FOUNDATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
SW 350
SPRING
2007
Instructor:
Nancy A. Amos, ACSW, LCSW, Ph.D. Candidate 105 Bradley Hall
677-3614
Office
Hours: T 3:00 – 5:00
p.m.; W 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon; TH 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. and by
appointment
Class Hours: T and TH
Accommodation: Any student with a disability or
special need who requires accommodation should inform the instructor at the
beginning of this course.
Non-Discrimination
Statement: Students will be expected to display respect
of fellow students' unique characteristics including race, color, religion,
creed, ethnic or national
origin,
age, veteran status, disability, appearance, socioeconomic status, gender,
sexual orientation, and political orientation.
All written assignments will use non-discriminatory language.
Intercollegiate
Competition: Any student representing
Relationship
to Other Courses in the Social Work Curriculum: Students are
required to have completed SW 250 as a prerequisite to this course. This course is the first professional course
in the social work practice curriculum and includes an overview of professional
practice. It is designed for students to
acquire the knowledge and skills needed as a foundation for future
courses. It is a prerequisite to SW 351,
SW 352, and SW 353.
Confidentiality:
Any
information shared in this course that is protected under legal codes or the
NASW Code of Ethics must be treated in accordance with legal and ethical
standards. In addition, students are
expected to use discretion in discussing any agency information that they may
acquire in their volunteer experience.
Creation of a
Proper Learning Environment: The instructor encourages students to
ask questions and to critically evaluate class material. However, this must be done while still
creating a proper learning environment.
Any behavior that disturbs the learning of others such as talking with
peers during a lecture or presentation by a peer, using cell phones in class,
or text messaging in class will not be allowed and the student will be asked to
leave class and counted as absent for the day.
Students must treat each other and the instructor with respect. Students
are encouraged to discuss with the instructor any concerns or suggestions for
improvement for the class as soon as possible and not to wait until the end of
the course. This allows the instructor
to modify the course to meet student needs as much as possible.
Cheating and Plagiarism will be dealt with in
accordance with the Bradley
University
Generalist
Practice Principles: The following eight generalist practice principles support
all courses in the social work curriculum:
1. A systems approach provides the basic
framework for understanding the generalist practice perspective and planning
interventions with multiple systems.
2. Problems in living are presented from a
person-in-environment perspective, with focus on the transactions between
individuals and the environment.
3. Assessments and interventions must address
both intrapsychic and environmental strengths and stressors.
4. Generalist practice involves assessments and
interventions at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels.
5. Practice is based on the problem-solving
process and the knowledge, skills, and values that are applicable across
settings with diverse populations and in a variety of problem areas.
6. Critical analysis of social problems is
inherent in and results in both practice and policy responses.
7. Empirical research provides a solid
foundation for both education and practice, and generalist practitioners are
expected to participate in practice evaluation activities.
8. Generalist practice often requires the social
worker to function in multiple roles depending on the needs of the client
system.
I. Course Description:
Historical
development of social work - Introduction of generalist social work practice –
Introduction to practice frameworks including the systems perspective -
Knowledge, skills, and values and ethics required for practice - Communication
skills and the helping relationship as foundation for the problem solving
process – Learning the Problem-solving model for practice - Overview of fields
of practice.
II. Course
Objectives:
Students will be expected to develop
learning in the following areas:
Knowledge
1.
Students will acquire an understanding of the role of social work in the
larger arena of the
social services.
2.
Students will acquire an appreciation for the historical development of
the social work
profession.
3.
Students will understand the different levels of social work practice
including micro, mezzo, and macro levels of
practice.
4.
Students will acquire an understanding of the roles and functions of
social workers.
5.
Students will acquire an understanding of the guiding principles, values,
and ethics of the
social work profession and social workers in generalist
practice.
6.
Students will acquire an understanding of the theoretical perspectives
that guide
generalist practice.
7.
Students will acquire the knowledge of basic communication skills and
the qualities
necessary for establishing the helping relationship.
