School of Social Work – Field Education
BSW LEARNING AGREEMENT and EVALUATION – SOCW 4990
INSTRUCTIONS
This document serves as a learning agreement and an evaluation instrument. At the beginning of the semester, the student and
agency Field Instructor (and Task Supervisor if applicable) use this form to design agency based assignments. Throughout the semester,
the Student, Field Instructor and Task Supervisor (if applicable) should review the Learning Agreement to assess student progress on the
learning goals. At the end of the internship, this form is used for the final evaluation of the student’s progress on their internship
learning goals.
The Learning Agreement reflects the educational goals of the ECU School of Social Work and the Core Competencies of CSWE, the
Council on Social Work Education. The CSWE Core Competencies are comprised of knowledge, values and skills essential to social work
practice. These Competencies are further operationalized in Practice Behaviors. Internship activities should provide students with
opportunities to master Core Competencies and Practice Behaviors, and achieve the goals of the program.
Preparing the Learning Agreement
1. Fill out the information on the first page of the Learning Agreement.
2. Review the Competencies and Practice Behaviors on the Learning Agreement below, and consider you own individual learning needs.
3. The first week of the internship, with your Field Instructor and (if applicable) Task Supervisor, review the Core Competencies, your
individual learning goals, and the learning opportunities available at your internship. In consultation with your Field Instructor and
(if applicable) Task Supervisor, identify your internship activities. You may utilize the suggested learning activities listed on page 3 as
a starting point to create your personal learning activities.
4. Make a list of your proposed internship activities. Compare your internship activities to the 10 Core Competencies and match each
proposed activity to the Competencies. Then enter each activity in the “Learning Activities” box under the corresponding
Competency.
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5. The student will turn in a draft of their Learning Agreement to the Faculty Field Liaison (Seminar Instructor) for review. The Seminar
instructor will approve it, or suggest necessary revisions. Once the Seminar Instructor approves the Learning Agreement, the student,
Field Instructor and (if applicable) Task Supervisor will sign the Learning Agreement.
6. The Student should make three copies of the signed Learning Agreement: one for the Field Instructor, one for the student and one to
be given to the Seminar Instructor.
Evaluating Student Performance with the Learning Agreement
Field Performance Rating Scale:
1= Unsatisfactory (does not demonstrate command of essential knowledge and/ or competency in practice behaviors)
2= Acceptable (demonstrates limited understanding of essential knowledge and/or limited competency in practice skills)
3 = Satisfactory (able to apply knowledge to practice and practice skills at beginner professional level)
4 = Above Average (utilizes a variety of theories and practice skills for effective practice)
5 = Outstanding (readily adapts skills to the setting and demonstrates mastery of skill in new, diverse and difficult contexts)
The Final Evaluation
1.
At the end of the internship, the Field Instructor rates the student’s performance for each Practice Behavior, using the scale
above. The Field Instructors should consult with Task Supervisors (if applicable) for input on the student’s performance.
2.
The Field Instructor and Task Supervisor (if applicable) should complete the narrative Evaluation Summaries at the end of the
agreement. This provides an opportunity to address any other issues, and summarize the student’s field performance.
3.
Once all sections are completed, the Field Instructor and Task Supervisor (if applicable) should sign the Learning Agreement, and
the Field Instructor recommends a letter grade for the student’s performance in the internship.
4.
The Field Instructor should review the final evaluation with the student in the final supervisory session. The student then
signs the Learning Agreement. The student’s is signature does not mean that the student agrees or disagrees with the
evaluation, only that they have reviewed the evaluation with their Field Instructor.
At the end of the semester, students will turn in the completed and signed Learning Agreement to the Faculty Field Instructor. Students
should keep a copy of the signed Learning Agreement for their own records! ECU School of Social Work cannot be responsible for
providing copies of the final Learning Agreement.
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Developing Individual Learning Activities
BSW Field learning activities should all be appropriate for the BSW learning goals identified by CSWE and the ECU School of Social Work.
However, internship learning activities will be varied and individual based on the student’s personal learning goals and the activities
available in the internship agency. Below are some suggested learning activities for each of the Core Competencies. These can be used
as a starting point for developing individual learning activities that match the specific agency and student. At the end of each section of
suggested activities there is an example of a specific, individualized learning activity.
