VI. OTHER
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Social Work Student
Advisement
Advisement Policies and Procedures
Policies and Procedures for Repeating a Social Work
Course
Policy on Recovering Persons
Student Participation on Program and Department Committees.
Teacher, Course, and Text Evaluation
Student Participation in Hiring Social Work Faculty
UT Martin Student Social Work Organizations
UT Martin Student Social Work Association
Alpha Delta Mu
Laura Butler Memorial Scholarship
National Association of Social
Workers
VII. APPENDICES
Appendix A - Application for
Initial Progression
Appendix B - Application for Advanced Progression
Appendix C - Application for Full Progression
Appendix D - Individual Student Plan for Conditional Admission
Appendix E - Agency Review of Student Performance in
Volunteer Work
Appendix F – Student’s Bill of Rights
Appendix G - Statement of Commitment to Cultural
Diversity
Appendix H - Student Advisement
Forms
Appendix I - UT Martin Student Social Work Association
Constitution
Appendix J - UT Martin Student Social Work Association
By-laws
Appendix K - National Association of Social Workers
Code of Ethics
Appendix L – CSWE Educational Policy and Accreditation
Standards
Appendix M - Application for Student Interested in
School Social Work Licensure
Appendix
N – Definition of Generalist Social Work
Return
to Social Work Home Page
I. INTRODUCTION
A Brief History of the Social Work Program
The University of Tennessee at Martin's (UT Martin) undergraduate Social Work Program offers a curriculum for study in social work at the baccalaureate level. Graduates of our Program receive a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW).
The Social Work Program began in 1970 (and at first was called "Social Welfare") within the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice where it continues to be located today.
The Social Work Program has professional identity. It is accredited by The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Students graduating with a BSSW Degree are prepared for entry into employment and are considered to be at the first professional level in social work practice. Graduates from an accredited social work program are eligible for regular membership and full benefits in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and, in many states (although not in Tennessee), can become licensed as social workers. Students who graduate from an accredited baccalaureate program in social work may be considered for advanced standing when applying for entry into a CSWE master's program in social work. If accepted, students may receive credit for their foundation work toward a master's degree, thus reducing the time necessary for earning a Master's of Science in Social Work (MSSW) or Master's of Social Work (MSW). Additional information regarding accreditation is included in the following pages of this handbook.
The Social Work Program emphasizes the "generalist" approach. (Appendix N) Preparing for generalist practice means equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and values to function in a wide variety of practice settings with differential skills and abilities to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, institutions, and communities. The generalist social worker has knowledge about various resource systems and possesses the skills to effectively link people with needed resources. The generalist model of social work practice is taught in the Program and students are introduced to generalist practice identity through both academic and experiential learning activities.
The Importance of Accreditation in Undergraduate Social Work Education
All students who pursue social work as a career should be aware of and knowledgeable about the accreditation of social work education programs. As stated earlier in this handbook, the CSWE is the designated accrediting body for social work education at both the bachelor and master levels. The CSWE Commission on Accreditation awards accreditation to the Social Work Program at UT Martin and reviews all accredited programs every eight years to determine if the programs continue to maintain accreditation standards.
Some of the reasons why accreditation is essential to baccalaureate social work education are:
Standard Curriculum Assurance - Reaching and maintaining high standards of professional education which combine theoretical knowledge bases with practice skills are supported by accreditation. These standards have been developed by and are supported within the disciplines of social work education and professional social work practice.
National Recognition - Accredited programs at both the graduate and undergraduate level receive national
(and international) recognition. CSWE is the only designated accrediting body for social work education in the United States.
Professional Membership and Affiliation - The NASW accepts for regular membership and full benefits only persons who have graduated from an accredited program in social work. This includes both baccalaureate and master's level graduates.
Professional Recognition - Graduates from an accredited baccalaureate program in social work are considered to be at the beginning level of professional practice, a position that is endorsed and upheld by both the CSWE and the NASW.
Competitiveness in Employment - In social service agencies and social work related settings which receive federal funding and other grants, there is often a clear stipulation that an employee who holds the title of "social worker" must carry the credential of having graduated from an accredited program in social work in order to comply with the funding guidelines or regulations. Other positions, such as hospital social worker or hospice social worker, may only be held by a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)/BSSW or MSW/MSSW in most states.
Advanced Standing for Graduate Study - Baccalaureate level graduates who have completed an accredited program in social work may qualify for studies at the master's level with advanced standing and, thereby, significantly reduce the amount of time required for completion of a MSSW. The University of Tennessee College of Social Work offers a program for advanced standing to qualified applicants from accredited undergraduate programs which can be completed in one year. Most graduate schools of social work provide some means to qualify for advanced standing.
