Practicum Education Agency Partners
Types of Practicum Placements
Georgia State University School of Social Work offers two kinds of practicum placement: Generalist Practice and Community Partnerships. Generalist Practice practicum placement students can be BSW or MSW students, however Community Partnership placement students are exclusively MSW students in their final year. The links below provide more information about the context and content of Generalist Practice and Community Partnership Practicum Placements.
New Agency Partners
Thank you for your interest in becoming a practicum placement site for our students! The school utilizes community agencies for students in both the undergraduate (B.S.W.) and graduate (M.S.W.) programs. Below you will find information on the selection process as well as resources for requesting student interns.
Onboarding New Placements
The School of Social Work seeks to develop and maintain affiliations with community sites that provide quality practicum education for all social work students. The School has a commitment to provide relevant and appropriate practice experiences. The first year placements represent those settings that offer a generalist practice focus for foundation students. The second year placements represent agencies, organizations, and corporations that offer opportunities to engage in community partnerships. The Director of Practicum Education, social work faculty, or an agency representative may initiate the process for agency selection as a practicum placement site. The practicum director has the responsibility to evaluate the potential of each setting as an available and appropriate practicum education site.
Each active practicum agency must have a current signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) on file. This memorandum outlines both the agency and the university’s responsibilities regarding internships. The signed MOU covers a three-year period and may be renewed at three-year intervals throughout the course of the ongoing internship arrangement between the agency and the university.
If the practicum site fails to maintain an environment that supports a competent level of social work practice supported by social work values and ethics, it will no longer be used as a practicum education site for M.S.W. students. Any other selection criterion not maintained in providing a quality educational experience for students may result in the removal of the site as an approved practicum placement setting. To apply for reinstatement requires an evaluation by the Director of Practicum Education.
The practicum supervisor’s role is critical in facilitating a student’s learning and providing a positive educational experience for the student. The practicum supervisor serves as a role model for professional social work practice and carries final responsibility for the student’s training in the practicum site. The selection of the practicum supervisor is a responsibility of both the field site and the field director. When the site identifies a potential practicum supervisor, it is the responsibility of the practicum director or his/her representative to ensure that this person meets the selection criteria.
Prior to the start of placement, practicum supervisors are invited to attend a practicum supervisors’ training. There are separate training sessions for generalist practice supervisors and community partnership practicum supervisors. Generalist Practice field supervisors’ training emphasizes the generalist curriculum and educational objectives of the first year while the specialization practicm supervisors’ training emphasizes the community partnerships curriculum and educational objectives of the second year. Both training sessions provide tools and information to aid and support all field supervisors in their teaching role. The orientation sessions are the first of five training modules leading to a certification for practicum supervisors. The Schools of Social Work in the Atlanta and Athens areas collaborate on this training certificate program and require that all field supervisors complete the five training modules.The four additional modules are offered during the course of the academic year. At the end of the academic year, feedback is solicited from practicum supervisors about the M.S.W. program and the practicum component. Feedback and suggestions are presented routinely by the field director to both faculty and the field advisory board to inform practicum education, M.S.W. curriculum, and the overall M.S.W. program.
The practicum supervisor must be on-site and on-duty when a student is in field placement. During those periods when a supervisor is not available, another qualified staff member must be available on-site to the student. In case of a temporary absence or vacation, the practicum supervisor or his/her immediate supervisor must arrange alternative supervisory plans for the student and inform the faculty liaison of the arrangements. If a practicum supervisor leaves the agency or is given another assignment, he/she must contact the faculty liaison to discuss alternative plans for the student.
Two-way communication is critical to the overall success of practicum education. At the end of the academic year, feedback is solicited from practicum supervisors about the BSW or MSW program and field component as appropriate. Such feedback and suggestions are presented routinely to both faculty and the field advisory board by the field director to inform practicum education, the curriculum, and other program areas.
The practicum supervisor’s role is critical in facilitating a student’s learning and providing a positive educational experience for the student. The practicum supervisor serves as a role model for professional social work practice and carries final responsibility for the student’s professional training at the practicum site. The professional relationship between the practicum supervisor and the student provides the foundation for the student’s performance in practicum by supporting the mission and work of the agency/organization. The partnerships forged between the School and the community agencies/organizations are operationalized through defined roles and responsibilities of these two individuals in the context of practicum education. It is expected that both the student and the practicum supervisor will engage in achieving the educational needs of the student in tandem with meeting the needs of the agency/organization.