2.1.1 Professionalism
• Explain social work's role within the field agency.
• Identify areas of organizational and personal strength and areas for improvement in upholding the social work mission and core values.
• Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and communication.
• Complete case documentation as required
• Demonstrate ability to accept and utilize feedback constructively
• Demonstrate ability to participate in team building and developing professional relationships with colleagues and other professionals.
• Attend trainings and conferences to enhance learning and growth as a social worker.
• Examine and utilize agency policies that guide written and oral communications.
• Use appropriate communication skills while participating in supervision and field seminars.
• Engage in explicit and detailed dialogue regarding practice and professional development.
Example: “Practice personal reflection in relation to my strengths and weaknesses as a social worker during daily activities and discuss
with my field instructor in weekly supervision.”
2.1.2 Ethics
• Read the NASW Code of Ethics and integrate its principles into your practice of social work.
• Articulate and demonstrate social work values, ethics and principles.
• Evaluate the values and ethical issues and dilemmas related to assigned cases.
• Discuss social work values as they relate to the agency’s mission, policies and practice.
• Compare and contrast how the ethics of your field agency aligns with the social work code of ethics and your own beliefs.
• Maintain a journal on evolving thoughts and perceptions on how personal biases affect practice and interactions with clients and client
systems.
Example: “Use knowledge from the code of ethics, personal values and feelings to review ethical dilemmas as they arise. Reflect and
process ethical issues with my field instructor in order to refine my ethical decision making skills to better serve clients.”
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2.1.3 Critical Thinking
• Discuss in supervision the Field Instructor’s approach to supervision and his or her supervision style and techniques.
• Describe to the Field Instructor what the integrative practice approach means and how you might see it operationalized in the agency
setting.
• Prepare information to present in case conferences and to determine appropriate resources and recommendations.
• Complete a case presentation.
• Reflect on how personal assumptions impact professional conduct and interactions with clients.
• Interact with other professionals in the agency to understand their roles and the similarities and differences between your work and
theirs.
• Focus on strengths, vulnerabilities, and resources that will help empower clients and client systems.
Example: “Examine client assessments to be aware of client strengths and needs. Use this to inform my practice and aid in the
development of crisis plans and interventions. Evaluate and document client progress towards behavioral goals. Analyze ability to
interpret client assessments with supervisor and seek feedback on documentation.”
2.1.4 Diversity
• Demonstrate self-awareness about personal biases when working with diverse client groups.
• Attend in-house training or orientations related to working with diverse clients.
• Reflect on how you deal with “differences” and discuss in supervision or seminar.
• Explore your biases with your Field Instructor and examine how this affects your equitable delivery of services.
• Demonstrate competence in working with professional peers from diverse backgrounds
• Ask questions to understand clients who differ from you.
• Embody empathy when working with those representing marginalized populations.
• Analyze the cultural implications regarding diagnosis.
• Make referrals to community agencies that reflect the values and cultural beliefs of the client or client system.
Example: “Identify personal biases within the elderly population. Share, reflect, and process the reasons for bias as they are identified
throughout daily activities with my task supervisor. Work through biases by utilizing supervision and self- reflection to further personal
growth as a social worker and provide better services for clients.”
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2.1.5 Social Justice
• Identify how your field agency addresses social and economic justice as part of its delivery of services.
• Describe issues of social justice as they relate to the client or client system.
• Discuss with your Field Instructor the appropriate use of out-of-home placements and least restrictive environments.
• Incorporate aspects of empowerment into action plans.
• Engage in an agency initiative that focuses on collaborative development.
• Develop greater understanding of how cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic factors influence the access to services.
Example: “Advocate for clients in team meetings with school personnel, Department of Juvenile Justice, and other organizations to ensure
that the client is in a safe environment. Identify cultural and socioeconomic factors that will assist the client and family in accessing
services.”
2.1.6 Research/Practice
• Examine the agency’s program evaluation methods and discuss with your Field Instructor.
• Analyze your agency’s data collection plan and how data are used for evaluation purposes.
