Abstract
A key component of all graduate level social work programs is the field-based educational experience designed to provide students the opportunity to practice while under the supervision of both a field-based mentor and a faculty member within the school. Social work programs must develop and maintain ties with organizations and agencies within the community to facilitate a wide variety of options for students. Separately, social work schools are increasingly developing relationships with other professional schools, most often with law schools, to allow students to study from an interprofessional perspective. In this article, the authors review existing literature regarding social work interprofessional education, focusing on law and social work. The authors will describe Michigan State University’s School of Social Work Chance at Childhood Program, designed to train future social workers and lawyers from an interprofessional perspective in the classroom, in the field, and in a variety of community-based advocacy projects. Finally, the authors will discuss the results of preliminary research efforts designed to measure the program's effectiveness at achieving the program goals set forth in the program’s logic model.
Highlights
Literature ReviewSchools of social work have responded to these demands by developing partnerships with schools in a variety of other disciplines (Jankovic & Green, 1981; Kopels & Gustavsson, 1996)
A key component of all graduate level social work programs is the field-based educational experience designed to provide students the opportunity to practice while under the supervision of both a field-based mentor and a faculty member within the school
With a long history of focus on community needs, this theme resonates especially strongly throughout Michigan State University (MSU). It is from this perspective that the authors will examine Chance at Childhood Program (CAC) as an example of MSU's commitment to meet the challenges described above
Summary
Schools of social work have responded to these demands by developing partnerships with schools in a variety of other disciplines (Jankovic & Green, 1981; Kopels & Gustavsson, 1996) These authors stress the importance of training and education in multiple disciplines for social work graduates to effectively practice in the human service fields. Scarnecchia (1997) describes how an interdisciplinary program at the University of Michigan is designed to address the lawyer’s need to integrate social work, psychology, medicine, and education into an effective legal practice. In addition to providing students with “real-world” experience, field placements represent one way in which social work schools provide service to the larger community Universities, those in urban settings, have come under great pressure to assist in the process of solving social ills (McCall, 1990). It is from this perspective that the authors will examine CAC as an example of MSU's commitment to meet the challenges described above
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call