8. Students will
develop awareness of the various fields of practice for social
work.
9.
Students will develop awareness of the uses of self in the helping
relationship.
Skills
1.
Students will be able to identify the levels of practice and articulate
the concept of generalist
practice.
2.
Students will be able to identify systems issues relating to social
services and social
work interventions.
3.
Students will be able to define the concept of a practice framework and
will be
able
to name at least four practice frameworks
4.
The student will be able to evaluate her/his own interests and potential
for a career in
social work.
5.
Students will acquire the beginning skills for basic communication
techniques and client
interviews for all levels of practice.
6.
Students will acquire the beginning skills for establishing an effective
helping relationship.
7.
Students will acquire the skills for critical analysis of appropriate
social work
functions and roles as applied to various client populations and
problems.
Values
1.
Regard for individual worth and dignity and respect for a person's
unique characteristics of socioeconomic status,
ethnic background, religious beliefs, age, gender, sexual orientation, political
orientation, disability, appearance, race,
and veteran status will be emphasized.
2.
The NASW Code of Ethics for social work will be emphasized and
students will be able to
critically analyze the application of ethics to client situations and groups.
3.
Students will show appreciation for the right of clients to self-determination.
4.
Students will be able to examine their own values and the impact of this
on client systems.
5.
Students will appreciate the role of advocating for clients with
organizations and systems to ensure the protection of rights
and the procurement of needed resources to ensure social
and economic justice.
6.
Students will appreciate the role of social workers working in
collaborative
ways with interdisciplinary
teams of other helping professionals to holistically and comprehensively meet the
bio-psycho-social-spiritual needs of clients.
III. Resources:
A.
Required Texts:
1.
Sheafor, B.W., Horejsi, C.R. (2006). Techniques and Guidelines for Social Work
Practice., Seventh Edition,
2.
Grobman, L.M. (2005). More Days
in the Lives of Social Workers., Third Edition,
B.
Supplemental readings on reserve:
Johnson, H.W. (1995).
The Social Services: An Introduction.
C.
Other supplemental readings are listed in the course outline but
additional readings may be assigned throughout the course of the class.
IV. Learning Evaluation
Written
assignments should be typed and double-spaced, stapled or in a folder,
grammatically correct and clear, and properly documented. Please leave adequate marginal space for
comments. Use of non-sexist, non-biased
language is expected in written assignments and in class discussion. Points are deducted on assignments for errors
in spelling and grammar. Final grades will
be based on points earned by successfully completing the assignments as
described below. A possible total of 400
points may be earned. Points will be
deducted for assignments submitted after the due date. The point distribution will be as follows:
A
= 372-400
B = 332-371 Below 252 points is failing.
C = 292-331
D = 252-291
A. Attendance
and Participation (possible 20
points)
Preparation, attendance, and participation
in this course are the responsibility of each student. It is expected that students will have
completed the assigned readings for the class meeting date before attending the
class. The student is also responsible for
all content covered and assignments made during any missed class.
B. Website
Worksheet (possible 10 points) due February 1
C. Volunteer
Experience
Students will volunteer for 20 hours
during the semester in a social service agency or with a social service setting
in a host organization. (NOTE: TRAVEL TIME TO YOUR VOLUNTEER SITE DOES NOT
COUNT TOWARD THE REQUIRED 20 HOURS.)
A list of possible volunteer opportunities will be distributed in
class. Students will be expected to call
the agency and make the volunteer arrangements.
Please note that some agencies require a police background check to be
done and cleared before a student may begin volunteering and this may take up
to several weeks to complete. Please
keep this in mind when planning your schedule for completing the volunteer
assignment. Documentation of the
volunteer hours completed must be turned in by the final examination. Any hours less than the required 20 hours
will be tripled and deducted from the student’s final grade
1.
Agency Search Project (possible 30 points) due March 8
Based on the volunteer experience, students will write a 3-5 page paper
regarding the environment of the agency from a client’s perspective summarizing
the following:
A.
