II. School of Social Work

a) Social Work Program History & Rationale

Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education since 1942 for the MSW program and 1974 for the BSW program, the WVU School of Social Work develops leaders in solving the most demanding social issues of our day through rigorous research, academic innovation, and public service. Faculty and students are empowered to extend their reach, deepen their impact, and engage in real-world social change. They learn to critically analyze personal, familial, and environmental factors affecting practice settings and practice techniques, and to advocate for those who confront barriers to achieving their fullest potential. The school’s programs prepare students for careers as professional social workers committed to public service in nonprofits, government, education, business, and higher education.

b) BSW Mission & Program

The mission of the BSW program is to educate students to become generalist social workers. The program mission derives from and incorporates the School of Social Work mission. Generalist social work is grounded in the liberal arts, the person-in-environment framework, and competency-based education (CSWE, 2022). Generalist social workers use a range of prevention and intervention methods in social work practice with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (CSWE, 2022). Generalist social workers identify with the profession and apply ethical principles and critical thinking in practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice (CSWE, 2022). Generalist social workers recognize, support, and build on the strengths and resilience of people. They are strengths-based, and advocate for human rights and social and economic justice (CSWE, 2022). They incorporate an anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspective in support of respect for all people and the quest for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice (CSWE, 2022). They engage in research-informed practice and are proactive in responding to the impact of context on practice.

Graduates of the BSW program will be prepared to:

1. Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities.
2. Model ethical and professional behavior in social work practice.
3. Apply a practice framework that engages diversity and difference while advancing human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.
4. Critique practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
5. Analyze policy practice.

c) MSW Mission & Program

The mission of the MSW program is to educate students to become advanced integrated practice social workers. The specialization in advanced integrated practice builds on generalist practice and prepares students to integrate micro, mezzo, and macro practice skills across service sectors and within interdisciplinary teams to effectively address social and human problems pertinent to a wide range of professional practice areas. Advanced integrated practice provides an integrative approach to social work where students are prepared for both direct practice and administrative roles.

Graduates of the MSW program will be prepared to:

1. Formulate and implement integrated service delivery models appropriate to advanced practice with diverse client populations at multi-system levels.
2. Design and conduct brief and/or ongoing assessment and intervention methods consistent with integrated systems and context of practice.
3. Construct an integrated, evidence-informed theoretical framework appropriate to the level and context of practice situations.
4. Organize collaboration with other professions to coordinate intervention efforts suitable to the practice situation.
5. Design and conduct collaborative, practice-based evaluation methods and apply findings to improve practice, policy, and/or service delivery effectiveness.

d) Relationship of the Program to the Ethics & Values of the Profession

The School of Social Work (SSW) has the ultimate responsibility to students in making the field experience positive and fruitful, and in making final decisions regarding the field placement. The BSW and MSW Program Directors, Faculty Field Liaisons, Field Education Director, and field supervisors work together to implement the field learning process.

The purpose of field instruction, as an integral and equal part within the total curriculum, is to provide opportunities for students to apply the concepts and theories taught in the classroom to actual practice situations, incorporating the knowledge, values, and skills that they have studied in class in their work with actual clients, communities, and systems. Social Work program goals are incorporated into the field syllabi and related field curriculum documents with the purpose of guiding Field Instructors and students in accomplishing these goals within field experiences. As students apply themselves to practice behaviors with the guidance of experienced instructors, they gradually grow into professional practitioners. They gain a growing sense of professional competence and confidence and are able to integrate theory with practice.

The NASW Code of Ethics provides the ethical base for social work practice and, therefore, the student, the Field Instructor, and the Faculty Field Liaison are bound by the NASW Code of Ethics throughout the field placement process. The Learning Contracts for both Generalist and Advanced placements include an acknowledged statement, affirming that all parties signing the learning contract commit to adhering to the NASW Code of Ethics.. The Code of Ethics is discussed with students at orientation and is reviewed, discussed, and referenced within courses, and is available for free download on the internet. All placement team members are expected to have an accessible copy of the Code of Ethics for reference throughout the placement period.

e) The School of Social Work Anti-Racism Statement

The West Virginia University School of Social Work believes Black lives matter and we are committed to anti-racism, equity, and racial justice. We denounce white supremacy, systemic and anti-Black racism, oppression, and bigotry in any form. We are bound to our core value of social justice and answer the call to challenge societal injustices. As leaders in social work at West Virginia’s flagship university, we pledge to align our work with our professional values and actively engage in anti-racist efforts.

We understand that a commitment to anti-racism is not for one moment in time, but rather, a journey across our individual and collective lifespans. A commitment to anti-racism requires listening, learning, reflection, discomfort, dialogue, and action.

To ensure our own professional integrity, we must look inward and earnestly pursue our own transformation. We will conduct a thorough examination of our school’s policies, curriculum and processes, as well as critical assessments of our own biases and prejudices as faculty and staff. With our findings, we will create actionable tasks and engage in change efforts at School and individual levels that bring about equity and racial justice.

To expand this essential dialogue, we are dedicated to creating brave spaces that challenge our individual and collective biases and affirm the dignity and worth of each person—spaces where we can courageously speak, even when our voices shake, and where we can demonstrate our own vulnerabilities as we work to empower others. We will share our determination to fight for racial equity and justice and invite our communities to join us.

As social work educators and advocates, we are determined to dismantle the racist structures and culture of white supremacy that pervades our institutions, communities, profession, and relationships.

Our priority areas of action include the following:

1. Consulting and collaborating with faculty and students to effectively engage in difficult conversations, and facilitating education on anti-racism, equity, justice, and white privilege and supremacy.
2. Organizing and promoting professional development activities for students, faculty, staff and practitioners, on topics such as the Black Lives Matter movement, systemic and anti-racism, white privilege and supremacy, criminal justice reform, and institutional change.
3. Identifying and sharing curricular resources to further and enhance educational content on anti-racism, white privilege and supremacy, equity, and justice.
4. Exploring and leveraging opportunities across the university and in our communities for interprofessional and interdisciplinary collaboration in research, educational programming, and social work practice centered in anti-racism, equity, and justice.
5. Cultivating an inclusive learning and work culture that recruits, supports, and retains diverse students, faculty, and staff.

f) The School of Social Work Land Acknowledgement Statement

A land acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes the unique and enduring relationships that exist between Indigenous peoples and their ancestral territories from time immemorial. WVU, with its statewide institutional presence, resides on land that includes ancestral territories of the Shawnee, Lenape (or Delaware), Cherokee, Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois – the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, Tuscarora), and other Indigenous peoples. In acknowledging this, we recognize and appreciate those Indigenous nations whose territories we are living on and working in. We also recognize that colonialism is a current ongoing process, and as social workers seeking social, economic, and environmental justice, we need to be mindful of our present participation in this process. We thank those in the WVU Native American Studies Program for their leadership and consultation in the creation of this statement.