP concentration. 

The Field Instructor is expected to carry out the following responsibilities: 

• Orient the student to the agency, staff and task supervisors or other social workers with whom the student will work.  The orientation process should include direct observation of student interactions with clients and staff members. 

• Orient the student to safety concerns as outlined in the safety checklist 

• Collaborate with the student to develop and implement a Professional Development Plan. 

• Schedule and provide weekly face-to-face supervisory sessions with the student for a minimum of 1 hour.  We have established a minimum amount of time field instructors should engage with students in supervisory sessions,  and it is recommended that students receive additional consultation, field instruction and supervisory sessions commensurate with the student experience and skill level.   There will be an expectation that supervisory support including observing of the student will occur more during the beginning of the internship as part of the students orientation to the work.   In addition, supervisors should provide additional supervisory and field instruction support to meet the unique developmental and educational needs of students as assessed and needed.   

• Provide administrative, educational and supportive social work supervision 

• Document supervisory sessions 

• Provide appropriate activities and opportunities for the student to develop social work competency consistent with the student level in the program.   

• Regularly review student progress and provide regular positive and constructive feedback,  this should include an opportunity for the field instructor to have direct observation of the students interactions with clients along with student report of interactions with clients in supervisory sessions. 

• Maintain an ongoing evaluation of the student’s progress and complete written evaluations of the student at the end of each semester 

• Support the student’s initiative in gaining access to other learning experiences and resources in the agency and professional community when needed 

• Confer with the field liaison for mutual planning, review, and evaluation of the field experience 

• Inform the field liaison promptly of any problems in the field placement and, when necessary, develop a plan of remedial action with the liaison and the student. (See Field Problem Resolution Procedures) 

• Participate in orientation and training activities for field instructors

• Provide information to the O.F.I. to assist in the future use of the agency as a placement site, including the field instructor’s interest in continuing service as a field instructor 

• If a task supervisor is used, the Field Instructor is required to regularly communicate with and oversee the task supervisor’s work with the student 

Task Supervisor Role and Responsibilities 

A Task Supervisor may be designated by the Field Instructor to assume specific responsibilities for secondary instruction and supervision on a particular assigned task, project, or assignment. The Task Supervisor does not replace the Field Instructor; rather, they collaborate to ensure that the student learning goals are being met and regular feedback is provided. Field instruction gives more emphasis to using the field experiences as an extension of social work classes, to assure achievement of competency and socialization to the profession. Task supervisors must work in a related discipline and have an understanding of the social work perspective. The task supervisor typically has expertise in an area that expands a student’s learning opportunities. 

The Task Supervisor is expected to carry out the following responsibilities: 

• Provides secondary instruction/supervision to student on a specific task, project, or assignment as assigned by the Field Instructor. 

• Responsible for the day-to-day, on-site guidance for specific work, research, and practice. 

• Provides constructive feedback to student on specific tasks undertaken. 

• Keeps a record of learning projects or tasks assigned. 

• Keeps field instructor informed of student’s progress on projects undertaken with task supervisor. 

• Participates in the field visit with the Field Liaison once per semester. 

• Provides input to the final Performance Evaluation of the student. 

• Attends Task Supervisor training sponsored by the O.F.I. as required. 

• When feasible, participates in a portion of regular supervision with student and Field Instructor. 

MSW Student as Task Supervisor 

In some cases, an MSW student who is also a staff person at an internship site may serve as a task supervisor to a Syracuse University BSSW social work intern. To ensure adequate supervision is provided to the intern, and to mitigate the potential for dual relationships or other risk issues, the procedure below is followed: 

• Only MSW students who are in the concentration portion of the program and are staff members at the field site may provide task supervision 

• The designated concentration level MSW student/staff member may provide task supervision to BSSW interns only. 

• The Office of Field Instruction (O.F.I.) will be responsible for reviewing and approving any such requests prior to the start of the internship 

• The O.F.I. will ensure that the BSSW intern is fully informed and will document the intern’s consent. The intern will agree to communicate timely with the assigned field liaison should any concerns or issues arise that could impact the intern’s learning. 

• In such a case, the O.F.I. will inform the agency-based field instructor and a decision will be made to assign the student to a different task supervisor or to relocate the student to a new field placement agency. 