• Connect course content to direct social work field practice.
• Apply critical thinking to evidence‐based interventions, best practices, and evidence‐based
research processes.
• Utilize theories and research to guide practice interventions
• Engage and partner with diverse and marginalized community constituents to define, assess,
plan and address community needs via participatory action research and practice.
Example: “Use evidence based research practices (ex. Cognitive behavioral therapy) and remain up to date with the relevant research and
practices associated with it.”
“Incorporate new information received at skills training workshop to plan new activities for the clients in day treatment. After doing the
activity, assess the new intervention and evaluate the experience with supervisor”
2.1.7 Human Behavior
• Apply life course concepts to the review and discussion of client services.
• Compare and contrast the theories of human behavior and the social environment and apply as appropriate to interventions with
clients and client systems.
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• Develop organizational change and policy proposals that are based on knowledge of the larger political, social and structural
frameworks, systems, contexts, and history.
• Articulate the historical, political and cultural contexts in which specific human behavior theories were developed.
• Learn human developmental stages and integrate understanding of human development to case examples.
Example: “After participating in home visits and school meetings, be able to conduct bio-psychosocial assessments and apply knowledge
received in social work program to explore how client’s environment is affecting behavior.”
2.1.8 Policy Practice
• Describe how agencies develop and change internal policies.
• Give examples of key Federal and State policies that impact the agency.
• Determine who participates in the formulation of agency policies.
• Participate in an agency effort involving the development or change of a policy.
• Carry out an analysis of the impact of a key agency policy and share analysis with Field Instructor and discuss in field seminar.
• Describe the agency’s organizational chart and mission statement.
• Meet with the agency director to discuss mission and functions of agency.
• Identify key funding streams that support the agency.
• Evaluate how key agency policies impact service provision and discuss with your Field
Instructor.
Example: “Research the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (1974) and discuss with supervisor the importance of this policy and
how it impacts client services.”
2.1.9 Context
• Analyze how the dynamics of power and authority impact the helping relationship and discuss in supervision or seminar.
• Use interpreters when interviewing and working with people from diverse cultures when English is not their primary language.
• Describe the agency’s fee structure, language and forms used, and articulate how this impacts the agency’s cultural competency.
• Examine the DSM relationship to policy and funding practices in the agency.
• Utilize techniques used in team‐building, building coalitions and partnerships across organizational, community and policy settings.
• Explore the influences and implications of culture, geography, community, gender, religion, politics, ideology, and other identities
and orientations on different world views.
Example: “Create a professional resource manual for Alzheimers NC that contains easily accessed information about client services
containing resources and contacts for five counties in North Carolina: Wake, Durham, Orange, Johnston, and Cumberland.”
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2.1.10a Engagement
• Engage client and client system in the planning process.
• Explain the emphasis on the client’s perspective and his or her role in the helping relationship.
• Contact constituents by telephone and in focus groups to learn about community needs.
• Seek feedback from supervisor, clients, and colleagues about ways to build rapport and trust in interpersonal interactions.
Example: “Develop a mutually agreed upon action plan with the client and regularly review and revise plan on a monthly basis.”
2.1.10b Assessment
• Carry out comprehensive assessments of specific assigned cases.
• Incorporate strengths into an assigned assessment.
• Provide a copy of a written assessment/writing assignment to your Field Instructor for review.
• Read agency examples of assessments.
• Review agency policies and forms that guide the assessment process.
• Discuss all size systems relating to the assessment.
• Work with clients to prioritize needs.
• Role play an assessment and reflect on areas of confidence and discomfort.
Example: “Assess client’s progress towards behavioral goals, provide positive reinforcement, and complete documentation.”
2.1.10c Intervention
• Initiate collaborative interventions with client or client system.
• Review agency examples of intervention plans and discuss with your Field Instructor.
• Develop a comprehensive intervention plan related to an assigned case.
• Present a case that offers examples of interventions and collaborative efforts with clients or
client system.
• Discuss possible multiple approaches.
• Participate in interventions requiring work with established community “collaboratives.”
• Attend a meeting involving interagency collaboration.
• Identify and use the collaborative agency linkages relevant to the agency.
