School of Social Work

Social Work Building, Room 201
p - (516) 877-4300
f - (516) 877-4392
w - socialwork.adelphi.edu

Andrew Safyer, Dean
p - (516) 877-4354
e - asafyer@adelphi.edu

Administration

socialwork.adelphi.edu/about-the-school/who-we-are/administration/

Faculty

The School of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (C.S.W.E.) at both the baccalaureate and master’s levels.

Mission Statement

The Adelphi University School of Social Work prepares graduates to practice ethically and effectively in diverse cultural and social contexts upon entering the profession and throughout their careers.  Through our student-centered curricula, faculty scholarship, and community-engaged programs, we provide leadership to advance knowledge, skills, and values for the profession.  We are committed to the enhancement of human well-being, the advancement of human rights, and the promotion of social justice for individuals and communities, regionally, nationally and globally.

Goals

1. To provide a course of study that challenges students to integrate the knowledge, skills and values of the profession so that they may deepen their commitment to social and economic justice and practice as ethical and competent social workers with diverse, often oppressed, populations in a multicultural society, and;
2. To promote faculty scholarship that informs and advances social work theory, practice and policy in professional social work and multidisciplinary arenas that influence social well being, and;
3. To initiate, consult, and collaborate with relevant community constituents and leaders in order to identify and address unmet or emerging needs and to strengthen organizational capacity, programs, and services.

Professional Philosophy for the School of Social Work

Social work is a profession that seeks to ameliorate human suffering. It is committed to social justice and to work for the resolution of social problems at the individual, group, and community levels. Guided by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code of ethics as well as its conviction that people have the potential to redirect their lives individually and collectively, it uses professional knowledge to bring about change that will result in a better quality of life for individuals and communities. This commitment is based upon the assumption that people, individually and collectively, are redeemable, and that strategies to enhance and restore a capacity for social functioning are both capable of discovery and teachable. Multidisciplinary knowledge gleaned from the arts and sciences is essential to the education of social workers, for the profession requires learned human beings who have been exposed to a breadth of ideas and information. Social work education is grounded in the belief that environmental influences affect the development and well-being of people and must be taken into account when assessing behavior and life situations.

Field Education Program

Field education teaches students to apply theory and knowledge learned in the classroom to social work practice in agency settings. Students develop professional skills and competence in practice during the course of their internships. Field education offers opportunities to work directly with people and communities in human service agencies. Various modalities of practice include working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. All internships are assigned by the Field Education Department and students are expected to comply with the policies and procedures of the department. These are detailed in the Social Work Field Education Manual on the web.

Students who are completing internships must also comply with agency hours as well as policies and practices. Field instruction begins in September and continues through the January intersession even though most students are not attending classes. The internship is concluded upon completion of 600 hours for the academic year for the Foundation and Advanced graduate students. Undergraduate juniors complete 300 hours and seniors complete 400 hours for the academic year. During the January intersession, students are advised to consider housing availability and any related financial obligations for this time period. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange transportation to and from their field placement. The field department always takes into consideration a student’s means of transportation when locating an internship. Although the School does offer internships with evening hour assignments, all students are required to be available for a minimum of one full day or two half days during weekday daytime hours (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm).

Students are not free to secure their own placements. If a student has an agency that he or she would like to recommend for placement, he or she may provide the Field Education Department with the name of the agency and the Field Education Department will contact the agency directly to discuss the possibility of an internship for the student. There is a formal process to secure placements including completion of a Field Education Application. Students are required to meet with their advisor or liaison before meeting with the Field Education Department. Placement planning meetings are also made available for students to attend. This will give them an opportunity to learn more about placement and what is available and required. Once an agency has been identified, the student will be notified by the department to set up a confirmation interview at the agency. Once confirmed, the student, agency, field instructor, and liaison will receive an assignment letter via E-mail. This letter provides all contact information for the above-mentioned parties as well as the start and end date for field placement.

The School of Social Work is affiliated with over 1,000 human service agencies throughout the New York metropolitan region including but not limited to:

• Child welfare agencies
• Community centers
• Detention centers and correctional facilities
• Domestic violence agencies
• Mental health clinics
• Medical and psychiatric hospitals
• Nursing homes and extended care facilities
• Residential treatment facilities
• Schools
• Substance abuse treatment programs
• Veterans programs
• Youth service agencies

Undergraduate Field Instruction

Undergraduate social work students are assigned to field placements in both their junior and senior years. The junior year requires a minimum of 300 hours for the year and the senior year requires a minimum of 400 hours. The student is placed at separate agencies for each year. The junior year focuses on varied social work methods, client populations, and service delivery systems. Assignments support learning beginning practice skills and the introduction to the social work profession. Students in their senior year emphasize developing foundation practice skills for work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Graduate Field Instruction

In the Foundation year field placements, students complete a minimum of 600 hours of field instruction with an emphasis on developing foundation practice skills for work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. In the Advanced year field placements, students also complete a minimum of 600 hours of field instruction in advanced, direct social work practice. Advanced Standing students come in to the program with a B.S.W. degree and are required to complete the Advanced year internship. In some instances, Advanced Standing students may be required to compete additional hours of field instruction or other foundation courses if the candidate’s program is determined to vary significantly from Adelphi’s Foundation curriculum. One Year Residency (OYR) students are required to take a four-credit professional seminar, SWK 601 , concurrent with the Foundation practice courses, and complete 900 hours of field instruction in the Advanced year concurrent with advanced social work practice methods course work. OYR students already have significant work experience in the field under the supervision of an LMSW or LCSW.

Additional Information for Undergraduate Students in the School of Social Work

Independent Study

Students may take up to nine credits of independent study with the permission of the director of the undergraduate program. Students must consult with a sponsoring faculty member before registering for each course.