Prior to the start of practicum placement, new practicum supervisors are required to attend a practicum supervisors’ orientation. This orientation session provides tools and information to aid and support all supervisors in their teaching role. The orientation session is the first of five training modules leading to a certification for supervisors. The Schools of Social Work at Georgia State University, Clark Atlanta University, and University of Georgia collaborate on this training certification program and require that all practicum supervisors complete the five training modules. The four additional modules are offered during the course of the academic year.
The practicum supervisor must be on-site and on-duty when a student is in placement. During those periods when the practicum supervisor is not available, another qualified staff member must be available on-site to the student. In case of a temporary absence or vacation, the supervisor or his/her agency supervisor must arrange alternative supervisory plans for the student. The faculty liaison must be informed of the alternative arrangements. If a practicum supervisor leaves the agency or is given another assignment, he/she must contact the faculty liaison to discuss alternative plans for the student.
Guidelines for use of Task Supervision
There may be learning opportunities for a student at a practicum site that are beyond the scope of the supervisor’s responsibilities and/or expertise. A task or project, related to the learning outcomes as set forth in the learning plan, may be assigned to the student by the practicum supervisor. Another staff person may provide supervision for this task/project. This task supervisor must provide written and/or oral feedback on the student’s performance to the supervisor, who is the responsible party for providing weekly supervision and completing the written evaluations. Task supervision is provided to the student in addition to the weekly supervision by the primary practicum supervisor. The practicum supervisor remains responsible for overall supervision and administration of the student’s practicum placement experience.
The learning plan is a learning contract that provides a framework for the student’s time and professional contributions at the practicum placement site as well as for the student/supervisor relationship. The student’s practicum placement tasks are outlined in this document. The learning plan is completed during the initial weeks of practicum placement and is subject to approval by the faculty liaison to ensure compliance with educational objectives. The learning outcomes are broad enough to encompass learning opportunities in diverse settings.
The learning plan has multiple purposes. It creates:
- a linkage between social work practice and learning outcomes
- opportunities for observation and retrieval of practice behavior
- a linkage between social work practice and professional knowledge/skills
- a linkage between social work practice and current research
- opportunities for evaluation of behaviors
- opportunities to identify learning tasks/activities specific to a practicum site’s needs/interests
- opportunities to identify future planning needs for the student and the practicum site
- structure for the student’s time in practicum placement
Practicum Supervisor Training
Practicum Education Collaborative
Clark Atlanta University
Georgia State University
University of Georgia
Training Modules for New Practicum Supervisors
In 2000, the practicum directors from the Schools of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University, Georgia State University, and the University of Georgia formed the Practicum Education Collaborative. The purpose of this affiliation is to identify and engage in collaborative activities in order to strengthen the relationships between the schools and the practicum sites. The goal is to combine the three Schools’ resources in providing effective and efficient practicum education services and training opportunities to meet the needs of practicum supervisors and practicum sites within the metro Atlanta area and in North Georgia.
The Collaborative offers a joint Social Work Practicum Supervisors’ Training Program that is open to current practicum supervisors of social work students. Due to space limitations and arrangements among the schools, this program is by invitation only and is not open to other professionals in your agency or the general social work community.
Practicum supervisors are encouraged to complete the five-module training during this academic year. There is no fee for this 18-hour training program and CEUs will be given. Practicum supervisors will receive a certificate of attendance and will be considered a certified practicum supervisor for social work students upon completion of all five modules. All three schools require that practicum supervisors complete the modules. If you are unable to complete the training this year, you will remain eligible to complete the training during the following academic year. Practicum supervisors who have completed the training state that it has been extremely helpful in their role as supervisors/educators.
All attendees must pre-register for each module. There is no registration at the door for any module. Module information will be emailed approximately four weeks prior to the respective module date. You only need to attend each module one time and modules cannot be repeated for CEU credit. Although each school will host the Module I orientation session, you only need to attend one orientation session (even if you are supervising social work students from multiple schools).