Example: “Participate in client sessions held in the office and over the phone. Review, reflect and process sessions with my task supervisor
and field instructor in order to improve upon my client interactions.”
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2.1.10d Evaluation
• Identify the agency’s outcome indicators and discuss with your Field Instructor.
• Carry out a self-evaluation of your practice using client/supervisor feedback and discuss results with your Field Instructor.
• Present an example of your action plan to your faculty liaison.
• Complete a process recording of the intervention & discuss with your Field Instructor.
• Discuss with your Field Instructor how you determine outcomes and work with clients to evaluate progress.
• Talk with agency social workers about their methods of self-evaluation.
Example: “Utilize supervision to reflect upon my client engagement skills, strengths, weaknesses, and critical evaluations of my work. Use
these discussions to process my feelings and improve my social work skills to better serve clients.”
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School of Social Work – Field Education
BSW Foundation Field Internship – SOCW 4990
LEARNING AGREEMENT and EVALUATION
Student Name
Semester
Banner ID #
Year
Field Instructor Name:
Agency Name:
Faculty Field Liaison:
______________________________________________________
At the beginning of the semester, when the Student has filled out the learning activities, the following people must sign and
date this Learning Agreement to show that they have reviewed and approved the learning plan:
Student
/____/_______
Date
Field Instructor
/____/_______
Date
Task Supervisor (if applicable)
/____/_______
Date
__________________________
Faculty Field Liaison
____________________
________
/____/______
Date
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Competency 2.1.1 - Identify as a professional social worker & conduct oneself accordingly.
Social workers serve as representatives of the profession, its mission, and its core values. They know the profession’s history. Social
workers commit themselves to the profession’s enhancement and to their own professional conduct and growth.
Final Evaluation
Practice Behaviors
Field Instructor
1. Advocate for client access to the services of social work.
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2. Practice personal reflection & self-correction to assure continual development.
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3. Attend to professional roles & boundaries.
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4. Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, & communication.
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5. Social workers engage in career-long learning.
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6. Use supervision and consultation.
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Learning Activities:
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Competency 2.1.2 - Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice.
Social workers have an obligation to conduct themselves ethically and to engage in ethical decision-making. Social workers are
knowledgeable about the value base of the profession, its ethical standards, and relevant law.
Final Evaluation
Practice Behaviors
Field Instructor
7. Recognize & manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice.
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8. Make ethical decisions by applying standards of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics
and, as applicable, of the International Federation of Social Workers/International Association of Schools of
Social Work Ethics in Social Work, Statement of Principles.
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9. Tolerate ambiguity in resolving ethical conflict.
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10. Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions.
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Learning Activities:
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Competency 2.1.3 Apply critical thinking to inform & communicate professional judgments.
Social workers are knowledgeable about the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and reasoned discernment. They use critical thinking
augmented by creativity and curiosity. Critical thinking also requires the synthesis and communication of relevant information.
Final Evaluation
Practice Behaviors
Field Instructor
11. Distinguish, appraise & integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research-based knowledge,
and practice wisdom.
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12. Analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and evaluation.
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13. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with individuals, families, groups,
organizations, communities, and colleagues.
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Learning Activities:
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Competency 2.1.4 - Engage diversity & difference in practice.
Social workers understand how diversity characterizes and shapes the human experience and is critical to the formation of identity. The
dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of multiple factors including age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity,
gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, political ideology, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. Social workers
appreciate that, as a consequence of difference, a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and
alienation as well as privilege, power, and acclaim.
Final Evaluation
Practice Behaviors
Field Instructor
14. Recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures & values oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or
enhance privilege & power.
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15. Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with
diverse groups.
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16. Recognize and communicate their understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life
experiences.
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17. View themselves as learners & engage those with whom they work as informants.
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Learning Activities:
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Competency 2.1.5 Advance human rights & social & economic justice.
Each person, regardless of position in society, has basic human rights, such as freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of
living, health care, and education. Social workers recognize the global interconnections of oppression and are knowledgeable about
theories of justice and strategies to promote human and civil rights. Social work incorporates social justice practices in organizations,
institutions, and society to ensure that these basic human rights are distributed equitably and without prejudice.