Location: address, description of
building and exterior area, description of buildings in area, description of
the neighborhood, ethnic and socioeconomic make-up of the neighborhood.
B.
Access: geographic location,
parking, one-way streets or other difficulties, access by public transit
C.
Accessibility: stairs, elevators,
escalators, electric doorways, signs, curb cuts, ramps, Braille markings
D. Services: copy of brochure or printed material obtained
from the agency visit describing services offered and population
served
E. Evidence of
multi-cultural sensitivity
F.
Hospitality: dated signature of
person in the agency who gave you the material,
description of the reception/waiting area, hospitality, politeness of
person greeting you.
G.
Summary: summarize how easy or
difficult it would be for a client to seek services from this agency. Purpose of assignment: To practice skills in assessing and analyzing
organizational barriers or enhancements to the access and receipt of
services.
2. Field of Practice Paper (possible 100 points) due May 3
Students will write a 7 to 9 page
paper about their volunteer agency. The
paper must explore the roles and functions of social workers in the field of
practice of the agency, the guiding principles and values, how the
person-in-environment approach is demonstrated by agency practices, and which
level of practice (micro, mezzo, macro) are applied as well as an overview of
the field of practice. The paper must
then compare this to at least two cited sources on this field of practice from
the empirical, peer-reviewed literature.
These cannot include the class text as one of the sources. Sources from the internet may be used to
supplement material but they will not be counted as one of the empirical
sources. Likewise, students may quote from the agency brochure but this will
not be counted as one of the two required empirical sources. Students are to look in the empirical
literature for interventions that have been found to be empirically successful
with the population served by the service-learning agency. Students then are to discuss how these
interventions compare to those used in the agency and to critically evaluate
the agency practice based on this comparison.
The
purpose of this assignment is threefold:
#1 expose students to the social
work profession and serve as a pre-field experience with client
populations, #2 give students the opportunity to integrate
theory with the applied setting through observation of theory in action in
agency setting, #3 have students
critically analyze and compare findings from the empirical literature to the
applied setting in agencies.
Included
with this paper must be documentation of the completed 20 hours of volunteer
service signed by a staff member of the agency.
A form will be provided in class.
D. Literature Search from Research Databases
(10 points) due March 1
Students
must demonstrate skill in using the research databases in the university
library. Students should go to the
databases and perform a search that will provide them resources for the field
of practice paper due in this course.
Students should turn in the results of a literature search using at
least two different sets of subjects/key words.
Students should also turn in a copy of the library form necessary to
request a book and a copy of the form needed to request a journal article on
interlibrary loan or write out how they could access these forms
electronically.
E. Journal Search (5 points) due March 1
Students
must bring the first page of any article that they find interesting from the
journal Social Work that is housed on the second floor of the university
library.
F. Communications Experiential Exercise (possible 15 points)
All
students will role play effective communication techniques during class. There will be two role plays. One will be a practice and the second will be
videotaped for review by peers and by the instructor. Supportive, positive critiquing will help
students refine their skills. Students
will be evaluated on the basis of their effort and involvement but they must
participate in both role plays in order to receive credit.
G. Midterm Exam (possible 100 points) MARCH 15
H. Book Chapters Report (possible 10 points)
Students will be assigned chapters in the
Grobman book for oral presentation to the class.
I. Final Exam (possible 100 points) TUESDAY, MAY 15 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
V.
Class Schedule
I. Introduction to Social Work as a Profession and its Historical Development
This
section will explore the purpose of the social work profession such as the
enhancement of human well-being and functioning of individuals, families,
groups, organizations, and communities; the confrontation and alleviation of
poverty and oppression; the promotion of social and economic justice through
policy and programs; the development of resources and continued development of
professional knowledge to better serve client needs. The historical development of the profession
of social work will be examined to understand the evolution of the profession
and to analyze the relationship of historical events to current structures and
issues. Students will participate in
experiential exercises to better understand the historical development of
social work services and the interplay with the political process.
