MISSION OF FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

The mission of the Florida Atlantic University School of Social Work program is to serve the region, state and nation by preparing competent and effective beginning level General Practice social workers at the BSW level and advanced level (MSW) Clinical-Community professionals who will contribute to the implementation and development of social work knowledge and provide leadership in the development of service delivery systems.  This mission is appropriate to the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Policy, Section 1.1 in that our program prepares competent and effective leaders who have the ability to implement and develop social work knowledge and enhance social service delivery systems.

GOALS OF FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

The goals are derived from the mission of preparing competent and effective professional social workers at the BSW (beginning level) and MSW (advanced level) who will contribute to the implementation and development of social work knowledge and provide leadership in the development of service delivery systems. The program goals specifically recognize our profession’s history, purposes, and philosophy as well as the knowledge, values and skills of the social work profession.  The BSW and MSW program goals are identified separately below. 

The BSW program has 2 goals:

Goal 1:
Prepare ethical, competent and caring BSW graduates for beginning level Generalist Social Work Practice based on integration of social work knowledge, values and skills.

Goal 2:
Prepare competent and effective graduates to join in public service that enhances the health and social well-being of the people of south Florida, the state and the nation using the Generalist Social Work Practice Model with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and social policy.

The MSW program has four goals:

Goal 1:
Prepare MSW graduates for advanced work in clinical-community practice by teaching knowledge, skills and values for social work practice with children, adolescents, and families; adults and families; and elders and families in resolving or preventing social problems within the context of our community, state and nation.

Goal 2:
Prepare MSW graduates for leadership positions in social service agencies in south Florida.

Goal 3:
Prepare competent and effective advanced graduates for autonomous independent social work practice.

Goal 4:
Prepare graduates for life-long learning and an appreciation for maintaining currency of the social work knowledge, values, and skills in their practice.

BSW AND MSW PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

In keeping with Goals 1 and 2 of the Florida Atlantic University School of Social Work BSW program, the faculty identified eight program objectives. The Bachelor of Social Work Program Objectives are represented by (B1-B8).  The BSW program objectives are grounded in a liberal arts background and contain a coherent, integrated professional foundation in social work. The program objectives are related to the delivery of an organized and structured curricular at the bachelor level.

BSW Program Objectives

Upon successful completion of the BSW program, graduates are expected to:

B1. adhere to the basic and historic values of the profession of social work and the ethical standards contained in the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers.

B2. demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary for brokerage and advocacy on behalf of client systems of all sizes and with diverse populations, including populations at risk, groups that have experienced social and economic injustice, including the women and children, new immigrant groups, migrant farm workers, gay, lesbian, Haitian, Latino, African and Caribbean American, and aging populations in south Florida.

B3. identify and demonstrate knowledge of strategies to reduce discrimination, oppression, and economic deprivation and to promote social and economic justice with populations-at-risk.

B4. understand and apply theories and knowledge concerning the reciprocal relationships between human behavior and social environment, in order to promote health and social well-being.

B5. demonstrate an understanding of social welfare from a policy and program perspective, essential for beginning agency social work practice.

B6. demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary for beginning professional generalist practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities.

B7. demonstrate beginning skills necessary for scientific evaluation of one's practice and critical appraisal of the findings of social work research.

B8. demonstrate practice competence within an ecological framework, integrating knowledge, skills, values and social work theories/models of social justice, empowerment, strengths and systems theory.

MSW Program Objectives

Consistent with Goals 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Florida Atlantic University School of Social Work MSW program, the faculty identified eight program objectives.  The MSW program objectives are represented by (M1-M8).  The objectives for the MSW program clearly reflect the knowledge, skills, and values of the social work profession and are consistent with Educational Policy, Section 3.  The MSW program objectives while grounded in the liberal arts contain a coherent, integrated professional foundation as well as an advanced level of knowledge and skills in an area of practice in social work.   

Graduates of the Florida Atlantic University School of Social Work MSW program will be able to conduct social work practice using a Clinical-Community perspective.  Clinical-community practice refers to the application, integration, and synthesis of liberal arts, foundation, and advanced social work knowledge, values and skills as applied to diverse client systems within their specific environments.  Clinical-community practice is similar to the person-in-environment perspective, is complex, and requires a depth and breadth of social work knowledge, values, and skills in working with specific populations and practice settings. Community-clinical practice is similar to the person-in-environment perspective in that it is a holistic approach to working with client systems and their environments.  It is complex in that social workers are required to make complex and complicated judgments based on their integration, analysis, and synthesis of social work knowledge, values, and skills with specific populations such as children, adolescents, elders and their families and within a variety of practice settings such as mental health, child welfare and healthcare.   Therefore, our faculty developed the following focus areas within clinical-community practice: 1) Children, Adolescents and Families; 2) Adults and Families; and 3) Elders and Families. 

Upon successful completion of the MSW program, graduates will be able to:

M1. analyze, assess, and critically evaluate how social work values and ethics impact practice at an advanced level as they apply to Community-Clinical practice.

M2. define, design, demonstrate, appraise and critically evaluate effectiveness of clinical-community practice with individuals with diverse backgrounds in one of three focus areas:  Children/Adolescents and Families(CAF), Adults and Families (AF), or Elders and Families (EF).  In south Florida, diverse populations include gay, lesbian, Haitian, Latino, African and Caribbean American, elders and families.

M3.   define, design, demonstrate, appraise and critically evaluate effectiveness of advanced strategies in the Clinical-Community setting to reduce discrimination, oppression, and economic deprivation with both populations at risk and  those experiencing social and economic injustice, including gay,  lesbian, Haitian, Latino, African and Caribbean American elders and families in south Florida.

M4. compare and contrast theories and apply appropriate interventions while considering the reciprocal relationships between human behavior and the social environment across the life span in terms of biological, sociological, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development for advanced clinical-community practice in a one of three focus areas of Children/Adolescents and Families, Adults and Families or Elders and Families.

M5. identify and apply knowledge and skills necessary for successful clinical-community practice, applying and integrating theories/models of social justice, empowerment, strengths and systems theory.

M6. examine, formulate, propose and critically evaluate advanced social policies and services for clinical-community practice in order to advocate for social change consistent with social work values;

M7. develop, conduct, apply and effectively communicate empirically based knowledge to improve practice, policy and social service delivery as well as evaluating one's own practice.

M8. demonstrate practice competence integrating knowledge, skills, values and social work theories/models of social justice, empowerment, strengths and systems theory in the field education.