Field Liaison Role and Responsibilities 

The Director of Field Instruction and the Internship Placement Coordinators serve as faculty field liaisons and carry the major responsibility for agency-school contacts regarding the design, implementation and evaluation of the field practicum. The role of the field liaison is to provide a link between the School of Social Work, the student and the internship agency. Field Liaisons meet jointly with the student and field instructor at least once per semester to discuss progress made with their Professional Development Plan. Field Liaisons are also available to the student and the agency for problem resolution. The field liaison is available for the agency field instructor to consult with regarding any matters concerning students placed in an agency and can be contacted at any point during the internship for consultation. The School of Social Work highly encourages regular contact between the Field Liaison and Agency Field Instructor to ensure the field placement is a positive learning experience for the student and the agency. 

The Field Instructor is expected to carry out the following responsibilities: 

• Develop and maintain working relationships between specified agencies and the School of Social Work. 

• Oversight of the student learning experience

• Support student safety and competency development 

• Consultation in the development of the individual P.D.P. 

• Clarification of the expectations of the school and the curriculum 

• Consultation and support of the problem solving efforts of student and/or field instructor. 

• Making at least one field visit per semester. This typically occurs at the agency but in some cases, due to distance or other factors, the field visit may occur telephonically or via a virtual meeting platform, ex:  zoom.

• Instructor for Integrative Field Seminar 

• Ongoing assessment of the students competency development.  

• Implementation of performance improvement plans and actions steps as needed based on the ongoing assessment of students professional development

• Review of student field evaluation and awarding field instruction final grade for each semester. 

• Ongoing assessment of the agency setting, field instructor and the potential for providing educationally sound instructional experiences. 

• Participate in development and presentation of field instructor training program and related resource materials. 

• Participation with the Director of Field Instruction in program evaluation activities. 

Student Role and Responsibilities 

The student, in the role of learner and beginning social work professional, with the support of the field liaison and the field instructor has major responsibility for his/her own learning and is expected to actively participate in the formulation and implementation of the internship experience. Responsibilities center on professional social work behavior, the use of supervision, participation P.D.P. along with self- evaluation and the use of agency resources. Students need to understand that they are working under another individual's license and that the individual designated as their field instructor is liable for any neglectful practice by the student.

Professional Social Work Behavior 

When students enter the field placement they are expected to accept and abide by the Social Work Code of Ethics https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English as required by the profession, state law, and/or licensing regulations. Students assume responsibility for reading the Social Work Code of Ethics prior to entering field placement. Students assume the liability risks that are inherent in their role as a practicing social work student. 

The student should not allow their personal issues such as psychosocial distress, substance abuse history, or mental difficulties to interfere with professional judgment or performance. The student is responsible for communicating with the O.F.I. if any personal issues are impacting their ability to practice as a student social worker. If personal issues are not remediated the student’s placement can be terminated. The student should be aware that while in field placement s/he may be subject to unannounced drug screening, similar to that of an employee. Should the student refuse or fail the drug screening, s/he may be subject to termination from the field practicum and/or the program. See Field Problem Resolution Procedures for more details. 

• Student must identify themselves to potential client and constituencies as a graduate social work student 

• Preparing for and participating in regular conference/supervision with the field instructor, focusing on the student’s learning and application of social work concepts; 

• Students must be observed by field instructor or task supervisor engaging in practice skills.  Observation of practice may be during the orientation and beginning of internship or ongoing depending on the professional judgment of the field instructor and/or field liaison.     

• Actively participating in the supervisory experience through asking questions, clarifying expectations, and discussing concerns; 

• Accurately communicating to supervisor any challenges with clients and disclosing practice errors; 

• Sharing with the field instructor course materials, syllabi and any questions about agency practices that will assist the field instructor in supporting the integration of theory and practice; 

• Completion of the Professional Development Plan; 

• Engaging in self-reflection and self-evaluation to be aware of professional areas of strength and areas for growth; 

• Accurately articulating to supervisor their areas of strength and areas for growth; 

• Demonstrating a willingness to modify specific behavior based on feedback from supervision; 

• Getting a clear understanding of what agency material can be shared in the classroom and what is considered confidential material/information; 

• Appropriately disguising material from the field site to maintain confidentiality; 

• Bringing to the field instructor or field liaison any questions or concerns relative to use of agency site for class assignment. 

