Field Instructor Role & Responsibilities

Responsibilities

Field placement is a critical component of Social Work education, providing students with opportunities to apply theory and skills in real-world settings with individuals, families, groups, and communities. Supporting the development of future social workers is rewarding and meaningful work, but it can also be time-intensive and complex.

Field Instructors are expected to:

  1. Have a minimum of two years' experience in the social service sector
  2. Hold a Social Work degree wherever possible
  3. Work in agencies that serve diverse service user populations

Field Instructors are responsible for ensuring that the agency provides a rich and supportive practicum experience, and that students have opportunities to meet the learning outcomes outlined in their Learning Plan. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Conducting a pre-placement interview and determining whether a placement will be offered.
  • Confirming placement requirements (e.g., vulnerable sector checks, immunization records, etc.) with students as early as possible.
  • Welcoming and orienting students to the agency, including policies, programs, and practices (e.g., documentation, confidentiality, work hours, dress code, illness-related absences, etc.).
  • Clarifying BSW program expectations related to learning goals, supervision, practicum hours, and assessment.
  • Establishing expectations for supervisions, including frequency, duration, and teaching/learning tools.
  • Collaborating with students to develop and update Learning Plans.
  • Providing ongoing supervision and reviewing learning tasks.
  • Completing mid-term and final assessments.
  • Providing ongoing feedback, including 1 to 1.5 hours of supervision per week.
  • Consulting and communicating with the Faculty Field Liaison (FFL), including notifying them at the first sign of concern related to a student's competency, suitability, or professional behaviour.

For additional details, please consult the Field Instructor Handbook.

Supervision

Students must receive a minimum of one hour of supervision per week. Supervision sessions should include:

  • Review of field assignments
  • Concrete feedback based on observation
  • Discussion of student learning and professional development
  • Assessment of progress

Agencies determine which staff member(s) will serve as the student's supervisor(s). 

In some settings, multiple staff may be involved. For example, staff member (with or without a Social Work degree) may provide daily/task supervision, and another staff member (with a Social Work degree) may provide formal Social Work supervision. Where this model is used, the Social Work supervisor should meet with the student every other week for 30-45 minutes.

If no BSW- or MSW-qualified staff member is available within the agency, the Department of Social Work will provide additional Social Work supervision, consisting of 30-45 minutes every other week.

Support

Field Instructors are well supported throughout the placement process. Supports include:

To request access to the CASWE course, please contact the Peterborough Field Education Coordinator at travispeck@trentu.ca.

Trent University respectfully acknowledges it is located on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishnaabeg. We offer our gratitude to First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings.

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