San Francisco State University

School of Social Work

Field Education Learning Agreement

First-Year MSW Students

Form 804

STUDENT INFORMATION
Student:
First Name Last Name: / Student ID #:
E-mail: / Phone number:
Academic Year: ☐ BASW ☐ MSW First-Year ☐ MSW Second-Year
AGENCY PLACEMENT
Agency Name:
Agency Address:
Program Address (if different):
Agency Phone Number:
AGENCY FIELD INSTRUCTOR (FI)
FI’s Name:
First Name Last Name:
FI’s E-mail: / FI’s Phone Number:
Agency Designated Alternative Contact Person (CP) or Task Supervisor (if applicable)
CP’s Name:
First Name Last Name
CP’s E-mail: / CP’s Phone Number:
INTERNSHIP SCHEDULE
Start Date: / End Date:
Days of the Week and Scheduled Hours:
Break Periods (e.g., Holidays and Sick Day Policy):
SIGNATURES
Field Instructor Signature:
Student Signature:
School of Social Work Field Liaison Signature:
GUIDELINES TO COMPLETING THE LEARNING AGREEMENT
The Field Education Learning Agreement
The Field Education Learning Agreement is organized into nine sections based on the Council on Social Work Education’s Educational Policies and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). The Learning Agreement should take into account the student’s academic year (BASW, first-year MSW, second-year MSW), along with a shared assessment of the student’s knowledge, skills, strengths, interests, previous experiences, areas for growth, and approaches to learning. Based on these considerations and the placement’s models of service delivery, the student and the field instructor should identify learning objectives and activities for each area of competency. While the activities and skills to be developed are specific to each student and agency, an effort should be made to include all of the EPAS when creating the Learning Agreement.
It is required that this Learning Agreement be developed at the beginning of the academic year; however, it should be reviewed and revised, as necessary, throughout the course of the internship to ensure that it adequately addresses the student’s evolving learning goals. Once the Learning Agreement has been completed and/or modified, it should be signed by both the student and the field instructor. The student is responsible for delivering a copy of the agreement to the School of Social Work’s faculty field liaison. The contents of the Learning Agreement are intended for review by the student, field instructor, field liaison, and field director and should otherwise be held confidential.
BASW Students
Baccalaureate-level Social Work students must complete 480 hours of internship during the academic year. The baccalaureate program prepares students for urban generalist practice. The urban generalist model is designed to address the needs and aspirations of disadvantaged and oppressed communities which are affected by the operation of service delivery systems. This model stresses the principles and processes common to all social work endeavors and students are encouraged to develop and refine skills associated with the following four core components: (1) developing working relationships with clients and other constituents under diverse conditions (voluntary referral, involuntary contact, outreach, transfer); (2) formulating a plan of action which recognizes both personal and environmental elements in the change process; (3) undertaking a variety of practice roles (advocate, coordinator, counselor, mediator, negotiator, support group leader, etc.); and (4) facilitating the development of client autonomy and empowerment in achieving goals.
Students are required to have practice experiences at a variety of levels (individuals, families, groups, organizations, and community), and to have extensive contact with various components of the urban service delivery system. The nine social work competencies included in this Learning Agreement should be considered as a base for the knowledge and skills-building activities identified.
MSW First-Year Students
First-year MSW students must complete 480 hours of internship during the academic year. The first year is meant to provide students with a generalist practice experience that will prepare them for more specialized practice in their second year. Please see the above section on BASW students for a brief description of the urban generalist model.
MSW Second-Year Students
Second-year MSW students must complete 720 hours of internship during the academic year. Specialized practice should build on the generalist practice model, as described above, expanding on the social work competencies to focus on areas of specialization. Objectives met and skills developed should support students in demonstrating advanced levels of performance in the nine areas of competency identified in the Learning Agreement.
THE LEARNING AGREEMENT
Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
The student will engage in learning activities in order to:
1.a)  Apply the standards of the NASW Code of Ethics or additional codes of ethics, relevant laws and regulations, and models for ethical decision-making in practice, research, and policy arenas as appropriate to context.
1.b)  Engage in productive problem-solving and appropriate conflict resolution and utilize open communication.
1.c)  Demonstrate an ability to distinguish between personal and professional values in a practice context and exhibit an understanding of the ways in which personal experiences and affective reactions can influence professional judgment and behavior.
1.d)  Use reflection and self-regulation to maintain professionalism in practice situations.
1.e)  Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior; appearance; as well as oral, written, and electronic communication.
1.f)  Engage with those from professions other than social work when involved in inter-professional collaboration and utilize practices that enhance cooperation.
1.g)  Exhibit knowledge of emerging forms of technology and the ethical use of technology in social work practice.
1.h)  Use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior.
Please list and describe below the student’s specific learning activities intended to develop the skills and meet the objectives outlined in Competency 1:
Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
The student will engage in learning activities in order to:
