In both the MSW and BSW programs a full-time faculty member is assigned as a field liaison for each student. The liaison’s responsibilities include completing training, maintaining regular contact with the field instructor through site visits, phone, and email, and connecting classroom curriculum to practicum experiences. They provide supervisory support, ensure the educational focus and appropriateness of learning activities, offer feedback on student progress toward program competencies, and address any problems raised by students or field instructors, referring issues to the director as needed.
Field Practicum Roles
Field Practicum Roles
Field practicum roles in social work are designed to provide students with hands-on,
supervised experience that bridges classroom learning and professional practice.These
roles are essential because they ensure students gain practical experience in applying
social work theories, developing professional skills, and understanding agency operations,
all within a structured, ethical, and supportive learning environment. Field practicum
is a critical component for preparing competent, confident, and ethical social work
professionals.
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Director of Field Education
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The Director of Field Education, a faculty member reporting to the program’s dean,
is responsible for overseeing and coordinating all aspects of field education within
the School of Social Work. This includes establishing and maintaining relationships
with partner agencies, conducting pre-placement assessments, and guiding students
through agency interviews. The Director supports field instructors in understanding
and developing their roles to align with program goals and competencies, assists in
creating experiential learning activities, and helps ensure students meet the objectives
of their learning plans. They schedule and document regular conferences with students
to supervise, instruct, and review progress, consult with field instructors regarding
student performance, and ultimately submit the final grade for the social work practicum
course.
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Field Liaison
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To learn more about our faculty please visit our Faculty and Staff page
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Field Instructor
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The field instructor’s primary role is to ensure a strong educational practicum
experience, serving as an administrator, educator, and professional role model. Responsibilities
include providing a current CV, assuming on-site responsibility for the student (and
task supervisor duties if needed), assessing student learning needs, assigning appropriate
tasks, and conducting weekly one-hour supervision sessions. Field instructors help
students integrate theory with practice, confer regularly with the task supervisor
and director of field education, advocate for student access to learning experiences,
attend required trainings and meetings, complete evaluations, submit field-related
paperwork, and communicate any concerns to the faculty liaison or director.
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Task Supervisor
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When a qualified field instructor is not available, Southern’s School of Social
Work allows a student to work under a task supervisor, who does not need a social
work degree, while an assigned approved field instructor—called an Independent Field
Instructor—provides weekly supervision to maintain the social work perspective. The
task supervisor’s responsibilities include completing field instructor training, orienting
the student to the placement setting and its policies, reviewing safety procedures,
guiding the student in service delivery and professional standards, and regularly
collaborating with the field instructor and student regarding progress.