Prospective Agencies

Agencies, organizations and communities are at the core of Field Education. In fact agency based education or field has been a part of social work education since it's inception in the late 1800s. Field Education has been identified as the profession's "Signature Pedagogy" by the Council on Social work Education (CSWE), Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards document, see EPAS www.cswe.org).

Educational Policy 2.3-Signature Pedagogy: Field Education
Signature pedagogy represents the central form of instruction and learning in which a profession socializes its students to perform the role of practitioner. Professionals have pedagogical norms with which they connect and integrate theory and practice.4 In social work, the signature pedagogy is field education. The intent of field education is to connect the theoretical and conceptual contribution of the classroom with the practical world of the practice setting. It is a basic precept of social work education that the two interrelated components of curriculum-classroom and field-are of equal importance within the curriculum, and each contributes to the development of the requisite competencies of professional practice. Field education is systematically designed, supervised, coordinated, and evaluated based on criteria by which students demonstrate the achievement of program competencies.

If you are interested in serving as a field site for a BSW Xavier Student, flow these steps:

1. Read Welcome Letter
2. Complete application and e-mail, send or fax to Field Director
   • Your site must have opportunities that support the students' preparation as a beginning level generalist practitioner.
   • Must have a Social Worker who will supervise the student
3. Once your application is reviewed you will be contacted by the Field Director
4. Attend the agency panel (see calendar for date and time)
5. Interview prospective students- rank order if you interview more than one, the agency makes the decision who is best suited
6. If a student selects your site as their #1 and you select that student as well you will then complete the confirmation paperwork
7. Once confirmation paperwork is completed and reviewed by the Field Director, you will be contacted to confirm
8. Attend mandatory orientation prior to student entering field - Late August