2.a)  Identify ways in which diversity and difference characterize and shape the human experience at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels and are critical to the formation of identity.
2.b)  Identify forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination, including social, economic, political, and cultural exclusions that may marginalize and alienate, or alternatively contribute to privilege and power.
2.c)  Present as a learner and engage clients and constituencies as experts in relation to their own experiences.
2.d)  Apply self-awareness regarding one’s own identity, personal biases, fears, and values, and self-regulate to manage the influence of personal biases and values in working with a diversity of clients and constituencies.
2.e)  Employ diversity-sensitive practice skills.
Please list and describe below the student’s specific learning activities intended to develop the skills and meet the objectives outlined in Competency 2:
Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
The student will engage in learning activities in order to:
3.a)  Articulate the ways in which every person, regardless of position in society, deserves fundamental human rights such as freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, health care, and education.
3.b)  Employ an understanding of social, economic, and environmental justice and advocate for human rights at the individual and system levels.
3.c)  Engage in practice that advances social, economic, and environmental justice.
Please list and describe below the student’s specific learning activities intended to develop the skills and meet the objectives outlined in Competency 3:
Competency 4: Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice
The student will engage in learning activities in order to:
4.a)  Use practice experience and theory to inform scientific inquiry and research.
4.b)  Apply critical thinking and engage in an analysis of research methods and findings with the understanding that evidence-informed practice derives from multidisciplinary sources and multiple ways of knowing.
4.c)  Use and translate research findings to inform and improve practice, policy, and service delivery.
Please list and describe below the student’s specific learning activities intended to develop the skills and meet the objectives outlined in Competency 4:
Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice
The student will engage in learning activities in order to:
5.a)  Identify social policy at the local, state, and federal levels that impacts well-being, service delivery, and access to social services.
5.b)  Assess how social welfare and economic policies impact the delivery of and access to social services.
5.c)  Apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies relevant to the client population that advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.
Please list and describe below the student’s specific learning activities intended to develop the skills and meet the objectives outlined in Competency 5:
Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
The student will engage in learning activities in order to:
6.a)  Apply theory and knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks to engage with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
6.b)  Identify ways in which personal experiences and affective reactions may impact the ability to effectively engage with a diversity of clients and constituencies.
6.c)  Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage with a diversity of clients and constituencies.
Please list and describe below the student’s specific learning activities intended to develop the skills and meet the objectives outlined in Competency 6:
Competency 7: Assess with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
The student will engage in learning activities in order to:
7.a)  Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the analysis of assessment data from clients and constituencies including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
7.b)  Collect and organize data and employ critical thinking to interpret information from clients and constituencies in order to advance practice effectiveness.
7.c)  Develop mutually agreed-upon intervention goals and objectives based on a critical assessment of strengths, needs, and challenges within client and community systems.
7.d)  Select appropriate intervention strategies based on the assessment, research knowledge, and the values and preferences of clients and constituencies.
7.e)  Exhibit an understanding of the ways in which personal experiences and affective reactions may affect assessment and decision-making.
Please list and describe below the student’s specific learning activities intended to develop the skills and meet the objectives outlined in Competency 7:
Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
The student will engage in learning activities in order to:
8.a)  Critically choose and implement interventions to achieve practice goals and enhance capacities of clients and constituencies.
8.b)  Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in order to achieve practice goals and enhance the capacities of clients and constituencies.
8.c)  Use inter-professional collaboration as appropriate to achieve beneficial practice outcomes.
8.d)  Employ interdisciplinary, inter-professional, and inter-organizational collaboration in the process of negotiating, mediating, and advocating with and on behalf of a diversity of clients and constituencies.
8.e)  Facilitate effective transitions and endings that advance mutually agreed-on goals.
Please list and describe below the student’s specific learning activities intended to develop the skills and meet the objectives outlined in Competency 8:
Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
The student will engage in learning activities in order to:
9.a)  Select and utilize appropriate methods for the evaluation of outcomes.
9.b)  Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks.
9.c)  Critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate intervention and program processes and outcomes.
9.d)  Apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels.
Please list and describe below the student’s specific learning activities intended to develop the skills and meet the objectives outlined in Competency 9:

Form 804: 1st-year MSW Learning Agreement 1