Developing Partnerships Between Social Work Programs and the Professional Community

ABSTRACT

This paper reports the results of a national survey of Field Directors with regard to the extent and use they make of Field Advisory Groups. Forty percent (119) of respondents (294) reported using Field Advisory Groups with the need for input from the practice community and preparation for accreditation/reaccreditation identified as the primary reasons for advisory groups being established. Field Advisory Groups concerned themselves most frequently with development, evaluation and revision of field curriculum, evaluation of field students and accreditation/reaccreditation. All Field Directors who assessed their experiences found field advisory groups useful noting their role in supporting the field program and helping social work educators fulfill CSWE's mandate of remaining attuned to the realities of social work practice. At the same time, a few respondents also found field advisory groups perfunctory on occasion.