Social Work Field Program
Welcome to the UWRF Social Work Field Program! The main purpose of undergraduate social work education is to prepare students to assume the responsibilities of entry level social work practice. It is designed to prepare students for leadership roles as they involve themselves in issues of social and economic justice. A quality field placement experience is essential to this purpose. Field placements are designed to provide students with opportunities to use and to expand upon, in a practice setting, the knowledge, skills, and values acquired through on-campus experiences. It also provides an opportunity for students and for the social work faculty to further assess each student readiness to practice social work.
If your agency is interested in becoming an approved agency with our Field Education Program please complete the online agency profile. This agency questionnaire asks specific questions about your agency, the population you serve, services provided, and what you are looking for in an intern. The information collected in this questionnaire will be stored in our agency database and used to match students to the best-fitting agency. Please contact the Field Coordinator for additional questions regarding this tool.
Field Placement is part of an integrated senior experience. During the senior year, students take a sequence of courses which are designed to comprise a total learning and integrative experience. The two senior seminars (480-481), Advanced Interviewing (424) and Theory and Practice II (426) are designed to make a complete experience covering all curriculum objectives. These courses each utilize field placement experiences to facilitate integrating the knowledge, values and skills learned in the classroom with practice.
Field Application Process Students seeking admission to social work field placement must do the following:
- Review the Student Orientation to the Field Application Process
- Sign-up to meet with the field coordinator for a personal interview
- Read the Field Placement Manual
- Complete the online Student Application to Field by your scheduled time to meet with the Field Coordinator
- Meet with seniors about their placements on dates provided to you by the Field Coordinator
- Bring to your interview with the Field Coordinator:
- current unofficial transcript
- updated professional resume
- copy of driver's license
- Proof of current auto insurance coverage
Upon receipt of all required admission materials, the social work faculty will:
- Review the application materials.
- Require additional information or an interview with the social work faculty if deemed necessary or appropriate.
- Notify applicants in writing within sixty (60) days of the decision regarding admission to the field placement program. (Responsibility of Field Placement Coordinator) Application to the Field Program
Current Field Student Resources
Students currently engaged in fieldwork can access key resources to support their learning and success in the field. These include the Social Work Field Manual, Learning Agreement, a journal template for second semester reflection, and the Fieldwork Hours Verification Form—all designed to help students stay on track and get the most out of their experience.
Field Agency
Since the field placement is a vital part of the education of social work students, the Social Work Program recognizes the importance of the agencies contributions in promoting educational goals desired by both the Social Work Program and community agencies. The Social Work Program is responsible for selection and approval of agencies involved in the field placement program. This responsibility includes the right of inspection and review of the agency by the Social Work Program.
The Social Work Program retains primary responsibility for the quality of the educational experience and carries out that responsibility through ongoing communication with the Field Supervisor.
The Social Work Program will provide the agency with all necessary and useful information regarding the student assigned to the agency, about the U.W.-River Falls Social Work Program, and about Council on Social Work Education requirements.
The Social Work Program will assume responsibility for providing the agency with all necessary consultation and support in carrying out the educational program. It will provide learning objectives and guidelines to plan the educational program for students and guidelines for evaluation of the students’ progress. The Social Work Program will provide training for Field Supervisors to support their efforts to help students identify with the purposes, values, and ethics of the profession; foster the integration of empirical and practice-based knowledge; and promote the development of professional competence.
Social Work
229 Wyman Education Building
410 S. 3rd St.
River Falls, WI 54022