Eligibility for Licensure - Regulatory laws covering social work practice limit licensure in social work to those persons who have completed accredited social work education. All states now have laws which regulate the practice of social work. Such laws were enacted by the Tennessee State Legislature for social work licensure at the master's level in the 1980's.
Grants to Educational Institutions - Within some of the departments of the federal government, grants to educational institutions for support of social work or social work related programs are limited to those institutions whose social work educational programs have been accredited.
Career Opportunities
Social work is assisting others to bring about healthy change within themselves and their communities. Becoming a social worker entails working with people in order to develop their capacity and potential for creative and fulfilling human relationships. Social work offers a variety of career opportunities for working with people and helping them meet their needs. These opportunities include:
Child Protection - For those who like working with children who are abused, neglected, runaways, or abandoned, social service agencies across the nation have positions in adoptions, foster care, protective services, residential care, as well as services to unmarried parents.
Medical Social Services - Medical social workers practice in general hospitals, public health departments, home health care, hospice, and long-term care facilities. They work with people experiencing social, psychological, and economic problems associated with their illness, and are also involved in discharge planning.
Mental Health - Social workers are members of the psychiatric team in mental health centers and
Hospitals for the mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, and the chemically dependent.
Corrections - Social workers are employed in penal and correctional facilities serving both juveniles and adults. Probation and parole services, juvenile courts, and delinquency prevention programs are examples of practice settings.
Social Services - Many different social service agencies employ social workers to work with victims of spousal abuse, the aged, the homeless, dependent children, the disabled, and families experiencing social and economic problems.
Career Opportunities - Graduates of the UT Martin Social Work Program are currently employed in a variety of positions in county, state, and federal organizations, particularly in rural West Tennessee. These agencies include alcohol and drug treatment programs, child health and development, programs for abused children, developmental disabilities programs for children and adults, habilitation and training programs, hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care settings, Juvenile Court, mental health counseling, public schools, Tennessee Department of Corrections, Employment Security, Human Services, public health, Social Security Administration, vocational rehabilitation, etc.
LISTING OF SOME CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIAL WORK MAJORS
1. Alcohol and Drug Related
2. Big Brother/Big Sister Organization
3. Boy/Girl Scouts of America
4. Bureau of Indian Affairs
5. Child Caring Institutions (public and private)
6. Child Development Centers
7. Christian Social Work Ministries
8. Church Related Social Service Programs (Catholic Charities, Jewish Family Services; Baptist Children's Home; Agape; etc.)
9. Day Care Associations/Centers
10. Dialysis Clinics
11. Easter Seal Programs
12. Boys/Girls Club of America
13. Home Health and Hospice Agencies
14. Hospitals
15. Housing Authorities
16. Industry (Employee Assistance Programs)
17. Juvenile Courts and Probation
18. Maternity Homes
19. Mental Health Centers/Hospitals (in/out patient)
20. Military Social Services
21. OEO Programs (Head Start)
22. Police Departments
23. Prisons and Other Penal Institutions
24. Psychiatric Hospitals
25. Public Health Agencies (city and state)
26. Public Schools
27. Public Welfare Agencies
28. Services to the Aging
29. Social Security Administration
30. Vocational Rehabilitation
31. Veteran's Administration
32. Others
It is the mission of the UT
Martin Social Work Program to prepare professional social workers at the
baccalaureate level who are able to assist
clients and client systems in
overcoming their personal, family, group, organizational, and community
problems.
The Program's goal, which derives directly from and links
the University and Program's missions with the comprehensive curriculum
is: to prepare
social work
graduates for the beginning level of generalist
social work practice and for graduate study, particularly graduate social work
education.
The Social Work Program
incorporates the content and objectives specified for accredited baccalaureate
programs in the Educational Policy and
Accreditation Standards of the CSWE.
The Program’s objectives are drawn
from its mission and goals. Program objectives also incorporate content on
geographical, regional and
institutional needs, priorities
and interests of UT
Martin and its graduates. Upon completion of the Program, graduates are able
to:
1. apply critical
thinking skills as demonstrated by:
a)
the ability to utilize problem-solving models and
processes within a generalist
perspective,
and b) the ability to apply evaluation
and analytical skills and processes to
one’s
own practice;
2. practice within the values and ethics of the
social work profession with an understanding of
and respect for the positive value of diversity
related to age, class,
color,
culture, disability,
ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, national origin, race,