Final Evaluation
Practice Behaviors
Field Instructor
18. Understand the forms & mechanisms of oppression & discrimination.
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19. Advocate for human rights and social and economic justice.
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20. Engage in practices that advance social and economic justice and human rights for clients/consumers and
communities.
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Learning Activities:
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Competency 2.1.6 - Engage in research-informed practice & practice-informed research.
Social workers use practice experience to inform research, employ evidence-based interventions, evaluate their own practice, and use
research findings to improve practice, policy, and social service delivery. Social workers comprehend quantitative and qualitative research
and understand scientific and ethical approaches to building knowledge.
Final Evaluation
Practice Behaviors
Field Instructor
21. Use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry.
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22. Use research evidence to inform practice.
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Learning Activities:
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Competency 2.1.7 - Apply knowledge of human behavior & the social environment.
Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course; the range of social systems in which people live; and the
ways social systems promote or deter people in maintaining or achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply theories and
knowledge from the liberal arts to understand biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development.
Final Evaluation
Practice Behaviors
Field Instructor
23. Utilize conceptual frameworks to guide the process of assessment, intervention & evaluation.
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24. Critique & apply knowledge to understand person & environment.
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Learning Activities:
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Competency 2.1 8 - Engage in policy practice to advance social & economic well-being & to deliver effective social
work services.
Social work practitioners understand that policy affects service delivery, and they actively engage in policy practice. Social workers know
the history and current structures of social policies and services; the role of policy in service delivery; and the role of practice in policy
development.
Final Evaluation
Practice Behaviors
Field Instructor
25. Analyze, formulate & advocate for policies that advance social well-being.
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26. Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action.
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Learning Activities:
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Competency 2.1 9 Respond to contexts that shape practice.
Social workers are informed, resourceful, and proactive in responding to evolving organizational, community, and societal contexts at all
levels of practice. Social workers recognize that the context of practice is dynamic, and use knowledge and skill to respond proactively.
Final Evaluation
Practice Behaviors
Field Instructor
27. Continuously discover, appraise & attend to changing locales, populations, scientific & technological
developments & emerging societal trends to provide relevant services.
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28. Provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service delivery & practice to improve the quality
of social services.
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Learning Activities:
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Competency 2.1.10 (A-D) Engage, assess, intervene & evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations &
communities.
Professional practice involves the dynamic and interactive processes of engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation at multiple
levels. Social workers have the knowledge and skills to practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Practice knowledge includes identifying, analyzing, and implementing evidence-based interventions designed to achieve client goals; using
research and technological advances; evaluating program outcomes and practice effectiveness; developing, analyzing, advocating, and
providing leadership for policies and services; and promoting social and economic justice.
Final Evaluation
Practice Behaviors
Field Instructor
A. Engagement
29. Substantively & affectively prepare for action with individuals, families, groups, organizations and
communities.
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30. Use empathy & other interpersonal skills.
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31. Develop a mutually agreed-on focus of work & desired outcomes.
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B. Assessment
32. Collect, organize, and interpret client data.
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33. Assess client strengths and limitations.
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34. Develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals & objectives.
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35. Select appropriate intervention strategies.
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C. Intervention
Field Instructor
36. Initiate actions to achieve organizational goals.
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37. Implement prevention interventions that enhance client capacities.
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38. Help clients resolve problems.
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39. Negotiate, mediate, and advocate for clients.
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40. Facilitate transitions and endings.
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D. Evaluation
41. Critically analyze, monitor & evaluate interventions.
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Learning Activities:
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Final Evaluation Summary: To be completed at the end of each semester.
Task Supervisor’s Summary – (If applicable, not all students will have a Task Supervisor)
Please comment on student’s internship activities, accomplishments, strengths and areas for further growth and development.
Task Supervisor signature: ______________________________________ Date: _______________________
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Field Instructor’s Summary
Please comment on student’s internship activities, accomplishments, strengths and areas for further growth and development.
Final Evaluation Signatures
Student:
Date:
Field Instructor:
Date:
Field Seminar Instructor:
Date:
Recommended Grade: ________________
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