UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE BSW LEARNING CONTRACT

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

Student’s Name: ______Field Faculty Liaison’s Name: ______

Agency Name:______

Address:______

Field Instructor: ______Telephone number(s)______

Email______[please print]

Site supervisor if applicable: ______Telephone number(s)______

Email______[please print]

Days and Hours of Field: (16 hours/week - Field education must total 480 hours for the academic year)

______

Agency Expectations: Discuss the expectations regarding illness, holidays, personal time, make-up for lost time, notification and coverage during

absences, appointed supervisor or person covering when primary field instructor is unavailable, etc. – please refer to page 16 of the field manual for added information. Discussion completed: ______(please check)

Supervision: Students are expected to receive a minimum of 1 hour per week of direct supervisory conference time, and additional support as needed. Please refer

to the field manual.

Supervision Day/Time ______

BSW LEARNING CONTRACT

This learning contract is based on the exit competencies students are expected to demonstrate by the end of the placement. The final field evaluation will ask you to evaluate skill development in each of these areas. Some learning objectives are closely related to each other and may be addressed with the same internship activities. The learning contract is a living document. You should refer to it each week in supervision, and update it as field activities change. A Field Addendum, listing any changes from the fall contract, will be due early in the spring semester.

By the end of the internship, the student will have demonstrated competency in each of the following arenas of performance as a generalist social worker:

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES / INTERNSHIP ACTIVITIES / BEGIN/END / HOW WILL LEARNING OBJECTIVES BE
EVALUATED? (E.G., progress notes,
process recordings, supervision logs)
—Competency 2.1.1: Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly.
  • Practice personal reflection and self-correction
to assure professional development
  • Understands and maintains professional roles and boundaries
  • Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, dress, communication, and responsible and reliable time management skills
  • Engages actively in supervision by coming prepared and presenting work openly
  • Accepts and utilizes critical feedback from
supervisor as evidenced through self-evaluation
  • Understands when to seek out consultation from supervisor

—Competency 2.1.2: Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice.
  • Recognize and manage personal values in a way that is consistent with professional practice
  • Make ethical decisions by applying standards of the NASW Code of Ethics1
  • Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions

—Competency 2.1.3: Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments.
  • Applies critical thinking skills in the context of practice

—Competency 2.1.4: Engage diversity (broadly defined) and difference in practice.
  • Recognizes ways in which cultural structures and norms may oppress, marginalize, alienate, create, or enhance privilege and power
  • Demonstrates understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experiences
  • Demonstrates self-awareness of personal biases and values
  • Understands how personal biases and values inform culturally sensitive practice
  • Views and treats all people with diversity and difference
  • Presents self as an open and active learner

—Competency 2.1.5: Advance human rights and social and economic justice.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the dynamics of oppression and discrimination

—Competency 2.1.9: Responds to contexts that shape practice
  • Develops awareness of the various social and economic forces and trends that influence the delivery and accessibility of social services.
  • Collaborates in promoting sustainable changes in services delivery and practice to improve the quality of social services.

– Competency 2.1.10: Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
A. Engagement
  • Connects with client systems in a purposeful and respectful manner in accordance with the professional code of conduct.
  • Uses empathy, active listening and other interpersonal skills with client systems.
  • Develops mutually agreed upon goals and desired outcomes with client systems.

2.1.10 Continued
B. Assessment
  • Collects, organizes, and interprets client data.
  • Assesses client strengths and limitations.
  • Develops mutually agreed upon interventions goals and objectives.

2.1.10 Continued
B. Intervention
  • Works to support Agency’s missions, goals, and objectives.

Additional learning goals:

1National Association of Social Workers (approved 1996, revised 1999). Code of Ethics for Social Workers. Washington, DC: NASW.

SIGNATURES

Student: ______Date: ______

Primary Field Instructor: ______Date: ______

Site Supervisor: ______Date: ______

Field Faculty Liaison: ______Date: ______

(September 2010)