Learning
Resources:
1. Video What Do Social Workers Do? by
NASW
2. Discussion of “social
work” and “social work knowledge” and social work licensing. Students will learn about several
professional websites.
3. Sheafor and
Horejsi text Part I Introduction and Chapter 1
4. Johnson text
on reserve Chapter 3--This chapter
overviews the development from the British influence of the Elizabethan Poor
Laws to American developments of the Charity Organization Societies, Settlement
House movement, and institutions of social welfare that developed during the
post industrialization era to the current era.
5. Film Legacies
of Social Change – 100 years of Professional Social Work in the
6. Experiential exercises in which students will
assume the role of social work clients in
specified historical periods and with specified identified problems
Dates: January 25, 30, February 1, 6, 8, and 13 (WORKSHEET
DUE 2/1)
II. Methods and Levels of Practice
This
section will focus on the various sizes and types of client systems served by
the social work profession including individuals and families (micro), groups
(mezzo), and organizations and
communities (macro). Discussion will
focus on the examination of client strengths and problems in the interactions
among individuals and between people and their environments.
Learning
Resources:
1. Johnson text on reserve Chapter 17 Working
with Individuals and Families
2. Johnson text on reserve Chapter 18 Working
with Groups
Johnson text on reserve Chapter 19 Working
with Communities
3. Students are to read Carlton-LaNey,
5. Discussion of "Micro Practice",
Mezzo Practice", and "Macro
Practice" from the Social Work
Dictionary.
6. Video Women of
for all disempowered groups of people.
Dates:
February 15, 20, 22
III. Roles and Functions of Social Workers, the Planned Change Process and the Role of Critical Thinking
This
section covers the roles and functions generalist social workers may implement
in social work practice to further the well-being of people and promote social
and economic justice. The roles of
counselor and teacher specifically address the social work function of
alleviating personal distress and promoting well being of individuals and
families. The roles of broker, advocate,
case manager, and administrator specifically address the social work functions
of planning, formulation, and implementation of social policies, services,
resources, and programs needed to meet basic human needs and support the
development of human capacities. The
roles of advocate, administrator, and social change agent specifically address
the social work functions of the pursuit of policies, services, resources, and
programs through organizational or administrative advocacy and social and
political action to empower groups at risk and to promote social and economic
justice. The roles of staff
developer
and professional specifically address the continued development of professional
knowledge in the field through scholarly research and presentations and the
individual's continued growth in learning.
The
course will then discuss the planned change process as it is used in generalist
social work practice. Emphasis will be
placed on impediments to the planned change process such as the lack of
critical thinking by the social worker or resistance to change by the client.
Learning
Resources:
1. Sheafor and Horejsi text Chapter 4 The Roles and Functions Performed by Social
Workers and Chapter 7 Facilitating
Change through Decision Making
2. Experiential groups in class will be used to
role play client scenarios and apply concepts to various client
systems including different size systems, types of systems, different ethnic
and cultural groups, and the most vulnerable client populations. These exercises will be intended to foster
the critical thinking skills
necessary to apply theoretical concepts to human client systems.
3. Discussion of "Generalist Practice"
from the Social Work Dictionary
Dates: February 27, March 1, 6, 8 (BOTH
LIBRARY ASSIGNMENTS DUE 3/1)
IV. Guiding Principles, Values, and Ethics of Social Work Practice
This
section will address the foundation principles and values that drive social
work such as the client's rights to
self-determination, to be treated with respect and dignity, to be treated with
respect for their individuality and unique characteristics, and to confidentiality. The worker will practice in ways that promote
empowerment and self directed problem solving with clients through recognition
of the strengths of the whole client in the social and environmental system. The social worker will practice with the conscious
use of self that is grounded by value, knowledge, and ethics and will continue
to advance their professional wisdom through avenues of renewal and continuing
education. This section will also
specifically address the NASW CODE OF ETHICS and analyze the application
of the CODE to client scenarios of different sizes, types, cultures,
problems, and vulnerabilities.