Field Orientation and Other Required Training 

All foundation level and Advanced Standing students are expected to attend a Mandatory Field Orientation held by the O.F.I. prior to beginning their internship. Roles, responsibilities, and rules are reviewed. Safety in field and supervision requirements are discussed. 

The process of becoming oriented to the agency placement, to the supervisory relationship, agency and field safety protocol and decision-making are provided by agency based field instructors and/or task supervisors. 

All students are required to complete the state Mandated Reporter training within the first 2 weeks of the semester they enter field. 

The Professional Development Plan 

The Professional Development Plan (P.D.P.) is a formal plan between the student and field instructor which identifies the learning opportunities/activities that facilitate the attainment of the program competencies. Once students engage in agency orientation activities, they will begin to develop their P.D.P. 

Students should discuss with their Field Instructor how they learn best, their strengths, limitations and areas of interest as they pertain to the agency. The development of the P.D.P. is a cooperative process between the student and field instructor. The P.D.P. will support and inform how the field instructor evaluates the student’s ability to demonstrate related social work knowledge, values and skills. The seminar instructor and/ field liaison reviews the P.D.P. to ensure that it supports educationally sound experiences. The P.D.P. is seen as an organic document that is individualized for each student and develops over time; it will be used for two semesters of field. 

Summary of the Components of the Professional Development Plan 

The Professional Development Plan allows the field instructor and student to address the logistics and supervisory expectations of the field placement; the learning opportunities/activities the student will engage in, including how they relate to social work program competencies and the field instructor evaluation of the student at the end of the semester. The P.D.P. is submitted in three sections to the field liaison: 

Section I:

Logistics and Supervisory Expectations. This section addresses the orientation plan for the student, the supervision plan, and the logistics of field placement hours and the individual tasks, assignments or learning goals of the student. It is electronically submitted to the field liaison on the date indicated on the syllabus. It is reviewed by the liaison and suggested additions, clarifications or changes will be made by the student, if indicated. 

Section II:

Learning Opportunities /Tasks are developed by the student and field instructor. These opportunities/activities should provide the student with an opportunity to practice and 

demonstrate the practice behaviors related to the Council on Social Work Education (C.S.W.E.) program competencies. The educational experiences of field instruction are intended to prepare students with the necessary social work knowledge, values and skills for competent social work practice. Section II is electronically submitted to the field liaison on the date indicated on the syllabus. It is reviewed by the liaison and returned to the student. Suggested additions, clarifications or changes will be made by the student, if indicated. 

Section III:

Section III is submitted shortly before the end of each semester. This section gives the student the opportunity to reflect on competency development, achievements, and areas for continued growth. The student’s reflections are shared with the field instructor and field liaison via email to inform the Performance Evaluation that is completed by the field instructor. 

Documentation of Internship Hours

Students and field instructors are responsible for tracking and documenting internship hours.  All  students are required to complete a time log weekly through the Tevera Field Education Software and report their time as follows:  BSSW will report their time on a bi-weekly basis and MSW students will report their time on a monthly basis.  

General Guidelines: 

The field instructor is responsible for ensuring that the student spends their internship time engaged in activities and learning opportunities that allow the student to develop social work competence as outlined in the nine (9) social work competencies and listed in the Performance Development Plan (PDP).   

An essential part of the student learning experience is engaging with an organizational system and building awareness of the organizations culture.  Given this, the expectation is that the student spends most of the time at the organization, and/or engaged in community or other agency-based meetings and home visits.  See policy for guidelines and procedures related to counting internship hours for any other off-site practicum-related learning opportunities or tasks.

