Field Education Agency Information

Thank you for your interest in participating in our Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW) and/or our Master of Social Work (MSW) programs as a field education site.  The BASW and the MSW program at California State University, Long Beach are fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

The program emphasizes an ecological perspective and a person/system in environment approach.  Graduate  students have a generalist foundation year field placement. They select a concentration for their advanced year from one of the following: Child and Family Well-being, Integrated Health, or Adults and Aging. Their advanced year field education experience must be in the area of their concentration. Practice issues from the micro, mezzo, and macro systems perspectives are addressed throughout the curriculum focusing on individual, family, group and community areas of study/treatment.

Our graduate curriculum accommodates 2-year full and 3-year part-time students in the September – May academic year model.  Also we offer an Advanced Standing Program that allows students with BASW degrees to complete the MSW program in 12 calendar months, utilizing the same field placement from June until May of the following year.  The curriculum includes - Practice (individual, group, and macro courses), Policy,Human Behavior, Research Methods, Applied Social Work Projects, and Field Education courses.

Please read the following materials that provide specific information about the field education sequence and expectations.  If you are interested in becoming a field education site with our School, please contact us, and we will arrange a visit to your agency to discuss your affiliation with CSULB, School of Social Work in greater detail.

I am looking forward to hearing from you and beginning a collaborative effort in providing our communities with outstanding social workers.  In the interim, if you have questions, please feel free to contact me.  

Sincerely,

Susan Salas, EdD, LCSW  
Director of Field Education   
562.985.8178
Susan.Salas@csulb.edu                                                                                        

California State University, Long Beach
School of Social Work
1250 Bellflower Blvd. 
Long Beach, Califonria 90840-4602

FAX 562.985.5514

 

AGENCY REQUIREMENTS

Ability to provide a comprehensive range of  experiences for students and exposure to diverse populations and systems;

  • Availability of population corresponding with the concentration areas of Child and Family Well-being, Integrated Health, or Adults and Aging (for MSW students);
  • Ability to accommodate students with appropriate space, equipment, staff and caseloads essential to a successful field teaching site;
  • Ability to provide a qualified field instructor who is an employee of the agency and who is available when the student is in field placement;
  • Willingness to comply with University and School of Social Work policies and procedures as listed in the University’s internship agreement.

FIELD INSTRUCTOR REQUIREMENTS

  • MSW (for graduate students) or a BSW degree (for undergraduates) from an accredited School of Social Work; with at least two years of post-master’s practice experience;
  • Ability to provide a minimum of one hour of individual supervision per week (Group supervision is important if available, but is not a substitute for individual supervision);
  • Commitment of availability for the entire internship period and the hours the students are in placement;
  • Knowledge of the program area in which the student will be located and skill in teaching;
  • Provision of comprehensive orientation to the agency and it’s services;
  • Ability to provide individualized activities and assignments; and
  • Attendance at Field Instructor’s Orientation and a series of three Field Instructor Trainings if a first-time Field Instructor.

BASW Program

The field education experience is designed to provide new and challenging experiences for the student, and to maximize learning opportunities. The program includes experiences that engage students in supervised direct-service activities, that provide practice experiences in application of theory and skills acquired in all foundation areas, and that will produce a knowledgeable and developing generalist social worker.

BASW Junior Practicum   In the spring semester of the junior year, BASW student complete an 80-hour practicum in a social service agency (typically 8 hours for 10 weeks).  The practicum begins in mid-February and ends in April.  This practicum may be the student’s first opportunity to observe the functioning of a social work agency and participate in providing services to clients.  Students:

  • Become acquainted with the nature, functions, and services of the social service setting;
  • Become familiar with some of the roles and functions that social workers and other helping professionals perform;
  • Become familiar with interventions frequently utilized by social workers and other helping professionals;
  • Gain experience in the supervision process, working with an agency supervisor for direction and guidance; and
  • Complete assigned activities at the agency as well as all written assignments for the classroom.

BASW Senior Field Internship 
In the senior year of the BASW program, students complete a 450 hours (total for fall and spring semesters) internship.  Students are in the agency for 16 hours per week, either two 8 hour days, or one full eight hour day and two 4-hour days.  Students receive 1 hour of supervision per week by a social worker with either a BASW or MSW degree.  Students are enrolled in concurrent practice classes as well as a field seminar on campus.  The focus for seniors is working with individuals, small groups, and families.  Emphasis is placed upon enhancing student skills in resolving value dilemmas, developing and using professional relationships, interviewing, defining problems and collecting data, making beginning assessments, recording, setting priorities for their practice, learning about the agency, and locating resources on behalf of client systems.  Students also learn about working with larger systems, i.e., large groups, communities, and organizations.

MSW Program 
The MSW Field Education sequence is designed to provide new and challenging experiences for social work graduate students, with maximum learning opportunities. The program engages students in supervised activities at micro and macro levels, and provides practice experiences in application of theory and skills acquired in all foundation areas. Students are prepared for entry into a specialized concentration area of practice with the ability to utilize a variety of intervention techniques in a range of settings with diverse populations.

Academic Year Model 
This is our traditional program for MSW students who must complete a 500- hour internship in two academic years for a total of 1000 hours.  Internships begin in early September and end in mid-May.  Students are in the agency 16 hours per week, either two 8 hour days, or one full eight hour day and two 4-hour days.  Students are enrolled in practice coursework and field seminars concurrently with their internship.  All of our students are covered by malpractice/liability insurance.

First-year field internships provide students with the opportunity to develop a foundation of skills fundamental to social work practice.  These basic skills include a range of treatment issues and theoretical models, and a range of diversity of cases.  While field experiences should include both direct and indirect service opportunities, the primary focus is on direct practice. 

During the second year of field, students build on the foundation skills developed during their first year.  Students are expected to handle a larger volume of cases or assignments, develop increased insight and understanding of agency and/or client systems and skills, and begin to practice independently.  Students may request an macro placement for their second-year internship.  Students in macro internships should experience a full range of administration, planning, program development/evaluation and community organizing experiences.  They are expected to develop the ability to transfer foundation practice skills into the macro practice arena. 

Place of Employment:  Students employed in social service agencies may request evaluation of their agencies for suitability as a site for their second-year internship.  The agency must be able to provide a qualified field instructor and an experience different from the student’s regular responsibilities.  These requests will be individually evaluated by the Director of Field Education.

Advanced Standing Program   This is an accelerated program for students who have completed a BASW program and wish to complete a MSW degree in a 12 month period.  Beginning in the summer, students complete “bridge courses” and in fall they join the second year full-time MSW students and graduate in May.   Advanced Standing students complete one internship in one agency for a total of 660 hours; internships begin in June and end mid-May.  Students are in the agency for 16 hours per week (including summer).