The Importance Of Field Education In Social Work

In social work education there is an extreme importance for field placement and field education. The classroom provides a path for students to become knowledgeable of theory, research, and practice that work best with clients. In addition, it also provides students with knowledge of the profession and the writing skills needed to be successful in the profession. However, it is field education that bridges the gap between classroom education and actual practice. Without field education, we would be educating a generation of social workers who are not fully competent due to their lack of experience applying social work terms and theories to our world’s reality. It is not enough to just teach interventions when working with oppressed populations. In order to be an effective social worker one must be able to apply those interventions to the real world, and that is the importance of field education.
Within field education, there are a team of individuals that help guide and facilitate your professional development within your field placement. According to Dr. Patti Aldredge, director of the field education department at Virginia Commonwealth University, this team consist of your field instructor, field liaison, and field student. The field instructor is the community base practitioner who is …show more content…
This program provides educational materials and knowledge through group intervention to children, as well as parents, who have participated or experienced abuse or neglect or are at risk to abuse or neglect (Family Support Program, para 2). The program model for the Family Support Program involves targeting high-risk populations, employing a variety of intensive treatment interventions, providing a family-focused approach, eliminating barriers to services, and accommodating a wide range of special needs, including but not limited to Spanish speaking parents and parents with intellectual disabilities (Family Support Program, para