In order to function as change agents, social workers interact with others in a wide variety of organizations. Visiting a social work agency allows students of social work to get a glimpse of the form that these interactions may take.
For this Assignment, visit a social service agency in your area and interview a MSW-level social worker there. The agency cannot be a private practice.
By Day 7 of this week, submit the name of the agency and the social worker, including their social work degree or licensure (e.g., MSW, LCSW, etc.), with whom you will collaborate for your Final Project that you will submit in Week 6.
Submission and Grading Information
To submit your Project, do the following:
- Save your Project as a “.doc” file with the filename “WK3Proj+last name+first initial.doc”. For example, Sally Ride’s filename would be “WK3ProjRideS.doc”.
- To upload your Project information, click on Projects on the course navigation menu, and then click the “Project – Week 3” link.
Looking Ahead: Your Final Project, submitted in Week 6 of the course will be a 4- to 5-page written account of your agency visit, reflection on the experience, and analysis of course topics as related to your experience. Make sure to support ideas with evidence from course resources and additional research.
The final project should:
- Describe the agency. Including:
- Services offered
- Mission of the agency
- Clientele or population served
- Describe the social worker’s job activities and professional roles
- Explain what brought the social worker to the field and their work history
- Explain opportunities for advancement and what the social worker does for professional development
- Describe the social worker’s overall job satisfaction and strategies they use for self-care
- Analyze your experience. Specifically,
- Discuss your thoughts and feelings related to the agency, clientele, and type of work.
- Reflect on why you may have experienced these reactions to the agency, clientele, and type of work.
- Explain which social work values and ethics were evident (or not evident) during the interview.
- Explain how social and economic justice relates to the services provided or population served by this agency.
- Explain how cultural competence was demonstrated (or not demonstrated) within the agency or by the social worker.