This form is for students who wish to apply to complete a field placement in a place of current or former place of employment.
As per the options made available to students, to have your paid employment count towards your field hours, OR to move forward with a separate, unpaid opportunity within your workplace, the following criteria must be met:
- You must demonstrate that you will be engaged in new work activities that allow you to develop new learning at a BSW level. This new learning may occur within your current position and/or within a new area within your organization.
- The proposed placement must provide adequate opportunities to achieve the learning objectives of the applicable Practicum course.
- For SOWK 3600: Your proposed activities must consist of 14-16 field hours per week (not including meal breaks), to take place between Fall-Winter, for a minimum total of 352 field hours.
- For SOWK 3601: Your proposed activities must consist of 28 field hours per week (not including meal breaks), to take place between Winter only, for a minimum total of 352 field hours. This option is for new third year entry students only.
- For SOWK 4600: Your proposed activities must consist of 28 field hours per week (not including meal breaks), to take place between Fall, Winter or Summer terms, for a minimum total of 352 field hours.
- For SOWK 4601-4602: Your proposed activities must consist of 14-16 field hours per week (not including meal breaks), to take place between Summer – Fall, Fall-Winter or Winter-Summer, for a minimum total of 352 field hours.
- Given health/safety/insurance realities, students must be paid employees for the entirety of the placement hours, OR establish a separate, unpaid placement opportunity for the entirety of the placement hours.
- You must demonstrate that you have an appropriate field placement supervision in place. Wherever possible, your field placement should be completed under the supervision of someone who has not previously supervised your work in the agency. This person should have a BSW or MSW degree. If this is not possible, other supervisors may be acceptable depending on the nature of the work. Please discuss the supervisory criteria with the Practicum Coordinator.
- The Field Supervisor must be committed to the roles and responsibilities of a Field Supervisor, including: provision of weekly supervision; approval of the student’s learning contract; completion of mid-point and end-point student evaluations, as well as holding evaluation conferences with the student at these two intervals; consultation with the Faculty Liaison and participation in two formal consultation visits with the student and Faculty Liaison (to be held by telephone). They will be asked to sign a letter of agreement attesting to this in order to finalize the field placement.
- Completion of all required preplacement forms as directed by the Field Coordinator.
One caution when considering a workplace practicum:
Changes to your employment status can affect your field placement arrangements. Should this occur, it may not be possible to place you in another setting, and a deferral of your practicum may be required.