It is acceptable to count internship time for:

• Travel time to, from and during community or other agency-based meetings

• Travel time to, from and during home visits

• Attendance at field seminar class sessions,  as outlined in field class syllabus

•  Lunch time can be counted toward internship hours  but sites must take into consideration if the student is paid or not,  if paid the the agency must follow related labor laws

It is unacceptable to count internship time for:

• travel time to and from the agency to start and end your internship day;

• when agency is closed due to weather or holiday

• for time spent on social work course assignments, readings or homework either at the agency or elsewhere

Procedure: 

The student is required to utilize the time log system within the Tevera Field Education Software.   The student will outline the number of internship hours per week, and their weekly schedule is documented  in the Performance Development Plan, along with any specific information for school breaks or other planned time off for the academic year.   The field instructor and the student should be prepared to show internship hours documentation, upon request, such as during a field visit.   If the student must call in sick or miss regular internship time, the student and field instructor are responsible for developing a plan to make up any time missed. 

Students must receive prior approval from field instructor to accrue internship hours when off site (see Policy on Accumulating Internship Hours When Off-Site and Unobserved).   This approval should be documented in writing in the Professional Development Plan and comply with the appropriate policy below.

Accumulating Internship Hours When Off-Site and Unobserved  

In-person field experience is a fundamental requirement of this program, therefore as of Fall of 2023, the School of Social Work will not allow internships that are designed to be 100% remote.  In-person work is essential to building the foundational and concentration skills needed to engage, assess, intervene and evaluate with clients, organizations and community.  It also allows students to transfer these skills to a remote or telehealth experience. Students can accumulate internship hours through engaging in telehealth and other virtual client or staff meetings.  Students can engage in  off-site and unobserved learning activities under the following guidelines.

General Guidelines

• the student must have engaged in the agency setting for a period of time to allow the field instructor to assess the students ability to engage successfully in some off site learning activities

• the student must receive pre-approval from their field instructor to engage in learning opportunities when off-site and unobserved

• the field instructor has discretion to approve off-site learning activities

• the field instructor must provide supporting rationale for why they think the student is able to build competency and be successful in off site learning activities 

• field instructors should take into consideration the students:

  • Reliability and dependability

  • Initiative

  • Integrity

  • Ability to work independently 

  • Use of professional judgment

  • Ability to critically think and effectively problem solve

  • Ability to demonstrate social work ethical decision making 

• any internship hours accumulated when off site and unobserved, must be related to a specific learning outcome/competency and there must be concrete evidence of knowledge, values, skills and or cognitive/affective processing the student developed as a result of said learning opportunity/task.

• it is acceptable to count on-call internship time for:

  • direct client contact (via phone, online or in person)

  • indirect client contact such as field instructor or colleague consultation (via phone, online or in person)

  • related documentation

• students who engage in on call for part of their internship experience take the risk of accruing an inconsistent amount of internship hours when on call.

Examples of off-site and unobserved remote internship activities:  library literature search for relevant research,  policy review and analysis,  webinars, in-person trainings that are located off site,  community meetings that are remote or in person, telehealth, community assessment.

Field Visits for Students and Field Instructor 

The Council on Social Work Education and the School of Social Work require that school representatives have contact with field instructors and students during the internship experience to monitor student learning and assess field setting effectiveness. The School of Social Work utilizes field liaisons to achieve this requirement by facilitating a minimum of two-three (3) on-site or virtual field visits, 1 time each semester in field. The visit is with student, field instructor and task supervisor (when appropriate). 

The field liaison is assessing the student’s ability to articulate their learning through: 

• Summarization of internship context and experiences; 

• Provision of example of integration of theory/social work concepts to practice; 

• Discussion of specific cases, groups, projects and/ or learning opportunities and in what ways these have advanced competency development; and 

• Use of social work professional language, concepts and ethical guidelines. 

The field liaison is assessing the field instructor’s ability to provide an effective learning environment through: 

• Verification of regular and consistent teaching including weekly supervisory sessions to monitor, enhance, support and evaluate student learning; 

• Discussion of how specific tasks, cases, groups, projects and/or other learning opportunities are appropriate to the students educational level and the related social work competencies; 

• Verbal articulation of how the field instructor influences the student’s development as a professional; and 

• Discussion of the organizational culture in relationship to supporting student learning. 

Scheduling the field visit day and time 

• The field visit is typically scheduled midway through the semester.

• Field liaisons will attempt to schedule the field visit during the day and time of the regularly scheduled supervisory session outlined on the P.D.P. 

