The Purpose of the Junior Year Macro Placement

Students in the BSW Program are trainees studying to become generalist practitioners. The generalist practitioner should have the ability to work with a variety of systems (individual, family, group, organization, and community) and across these systems on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of intervention. Students in their senior year will have the opportunity to develop micro method interventions. The spring semester junior year placement gives students the opportunity to develop macro method skills, i.e., large group advocacy, community organizing, facilitating community task groups, legislative advocacy and lobbying, policy development, community education, and research.

As a generalist, a student should understand the limits of his/her abilities, identify when more specialized intervention is required, speak with others and then assist in the change effort.

The field instruction is an integral component of the total curriculum. Students must meet specific objectives of the BSW Program as stated below. All students completing the field practicum will be able to:

1. Apply critical thinking skills within the context of professional social work practice.
2. Understand and practice within the values and ethics of the social work profession as articulated in the NASW Code of Ethics.
3. Respect, understand and promote the positive value of diversity as related to race, culture, ethnicity, political beliefs, age, abilities and sexual orientation.
4. Recognize the impact of the worker's unique personality in the helping process.
5. Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression.
6. Understand and be able to use strategies of change that advance social and economic justice.
7. Understand the relationship between the historical roots of the social work profession and current social work practice.
8. Apply the knowledge and skills of generalist social work to practice with systems of all sizes.
9. Analyze the impact of social policies on client systems, workers, agencies, and diverse groups within society.
10. Use oral and written communication skills differentially with a variety of client populations, colleagues and members of the community.
11. Appropriately use supervision to increase professional competence in generalist social work practice.
12. Function within the structure of organizations and service delivery systems in a manner that maintains the welfare of the client population being served.
13. Recognize, acknowledge and actively work with client environmental strengths and resources in all phases of the problem solving process in social work practice.
14. Clarify appropriate boundaries between the personal and professional self in social work practice.
15. Recognize the importance of the social worker's role of promoting social justice both personally and professionally.

1. Identify agency philosophy, policies, organization and structure that contribute to the agency change effort.
2. Acquire the knowledge, values and skills needed to engage in macro change to best decide how to negotiate empowerment in a community and/or organization.
3. Learn what parameters constitute a community, neighborhood and organization, including how to discover and assess the needs and power centers of a community, including its strengths.
4. Use interviewing and assessment skills to problem solve, advocate and plan for macro change.
5. Identify and define community resources and their use in community education.
6. Understand how community organizing shapes and influences social policy implementation.
7. Use supervision to effectively engage in macro social work practice.
8. Gain understanding of oppression and discrimination in societal systems and work toward social and economic justice.
9. Understand how social work values and ethics promote empowerment.
10. Understand how issues of diversity influence the macro change process.
11. Become familiar with documentation and record keeping.
12. Evaluate community practice.
13. Further develop both oral and written communication skills for effective practice.

The Social Work Student Intern shall receive three hours of course credit upon the completion of 120 hours at an approved social work macro field placement site. The Social Work Student Intern shall be responsible for the following IN ADDITION TO REGULAR ASSIGNED DUTIES AT HIS/HER FIELD PLACEMENT:

1. Regularly train at his/her field placement 8 hours each week in the spring semester.

2. Coming to training each assigned day on time. In the event that the student has to miss training, the student shall call his/her supervisor as soon as possible, but no later than a stated time agreed upon by the supervisor. Students will only miss training in the event of illness or an emergency situation. Students will be expected to make up missed hours to satisfy the number of hours required for field instruction. Placements normally begin the first week of class and continue until the semester ends. You are responsible for following the school calendar. Agency holiday time needs to be made.

3. Preparation of Revised Learning Goals Statement to be given to Macro Field Instruction Liaison and the student’s supervisor no later than the first week of classes of the spring semester. Ongoing review of written learning goals with student’s supervisor and the student’s Macro Field Instruction Liaison.

4. Preparation of TYPED weekly logs according to assigned format to be handed in on specified day each week to your Macro Field Instruction Liaison. The weekly reports should be shared with the Macro Field Instruction Supervisor.

5. One meeting with the Macro Field Instruction Liaison and the student’s supervisor to review the student’s progress and experience in the macro field placement.

6. Meeting with the student’s supervisor to discuss and provide input into the supervisor’s evaluation of the student.

7. Attending and ACTIVELY participating in weekly supervision meetings with the student’s field supervisor.

8. Attendance at two macro educationalconferences/workshops/seminars, one which can be an in-service training.

9. Completing final written evaluation of student’s field placement.

ALL OF THE ABOVE DUTIES MUST BE COMPLETED BY THEIR DEADLINES.