Become a Field Instructor

Step One: Criteria and Responsibilities

Field instructors are employed by agencies, or teaching centres, and normally:

• Complete the Beginning Field Instruction Workshop or an equivalent. Instructors make a commitment to accept a student during the time they are taking this training or the calendar year following it.
• Are supported by their agencies to undertake this responsibility.
• BSW: Have a Bachelor of Social Work (or its equivalent).
• MSW: Have a Master of Social Work (or its equivalent) for advanced or foundational placements, or a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) for foundational placements.

Responsibilities Towards the Agency

• To cooperate fully with the administrator of the social agency, hospital or board of education service selected by the faculty for field instruction purposes.
• To attend staff meetings; to prepare such reports as is normally required of supervisors in social work in the setting involved.
• Provide the student with an orientation to the agency, including information on safety protocol and requirements specific to field site.
• To plan for and prepare for the selection of learning experiences for the students.
• To supervise students in the field setting with regard to professional practice and to prepare such statistical and other reports as may be required of other supervisory personnel in the social agency, hospital or board of education service involved. In the supervision of student practice, the field instructor carries the same status and responsibility as any other supervisor in the service setting involved. This includes professional responsibility for the care and treatment of each client or patient in each student practice load.

Responsibility Toward Faculty and Educational Components

• Complete the Beginning Field Instruction Training (required for all new field instructors).
• To provide a commitment to the basic curriculum objectives of the Faculty of Social Work.
• To cooperate with the faculty with regard to educational content and educational methods in functioning as a teaching supervisor.
• To cooperate with the faculty and its field representatives in determining the kinds of assignments to be selected for student practice, the size of the student’s practice load and the diversity of student practice loads.
• To focus the practice experience on the learning level and interests of the student where appropriate. The level of student’s ability should set the pace of the placement rather than agency or client need.
• To assist the student to identify concepts and integrate theory into practice. Field instruction is a progressive knowledge and skill building process moving from relatively straightforward assignments to more complex ones.
• To assume responsibility for providing the necessary range of learning opportunities to meet the Faculty of Social Work’s generic goals either through assignments within the field setting or satellite projects in the community. This includes opportunities for practice with diverse, disadvantaged groups with respect to cultural diversity, class, age, gender and ability.
• To encourage developing self-awareness in the student through a student-field instructor relationship which is an open and direct transaction permitting the formulating of field goals, optimum student-instructor sharing and evaluation of student performance.
• To make available the widest possible range of learning opportunities and methods, i.e., use of tape recorders, audio/visual aids, group teaching, other resource persons, etc.
• To submit midterm and final evaluation reports as requested by the field office.

Responsibility Towards Students

• Reception and orientation of students upon arrival.
• Become familiar with the educational philosophy and curriculum of the faculty.
• Link theory and practice within the student's learning experience.
• Develop the learning plan with the student.
• Provide practice assignments based on the learning plan.
• Observe students in the placement setting with regard to professional practice.
• Schedule individual, group or dyadic supervision weekly (one hour/week for full-time placements) or bi-weekly (one hour every other week for two days/week placements) in order to teach practice values, knowledge and skills.
• Allow the student the necessary time for participation in concurrent courses offered during the field placement (courses are not offered on placement days).
• Make use of field advisors as appropriate.
• Complete and submit midterm and final evaluations as requested by the faculty. Evaluation guidelines are available to help facilitate planning for an evaluation meeting.

Step Two: Placement Planning Form

The Placement Planning Form collects detailed information about the placement opportunity at an agency. This form provides the Field Office with information needed to build your opportunity into our field database and helps students understand what learning opportunities and experiences will be available at your agency.

• BSW Placement Planning Form
• MSW Placement Planning Form

Step Three: Experiential Learning Agreement Forms

• Experiential Learning Agreement
• Pre-Placement Safety Review and Declaration

The Experiential Learning Agreement outlines our mutual obligations in providing field education and formalizes the partnership between an agency and Wilfrid Laurier University. For FSW students to complete their field placement at an agency, an Experiential Learning Agreement needs to be executed.

The Pre-Placement Safety Review and Declaration is used to document the health and safety instruction provided to the student prior to exposure to hazards in the workplace. The Declaration provides confirmation of whether or not an agency has Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) coverage. This information is required in the event of an incident while on placement.