MSW Field Supervisor Training

1. MSW Field Supervisor Training UMD Department of Social WorkApril 3, 2006*materials adapted from Council on Social Work Education From Mission to Evaluation: A Field Instructor Training Program Alan J. Dettlaff

2. Welcome! • Name • Agency affiliation • Experience providing field instruction

3. What Is the Field Instructor Training Program? • The Field Instructor Training Program is designed to provide agency-based field instructors with the specialized knowledge and skills necessary for effective field supervision. • Training is required for any social work practitioner providing supervision to social work students.

4. Why are We Requiring This Now? • The Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) of CSWE refers to field education as “an integral component of social work education” and mandates that social work programs provide a minimum of 400 hours of field education to baccalaureate students and 900 hours of field education to master’s students (CSWE, 2002). • EPAS guidelines further mandate that social work programs provide both orientation and field instruction training to agency-based field instructors (CSWE, 2002).

5. Why are we really requiring this? • We recognize that our field supervisors are getting squeezed in their roles in agencies and are having increased challenges in finding the time to spend with students • We want our students to have positive experiences in their supervisory relationships, as well as their field placements

6. Why???…… • We have become increasingly concerned about the quality of supervision provided to our students in their field placements

7. Tell Us More…. • Research indicates that specialized training is necessary for social workers acting as field instructors (Ellison, 1994; Fortune & Abramson, 1993; Knight, 2001; Livingston, Davidson, & Marshack, 1989; Rogers & McDonald, 1995). • Field supervision requires advanced training as it encompasses a teaching element. Being proficient with a social work skill does not indicate that a person knows how to teach that skill.

8. More…. • Many studies have been conducted to identify the knowledge and skills necessary for effective field supervision. This workshop will provide you with this information and allow you the opportunity to practice these skills.

9. Importance of What You Do.. • The most powerful predictor of student satisfaction with field is the quality of field instruction.(Fortune & Abramson(1993) • Kadushin and Harkness (2002) state that educational supervision is concerned with teaching the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for performance of social work tasks.

10. You know you just “want to know” what more research says…. • Years after the field experience social workers can still recall the impact of the student-field instructor relationship on their professional, emotional, and intellectual development. (Power & Bogo, 2002) • Stoltenberg,et al (1998) stresses the importance of structure, validation, and the absolute necessity of observation for entry-level trainees in graduate education.

11. We know it is complicated… • Munson(2002) describes the complex balancing act that field instructors must master. They must balance the rights of clients, the policies of the agency, and the ethics of our profession with the learning needs of the supervisees.

12. Other little-known field research findings… • Knight (1996,2001) found 10% of students were receiving less than the recommended level of supervision • Knight’s study (2001) showed that about 2/3 of the students did not have live supervision; and that students valued the live supervision later in the placement when supervisors tended to supply less

13. Results of a very recent study on “Quality of MSW Field Instruction”Freeman,Duncan-Daston,Forrester, presented at CSWE APM, February, 2006 • Meeting supervision requirements is the key to student satisfaction • Ethical/legal issues, whether resolved or not, lower satisfaction for students • The one variable associated with satisfaction for both students and field instructors was that of a structured student orientation to the agency!

14. The Mission of Field Education • Field education is generally regarded as the capstone of the social work education experience. It is the time when students get to learn by doing, under the supervision of an agency-based field instructor. • In the field, the focus turns from the acquisition of knowledge to the application of knowledge. Students are provided with opportunities to apply the social work knowledge and skills obtained in the classroom to actual practice situations.

15. OK, OK, What is the Point? • The goal of the field placement is for students to successfully integrate theory into practice, thus learning to serve clients effectively. • Upon completion of the field placement, students should be ready to begin social work practice within an agency setting.

16. Your Role as the “Field Supervisor/Instructor” • Field instructors are considered social work educators in the field and play an important role in the professional development of social work students.

17. How you interact with your student matters…. • Research indicates that the supervisory style and characteristics of the field instructor have a significant impact on students’ overall evaluations of the instructor and the placement experience

18. …really..what not to do…. • Furthermore, research indicates that the quality of the field instructor is the most significant factor affecting students’ satisfaction with the field placement (Fortune & Abramson, 1993).

19. Your Challenge as a Field Instructor/Supervisor • It is the role of the field instructor to assist students in applying the social work knowledge, values, and skills they have learned thus far to an agency setting. This involves creating learning opportunities for students to integrate theory and practice.

20. Teach them how to practice social work! • The challenge for field instructors is to teach students how to practice social work, not how to do a particular job in your particular agency. It is easy to teach someone how to do a job. The purpose of field education is not for a student to learn how to work in your agency, as most students do not work in their field agency after graduation.

21. Teach the knowledge, values, and skills • By the conclusion of the field placement, your student should be able to apply these abilities to any practice setting. If your student completes the placement knowing how to work in your agency, but has no understanding of how to use the knowledge, values, and skills necessary for effective practice, the student is no more prepared to begin social work practice than before the placement began.

22. Who do you want your student to be? • As a field instructor, one of your first tasks should be to create a vision of the qualities and characteristics you would like your field student to have by the end of the placement. • The immediate vision involves helping your student apply all of his or her knowledge to a practice setting. • The larger vision is your role in the life and professional development of the student.

23. Oh yes..the “small group” • Discuss in small groups the qualities and characteristics you would like your students to possess by the end of the placement and a write these on the worksheet. • As the mentor to your student, think about the qualities and characteristics you would like your student to have by the conclusion of the field placement.

24. I have a dream…. • Identify the methods and techniques you will use to teach these qualities and characteristics to your students ; write these in the space provided. • For every quality and characteristic you identified previously, determine the methods you are going to use to provide your student with these traits.

25. Your “assignment”

26. We require MSW supervisors to meet with their field student how often? • Once a month • Once a week • Every other week • Never. Just thinking about the student is enough.

27. Is it reasonable to expect that the student might need supervision outside of their regularly scheduled time? • Yes • No

28. Which is the most important to students? • That the supervisor is available • That the supervisor provides feedback • That the supervisor is empathetic

29. What should you NOT do? • Go on vacation and neglect to tell your student or make any arrangements for their supervision • Attend required meetings that UMD says are important • Provide a written evaluation at the mid-point and end of the placement • I would not do any of the above

30. Agree to take a student and then “assign” them to someone else, without discussing it with the other social worker or UMD Have a sexual relationship with your intern Neglect to provide a basic orientation (parking,computer, what folks do for lunch,role,agency “issues”/”policies”/”practices”,etc) Blow off the regular supervision meetings or refuse to schedule any Violate the NASW Code of Ethics Tell them to ignore the stuff they are learning in graduate school and just pay attention to how it is “done” in your agency Ignore information they might bring to you regarding new research or “best practices” they have learned Pretend like you know everything Pretend like you do not know anything Ignore any communication from the field coordinator or liaisons Top 10 List(what not to do as a field supervisor)