• In some cases additional field visits may occur. Additional field visits may be utilized to problem solve around barriers or struggles with the students learning or within the learning environment. 

Student Disability and Accommodation in an Internship

If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), http://disabilityservices.syr.edu, located at 804 University Avenue, room 309, or call 315-443-4498 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations in relationship to your internships. ODS is responsible for coordinating disability- related accommodations and will issue “Accommodation Authorization Letters” to students as appropriate. Since
9Students with disabilities who may need accommodation in the field placement are strongly encouraged to talk with a member of the Field Instruction staff.  Reasonable accommodations that facilitate the performance of a student with a disability will be explored with the student and field program, and site. 

Transportation 

Students must provide their own transportation to and from their field placement. As part of their field placement duties students may be required to use their personal automobiles for home visits and agency visits. Students are responsible for providing adequate automobile insurance coverage to cover their use of their personal vehicle while performing field agency related duties and activities. Due to liability concerns (i.e., to be sure that s/he is covered to do so), any student who transports clients in her/his personal vehicle must, at the beginning of the placement, inform the provider of the automobile insurance that s/he is using the vehicle for internship. 

Students who drive in a vehicle in performance of their field responsibilities – whether transporting clients or not – should be aware that they are not covered for this activity under the university’s insurance. 

If permitted by the field agency, students may use agency vehicles to perform duties related to their field experience. Students must follow the agency policies and procedures when using agency vehicles. The students are responsible to ascertain and verify that the agency has appropriate insurance coverage of the student and the agency vehicles when the student uses an agency vehicle to perform agency duties or activities during their field experience hours. 

Students are responsible for incurred costs related to parking and driving to and from the field placement agency, making home visits, and agency visits. Some agencies reimburse the costs; some do not. Students are responsible for ascertaining whether the agency will cover the driving costs and to follow the appropriate agency procedures for reimbursement. Agencies are expected to reimburse students for expenses incurred as part of any field assignment, if they reimburse staff for the same expense. 

Student Safety 

The O.F.I. recognizes that there are inherent risks for professional social workers and students engaged in the study of the profession. The social work program will provide students with information and skills to address potentially harmful situations. A student should not be required to engage or to remain in assignments or at placements in which s/he feels physically at risk. If a student’s concern about safety interferes with the learning process, the field instructor or student should contact the field liaison to facilitate exploration of the concerns and to seek a mutually satisfying resolution. 

Office of Field Instruction Responsibilities: 

• Provide all field students with general written information about safety in field placement; 

• Provide basic safety information at the student field orientation and during their seminar class 

• Provide a safety checklist to the field instructor and student, that is required to be reviewed, signed and submitted to the O.F.I. 

• Provide support, consultation and coaching as needed 

• Responsive to students concerns about safety 

Agency Responsibilities: 

• Orient student interns to the agency specific safety policies and procedures. 
  Such orientation should include, but not be limited to, discussion of safety issues in the community, within the agency building(s), with particular clients prone to violent behavior, or regarding clients who may be sharing living quarters with persons prone to violent behavior, to the extent that such information is known. Security of personal belongings of the student intern while at the agency should be also covered and procedures for the student(s) to follow in the event of a safety or security problem 

• Provide accommodations to ensure students’ safety such as is provided for agency staff. In some situations the agency may need to make even greater accommodation for a student, such as partnering with another staff member for home visits. 

• Review required safety checklist with the student 

• Contact the field liaison if an incident occurs in which a student is personally threatened or hurt. 

Student Responsibilities: 

• Report safety concerns with the agency based field instructor immediately 

• If personally threatened or hurt the student should contact their field liaison. 

See Appendix IV for Safety Checklist Information 

Social Media & Professional Communication 

Social work students should consider that they will be representing professional social work practice as well as the Syracuse University School of Social Work program while in the classroom, the university community, and the broader area communities. Students participating in field placement are expected to practice in an ethical manner, in accordance with the NASW Code of Ethics, the NASW/ASWB Standards for Technology and Social Work Practice, University policies and New York State laws while working with clients or programs within their placement. 

