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Selection of Agencies

The Social Work Department at PSU or an individual agency may initiate procedures for the establishment of an agency Practicum. The Director of Field Education at PSU will determine whether the agency meets the criteria for field education and/or if student interest in such a placement exists at the time of inquiry. The agency should complete and submit the “Field Work Placement Screening Form.” The Field Education Director will contact the agency to speak with the executives and social work staff, and be apprised of the agency’s philosophy, program, policies, services and procedures.

The following criteria will be used to select field education agencies:

The mission of the agency should be consistent with the values and ethics of the social work profession. (NASW Code of Ethics)
The agency board, administration and staff should be committed to field education as an important function of the agency.
The potential field education supervisors should be qualified by education, training and experience to undertake the responsibilities of field supervision. Qualified B.S.W. or M.S.W. staff members are preferred.
The agency should be in good professional standing in the community. In some cases, this may mean accreditation or licensing by appropriate local or national standard-setting bodies.
The agency or program within the agency should be able to offer the student a range of educational experiences appropriate to entry level social work practice.
The agency or program staff should be of sufficient size so as not to rely on student field work to maintain the basic program.
Physical resources should be available to provide necessary desk space, access to telephones, and other support materials and supplies.
The designated supervisor should be available at least one hour per week for student supervision.