DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

CSWE Core Competency Exercise

 

I have witnessed competency number 1 while being at my internship.  My supervisor has attended a few conferences to stay educated on recent advances in social work.  He also is very persistent in trying to get myself and the MSW interns to speak in social work terminology in order to present ourselves as social workers.  Lastly, although it is difficult to keep the role of a social worker while in a school setting, it is important to realize that there are teachers and teacher’s assistants who are able to teach the children.  It is the social workers responsibility to be available when there may be a conflict in the school.

Competency number 4 has also been seen while being at the Janus School.  The Janus School consists of children from ages 5 years old, to 19 years old.  Along with the age difference, the students come from a large range of backgrounds, ethnicities, and disabilities.  It is important to know which students are from which ethnicity, how old they are, and what their current diagnosis is to realize what currently oppresses them and in order to serve them to their advantage. 

I have also seen competency number 6.  My supervisor at the Janus School has repeatedly stated how important research is as a social worker.  Over the last few months of me working there, I have received numerous emails about current research and new methods used for interventions.  We are constantly looking to find ways in which we can integrate these concepts into the Janus School learning.

Competency number 10 has also played a large roll while I have been at my placement.  The girls at the Janus School are highly at risk then girls without disabilities, because of their lack of judgment.   It is important when an issue arises that we as social workers are able to come involved, used knowledge of the social work practice, apply interventions in order to prevent whatever the situation may be, and then evaluate their success.  

 

 

Competency #1:  Identify as a professional social worker and 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.

 

            Practice Behaviors

                        1.  Advocate for client access to the services of social work

2.  Practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual    professional development

3.  Attend to professional roles and boundaries

4.  Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and communication

5.  Engage in career-long learning

6.  Use supervision and consultation

 

Competency #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.

 

            Practice Behaviors

1.  Recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice

2.  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

3.  Tolerate ambiguity in resolving ethical conflicts

4.  Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions

 

 

 

 

Competency #3:  Apply critical thinking to inform and 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.

 

            Practice Behaviors

1.  Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research-based knowledge, and practice wisdom

2.  Analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and evaluation

3.  Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and colleagues

 

            Competency #4:  Engage diversity and 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 expressions, 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.

 

            Practice Behaviors

1.  Recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance privilege and power

2.  Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups

3.  Recognize and communicate their understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experiences

4.  View themselves as learners and engage those with whom they work as informants

 

            Competency #5:  Advance human rights and social and 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.

 

 Practice Behaviors

            1.  Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination

            2.  Advocate for human rights and social and economic justice

            3.  Engage in practices that advance social and economic justice

 

Competency #6:  Engage in research-informed practice and 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.

 

Practice Behaviors

            1.  Use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry

            2.  Use research evidence to inform practice

 

Competency #7:  Apply knowledge of human behavior and 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.

 

Practice Behaviors

1.  Utilize conceptual frameworks to guide the processes of assessment, intervention, and evaluation

            2.  Critique and apply knowledge to understand the person and environment

 

Competency #8:  Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and 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.

 

Practice Behaviors

1.  Analyze, formulate and advocate for policies that advance social well-being

            2.  Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action

 

Competency #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.

Practice Behaviors

1.  Continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales, populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging societal trends to provide relevant services

2.  Provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service delivery and practice to improve the quality of social services

 

Competency #10:  Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and 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.

 

Engagement

            Social workers

  • Substantively and affectively prepare for action with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
  • Use empathy and other interpersonal skills
  • Develop a mutually agreed-on focus of work and desired outcomes

 

Assessment

            Social workers

  • Collect, organize, and interpret client data
  • Assess client strengths and limitations
  • Develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives
  • Select appropriate interventions strategies

 

Intervention

            Social workers

  • Initiate actions to achieve organizational goals
  • Implement prevention interventions that enhance client capacities
  • Help clients resolve problems
  • Negotiate, mediate, and advocate for clients
  • Facilitate transitions and endings

 

Evaluation

            Social workers critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate interventions.

 

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.