Students need to be aware that public social networks are not private. Even when open only to approved or invited members, users cannot be certain that privacy will exist among the general membership of sites. If social work students choose to participate in such forums, please assume that anything posted can be seen, read, and critiqued. What is said, posted, linked to, commented on, uploaded, subscribed to, etc., can be accessed and archived, posing potential harm to professional reputations and prospective careers. 

Social work students who use social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and other forms of electronic communication (i.e. blogs, etc.) must be mindful of how their communication may be perceived by clients, colleagues, faculty, and others. Social work students are expected to make every effort to minimize material which could be considered inappropriate for a professional social worker in training. Because of this, social work students are advised to manage security settings at their most private levels and avoid posting information/photos about the field placement or using any language that could jeopardize their professional image. Students are asked to consider the amount of personal information posted on these sites and are obliged to block any client access to involvement in the students’ social networks. Client material should not be referred to in any form of electronic media, including any information that might lead to the identification of a client or compromise client confidentiality in any way. Additionally, students must critically evaluate any material that is posted regarding community agencies and professional relationships, as certain material could violate the standards set by the School of Social Work, and/or the NASW Code of Ethics. If a student is found sharing information about agencies on an internet social networking site, or violating field agency policies, action may be taken by the agency or the field office to dismiss the student either from the agency or from the field program. 

In the event that a student’s social media profile or linkage is considered a poor professional practice or an ethical violation, the student will be subject to an academic hearing (see section on academic) 

Sexual Harassment 

As an intern in the community, it is important for you to be familiar with the University and your internship site's sexual harassment policies and procedures.  The School of Social Work Office of Field instruction follows Syracuse University's Sexual Harassment, Abuse and Assault Prevention Policy

This policy covers the following topics:  scope and jurisdiction of the policy, prohibited conduct, consensual sexual or romantic relationships, minors, non-discrimination statement & compliance with laws, Title IX coordinator, resource & reporting options, confidential resources, faculty and staff reporting responsibilities, amnesty for reporting students, students' bill of rights, privacy & confidentiality, and sanctions.

Below is relevant policy information in relation to being an intern through this University:

1. The agency setting is considered an extension of the University.  If you experience any sexual harassment, abuse or assault within the agency setting, you are protected under the above University policy. 

2.  The field site you are placed in will also have sexual harassment and workplace violence policies and procedures.  You are also protected under these policies.  The agency is required to orient you to these policies and procedures.

3. Faculty and field staff are required to share any incidents of sexual harassment, abuse or assault with the Syracuse University Equal Opportunity, Inclusion & Resolution Services (EOIRS).  This includes any incidents that may occur within internship sites.

4. If an incident is reported or shared with EOIRS, the field staff, in most cases, will work in partnership with the Syracuse University (EOIRS) to provide students and agencies with guidance and support. 

For additional information about sexual misconduct including protective measures, information for victims, complaint process, frequently asked questions, resources and related laws and policies, you can go to Syracuse University's Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion, and Resolution Services website.

If you need immediate support, there are resources on campus and in the community.  Information is available at Syracuse University's Sexual Misconduct On-Campus Resources website.

Job Action or Strike

The School of Social Work does not take sides in a strike conflict. In the event of a job action at a site for field instruction in which a student from Syracuse University School of Social Work is in placement, the following procedure will be followed: 

It is the responsibility of the agency field instructor to inform the field liaison of a job action or impending action. It is then the responsibility of the field liaison to notify the Director of Field Instruction of the job action. 

1. If the social work staff is involved in the work stoppage, the student should be removed from the agency at once based upon the following considerations: 

   • Concern for the learning climate at the agency;

   • Concern for students safety; 

   • The student not be put in the position of being perceived as a strike breaker. 

2. If the social work staff at the agency is not involved in the job action, the field instructor, student, field liaison, agency management and the Director of Field Instruction will meet to consider whether the student will remain at this site. Final decision regarding the student’s remaining with or being removed from the agency is made jointly by representatives of the agency and the School of Social work. Considerations to be taken into account will include: 

   • concern for the student’s safety; 

   • concern that the student not be perceived as a strike breaker; 

   • the learning climate of the situation; 

   • projected duration of the job action and the impact on the agency; 

   • if the student requests to be removed, this request will be considered.