Learning
Resources:
1. Sheafor and Horejsi text Chapter 5 Guiding
Principles of Social Work
2. NASW CODE OF ETHICS
3. Experiential group discussion applying
principles, values, and ethics to client situations.
4.
Discussion of "Values,"
"NASW Code of Ethics" from the Social Work Dictionary
Dates:
March 13, 15, 27, 29, April 3 (AGENCY SEARCH PROJECT DUE 3/8)
March 20, 22 –
Spring Break ENJOY! 
MIDTERM 3/15
V. Person-in-Environment Perspective
This section will introduce students to
the social work person-in-environment perspective and also to the systems
approach to assessment. The goal is for
students to understand how the social work perspective is unique in the helping
professions and to prepare them for future coursework in which specific
theoretical frameworks will be studied.
Learning
Resources:
1. Sheafor and Horejsi text Chapter 6 Practice
Frameworks for Social Work, pp.82 -
95.
2. Experiential group discussions in class to
apply various frameworks to client systems of various
sizes, types, cultures, problems, and vulnerabilities.
3. Discussion of "Person in
Environment," " Ecological Perspective," "Life Model,"
"Systems Theory," and
"General Systems Theory" from the Social Work Dictionary
Dates: April 5, 10
VI. Basic Communication Techniques
This
section will address the interviewing skills necessary to establish helping
relationships that are characterized by mutuality, collaboration, dignity,
respect, self-determination, and empowerment in order to help clients improve
their functioning, well being, or their environment. The issue of cross cultural communication and
relationships will be addressed.
Students will examine how the conscious, professional, and therapeutic
use of self facilitates the helping interview.
Role playing of client interviews will be videotaped for critical analysis
and refinement of skill. Client
scenarios will depict situations of diverse problems, environments, and client
characteristics including people of color, people in poverty, people with
disabilities, people of a variety of ethnicities, people with a variety of
sexual orientations, both genders, and people with diverse religions.
Learning
Resources:
1. Sheafor and Horejsi text Chapter 8 Basic Communication and Helping Skills, Chapter 10 Intake and
Engagement
2.
A videotape demonstrating the skills in the reading will be shown and
discussed.
3.
Non-videotaped and videotaped role play
Dates: April 12, 17, 19, 24
VII. Fields of Practice
This
section examines the various fields of practice by discussing the client
issues/problems encountered, knowledge necessary to intervene, skills or
typical interventions or services provided, values that drive the intervention,
and the settings that the social worker is likely to work in. Previous chapters regarding the roles and
functions, guiding principles and values, practice frameworks, and levels of
practice will be applied to each field of practice examined. The fields of practice include, children and
families, mental health, substance abuse, healthcare, schools, criminal and
juvenile justice systems, gerontology, disability, occupational, private
practice, administration, and research.
Learning
Resources:
1. Grobman text, all chapters
Dates:
April 26, May 1, 3 (FIELD OF PRACTICE PAPER DUE 5/3)
VII. Merging Person and Profession
This
section encourages students to apply critical thinking to the context of social
work
practice
and to examine their capacity to engage in this profession to work for the alleviation of injustice and
oppressive environments and to enhance individual and family well being and
functioning. Critical examination of
self is required. Students will be
expected to examine their personal values and the level of congruence with the profession’s values and ethics. Self-care and career planning will be
introduced.
Learning
Resources:
1. Sheafor and Horejsi text Chapter 2 Merging
Person with Profession and Chapter 3 Merging the Person’s Art with the Profession’s Science
2. Class discussion through the use of
provocative questions will stimulate students’
critical
evaluation of their ability to commit and engage in the profession. This will include a discussion of
self-learning that the volunteer experience has evoked.
3. Students will write preliminary self-care and
career plans.
Dates: May 8
FINAL EXAM: TUESDAY, MAY 15 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
After you have
successfully earned a grade of “C” or better in this course and SW 250 and are
at least a junior, you should complete your application to the social work
program (available on-line at the Social Work Program site or in