Goals and Objectives of the School of Social Work
The objectives of the Radford University School of Social Work are derived from our mission and goals. Our objectives are measurable indicators of our goals. The objectives for goals I and II relate to faculty scholarship and faculty and student leadership in the community. Goal III objectives outline the expectations that BSW students who graduate will be prepared to engage in generalist, culturally competent practice in an organizational context, with client systems of all sizes, following the NASW Code of Ethics. The objectives for goals IV and V set the expectations that MSW students who graduate will be competent, advanced, strengths-based multicultural community-based family practitioners prepared to practice with a high degree of autonomy and proficiency, promoting social and economic justice, and joining with allies to confront oppression and engage in social change. Specific objectives are delineated below.
Goal I. The program promotes active engagement in knowledge development.
1. All faculty participate in at least one evaluative, research, or scholarship project each year.
2. Faculty will disseminate the results of research and scholarly effort through publications, conference presentations, and community workshops and dialogues.
3. Faculty engage students in the work of knowledge development.
Goal II. The program provides professional and community leadership.
1. All faculty provide service and consultation to the School, University, communities of the region, and/or the social work profession.
2. Faculty provide resources for individuals, groups, communities, and organizations regionally, nationally, and internationally.
3. All students provide service to the School, University, community, and/or profession.
Goal III. The overarching goal of the baccalaureate social work program is to prepare graduates for beginning generalist social work practice.
Graduates of the Radford University BSW program will be able to:
1. Practice within the values and ethics of the social work profession, including:
a. identifying and articulating one’s own personal values;
b. explaining how one’s own values impact assessment and intervention;
c. employing the NASW Code of Ethics in social work practice;
d. identifying ethical dilemmas affecting practice and services to clients;
e. resolving ethical dilemmas using appropriate decision-making processes;
f. practicing without discrimination on the basis of age, culture, class, ethnicity, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation; and
g. engaging in continued professional growth and development.
2. Demonstrate culturally competent practice for work in diverse cultural contexts including:
a. describing diversity within and between groups;
b. analyzing the forms and mechanisms of racism, oppression, and discrimination and their impact on client systems;
c. critically analyzing and applying culturally appropriate theories and knowledge about client systems within environmental contexts;
d. employing an ecological perspective in their work with diverse client systems.
3. Use practice knowledge, skills, and theory to promote alleviation of poverty, oppression, and other forms of social and economic injustice, including:
a. using theoretical frameworks to understand individual development and behavior across the life span
b. analyzing historical and current trends in social welfare policy and service delivery;
c. analyzing research relevant to service delivery;
d. using knowledge of economic, political, and organizational systems to analyze, implement and influence policies consistent with social work values;
4. Function effectively within the structure of organizations and across service delivery systems, including:
a. using appropriate practice-relevant technologies within the context of organizational resources and facilities;
b. using supervision and consultation appropriately to improve practice and enhance services to clients; and
c. coordinating with and within service delivery systems and using internal and external resources professionally.
5. Use the generalist practice model with client systems of all sizes, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, including:
a. using knowledge and theories of individual, family, group, organizational, and community to assess interactions among individuals and other social systems;
b. applying relevant research findings to social work practice;
c. employing evidence-based best practices when using professional knowledge and skills;
d. using oral and written communication skills appropriate to client systems, colleagues, and community members;
e. applying critical thinking skills to social work practice;
f. working collaboratively with professionals from other disciplines;
g. evaluating one’s own practice effectiveness and sharing findings appropriately;
h. demonstrating professional use of self through self awareness and appropriate use of supervision;
i. utilizing a strengths perspective in their work with diverse client systems;
j. employing appropriate social work roles of advocate, case manager, broker, enabler, facilitator, mediator, educator, and evaluator.
Goal IV. MSW program. – Foundation. The overarching goal of the MSW social work program at the foundation level is to introduce students to the social work perspective. Students completing the foundation are not yet autonomous social work practitioners but have the skills, knowledge base, and perspective to pursue studies in the concentration year.
Completers of the Radford University MSW foundation will be able to:
1. Delineate the values and ethics of the social work profession, including
a. identifying and articulating one’s own personal values;
b. recognizing how one’s own values impact assessment and intervention;
c. identifying how the NASW Code of Ethics relates to social work practice;
d. identifying ethical dilemmas affecting practice and services to clients;
e. recognizing that ethical dilemmas can be resolved through appropriate decision-making processes;
f. recognizing that social work practice does not discriminate on the basis of age, culture, class, ethnicity, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, and sexual orientation; and
g. engaging in continued professional growth and development.
2. Develop culturally competent techniques for work in diverse cultural contexts, including
a. recognizing diversity within and between groups;
b. recognizing the forms and mechanisms of racism, oppression, and discrimination and their impact on client systems;
c. critically analyzing and applying culturally appropriate theories and knowledge about client systems within environmental contexts;
d. demonstrating knowledge of how the ecological perspective works with diverse client systems.
3. Use practice knowledge and skill to promote alleviation of poverty, oppression, and other forms of social and economic justice, including
a. analyzing historical and current trends in social welfare policy and service delivery;
b. analyzing research relevant to service delivery; and
c. using knowledge of economic, political, and organizational systems to analyze, implement and influence policies consistent with social work values.
4. Function effectively within the structure of organizations and across service delivery systems, including
a. using appropriate practice-relevant technologies within the context of organizational resources and facilities; and
b. using supervision and consultation appropriately to improve practice and enhance services to clients.
c. Coordinating with and within service delivery systems, using internal and external resources professionally; and,
d. analyze and comprehend service delivery systems.
5. Demonstrate how the generalist practice model can work with client systems of all sizes, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, including
a. using knowledge and theories of individual, family, group, organizations, and community to assess interactions among individuals and other social systems;
b. appropriately applying relevant research findings to social work practice;
c. employing evidence-based best practices when using professional knowledge and skills;
d. using communication skills appropriate to client systems, colleagues, and community members;
e. applying critical thinking skills within the context of social work practice;
f. working collaboratively with professionals from other disciplines nationally and internationally;
g. evaluating one’s own practice effectiveness and sharing findings appropriately;
h. demonstrating professional use of self through self-awareness and appropriate use of supervision;
i. utilizing a strengths/ecological/systems perspective in their work with diverse client systems; and
j. employing appropriate social work roles with client systems to include advocate, case manager, broker, enabler, organizer, facilitator, counselor, mediator, educator, and evaluator.
Goal V: MSW program – Concentration. The overarching goal of the concentration year is to prepare our graduates to be competent, advanced community-based family practice practitioners.
These graduates will be able to:
1. analyze, intervene, and evaluate, with a high degree of autonomy and proficiency;
2. promote social and economic justice; to confront injustice and oppression; and to work to eliminate poverty and social problems with individuals, families, groups, and organizations, locally, nationally, and globally.
3. demonstrate reciprocity in their practice, as a part of the ecological perspective, collaborating, communicating, and consulting at every level; joining with allies to confront oppression, engage in social change, and affect policy; practicing empowering, strengths-based multicultural practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
4. critically evaluate and modify the quality of their own practice, analyzing their own values and those of the profession;
5. apply advanced information technology to inform community-based practice;
6. demonstrate skills in research design, analysis, and knowledge dissemination; and assume accountability for ethical practice.
Accreditation
The program is accredited on the BSW and MSW levels by the Council on Social Work Education and is reviewed and monitored by the Professional Advisory Council, comprised of 50-plus trained professional social workers.