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 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.) Resources 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 and Student Learning Outcomes

*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 (BSSW and MSW) 

The 400-hour 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. The goal of the foundation internship is to facilitate student competency in the following areas Foundation Level Competencies and Practice Behaviors.

Concentration Level (MSW Only)

The 500-hour 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.  The goal of the ACP concentration is to facilitate student competency development in the following areas: ACP Level Competencies and Practice Behaviors

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.  The goal of the AIP concentration is to facilitate student competency development in the following areas: AIP Level Competencies and Practice Behaviors

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 for Residential Students

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 .  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 . The residential 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: 

•  

  • 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.

Placement Planning of Online Students

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 Student Planning of Internship Hours

• Students must attend internship until the last week of classes for each semester the student is in an internship.

• Students are allowed to attend internship after the last week of classes and during any school breaks.

• Students cannot accumulate concentration level internship hours when they are still in the foundation level internship semesters.

• The site can require the student to attend internship during spring breaks but should articulate this prior to the student accepting the internship. This is particularly relevant when the student break is longer than 1 week (the break between fall and spring semester) and if the student has assigned cases

• The calculation used for weekly hours is based on the number of weeks a student attends the internship. For example, if the student is required to complete 200 hours in one semester, AND the student only plans to attend when classes are in session, then the student would divide the total number of hours (200) by the total number of weeks (14). This comes out to 14 hours per week.

• Online 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 8 am-5 pm work week to complete at least 8 hours of internship time toward the 14-16 (foundation semesters) or 16-20 hours (concentration semesters) 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 required hours.  We are not able to accommodate students who have no flexibility in a M-F 8am -5 pm work week.  

• Part time students are allowed to engage at internship as low as 10 hours per week. This would require the student to stay at their internship for more weeks. If this is something the student would like to do, then they should communicate with the assigned placement planner.  For example, if you are required to complete 200 hours in 1 semester and you are only completing 10 hours per week the student would need to attend internship for 20 weeks instead of the typical 14 weeks. 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.

Placement Policies for ALL Students (Residential and Online)

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.