Goals and Competencies

Practicum courses offer the student educational opportunities where:

1. Knowledge can be integrated and applied to practice.
2. Competence in performing practice skills can be developed.

Practicum (a.k.a. field education) is an experiential form of teaching and learning that takes place in a service setting. Learning is achieved through the provision and/or development of services to clients, communities, organizations, or society. Social service, health, and educational organizations voluntarily demonstrate their commitment to social work education through offering practicums. Experienced social workers provide field education to students.

Social work practice competencies provide the foundation for the practicum. These competencies defines those behaviours believed to be necessary for social work practice. Social Work Values and Ethics informs field settings in developing their practicum program and assists students and Field Instructors to describe learning opportunities, define how social work competencies will be addressed, and evaluate the student’s performance.

This manual contains information for use by, and developed from the experiences and feedback of, students, Field Instructors, and Faculty-Field Liaisons (FFLs) in carrying out their respective roles in the field. It is expected that students will be actively engaged in their own learning in the practicum and will take responsibility, with their Field Instructors, for designing a practicum that will meet FIFSW’s competency expectations.  FIFSW is committed to ongoing feedback and redesign of the practicum course so that the goal of providing a high standard of excellence in teaching and learning may be achieved.

Practicum 1 Competencies

In Practicum 1, the student is expected to demonstrate that they can competently:

• function within the professional context: to develop and demonstrate his/her professional identity as a social worker in respect to commitment to and the provision of service to people;
• function within an organizational context: to develop and demonstrate the ability to function within an organizational context;
• identify/assess issues;
• develop a purposeful intervention/plan;
• implement intervention/plan; and
• use effective communication skills.

In order to achieve a sufficient and broad knowledge base in Practicum 1, the student will demonstrate core knowledge and beginner competence in direct practice with a client system and on behalf of client systems in the context of programs and organizations for the delivery of social work services.

The competency framework provides the basis for evaluation and is reflected on the midterm and final evaluations under the six domain headings:

• Learning and Growth
• Behaviour in the Organization
• Conceptualize Practice
• Clinical Relationships
• Assessment and Intervention
• Professional Communication

Practicum 1 practicums are designed to offer students direct-service learning opportunities. Upon completion of the practicum, students will emerge with a beginning conceptual understanding of the key elements informing social work practice, which includes:

• the organizational context – agency mandate, social work purpose and role;
• the professional context – values, code of ethics, regulation;
• the inter-professional context – working collaboratively in teams;
• an understanding of the importance of self-awareness and reflection in social work practice;
• an understanding of the beginning stage of direct practice with diverse clients and client systems; and
• an ability to develop a collaborative professional relationship with a client.

At the beginning of the practicum, Practicum 1 students will submit to their Field Instructor(s) a copy of their Lab Summary from the fall term. The purpose is to ensure that any identified “areas for development” are included in the Learning Contract.

The Learning Contract will include a plan for direct service. By the mid-term evaluation (half- way point), students are expected to be engaged in direct service with clients.

In order to evaluate students based on the competencies, it is required that Field Instructors directly observe students’ interventions. This may include observation of:

• the student’s work with individuals, groups and families;
• attending and contributing to team, community or inter-professional meetings; and
• preparing and (co-)leading workshops and training.

Self-reflective journals and process recordings can also serve as important tools through which to assess the student’s activities.

Practicum 2 Competencies

In Practicum 2, the student is expected to demonstrate that they can competently:

• function within the professional context: to develop and demonstrate their professional identity as a social worker in respect to commitment to and the provision of service to people;
• function within an organizational context: to develop and demonstrate the ability to function within an organizational context;
• identify/assess issues;
• develop a purposeful intervention/plan;
• implement intervention/plan; and
• use effective communication skills.

Practicum 2 practicums are designed to offer students the opportunity to practice direct service, indirect service, or mixed (direct and indirect).

The competency framework provides the basis for evaluation and is reflected on the midterm and final evaluations under six domain headings. These headings vary somewhat depending on whether the practicum’s practice is direct or indirect (mixed practicums use the direct practice headings).

Practicum 2 students are expected to provide their Field Instructor(s) with the summary of their Practicum 1 final evaluation. Students entering the program with advanced standing may provide their Field Instructor(s) with a copy of their final BSW practicum evaluation or a recent employment review. It is also beneficial for Field Instructors to have knowledge of the work students are experiencing in classes. In this way, Field Instructors may develop assignments that are compatible with class projects. Students may benefit from sharing their course syllabi with their Field Instructors.

For students in the two-year MSW program, successful completion of Practicum 1 is required prior to commencing Practicum 2.

In order to evaluate a student’s performance based on the competencies, Field Instructors are required to directly observe the student. This could include observing the student:

• working with individuals, groups and families;
• attending and contributing to team, community or inter-professional meetings;
• preparing and (co-)leading workshops and training;
• completing activities and tasks in an indirect service setting.

Self-reflective journals and process recordings can also serve as important tools through which to assess the student’s learning activities.

Supervision is an integral component of student learning and evaluation in practicum. Field Instructors are expected to provide a minimum of one hour of direct supervision per week.