Students are expected to follow all policies and guidelines related to COVID-19 from UConn (which are based on state and CDC policies) and their field agencies (if applicable). If a student’s field placement site is open, the student should plan to attend field as scheduled while closely monitoring their own health and safety. As emerging professionals, students are empowered to make an informed decision and consider options regarding attendance in field related to health and safety. As per CDC and State of Connecticut guidance, students should consult with their personal physician regarding their own health situation. We support the informed decisions that students will make. However, some decisions may impact the student’s eligibility to enter into or remain in a field placement.

For updates from UConn, visit the University's Covid-19 site.

• A student who tests positive for Covid-19 should immediately stop going in person to their field placement and should self-quarantine in accordance with their physician’s instructions. The student should alert their field instructor and faculty advisor immediately and notify the field agency of their status.
• The field placement agency may have their own guidelines regarding exposure, contact tracing, or other steps that the student should follow.

Disruptions to the Field Placement

It is possible that some field placements may be disrupted during the year due to various factors, including Covid-19. If that happens, affected students would engage in remote field experiences provided either by their field agency (e.g., telehealth or remote field activities).

These remote field experiences may include the following:

1. Online trainings that can be taken at any time according to your own schedule. We have compiled many hours of free online trainings on our SSW field education HuskyCT site and have a menu of training offerings. We have identified which trainings are applicable to different cohorts of students (based on whether you are in the BSW or MSW program, and for MSW students, your year in field and concentration).
2. Other remote field activities or assignments with approval from the student’s faculty advisor.

The online trainings and other remote field activities or assignments provided by the UConn SSW will be posted on the Field Education HuskyCT (Blackboard) site. All MSW and BSW UConn SSW students enrolled in field education will have access to that site. Students will keep a log of their remote field hours and email their hours log and their Certificates of Completion for the online trainings to their Faculty Advisor and the Field Education Department (sswfielded@uconn.edu).

Students can earn field credit for completing remote trainings/assignments while they are not in a field-based placement (up to 15 hours per week for MSW students and up to 14 hours per week for BSW students).

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, given the significant disruptions faced by our agency partners and the challenges in obtaining and sustaining field placements, we reduced the number of required field hours in keeping with guidance from our accrediting body, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). As we look to the 2021-2022 academic year, as protocols are in place related to Covid-19 and as more students and community members are becoming vaccinated, we are easing back toward our pre-Covid requirements for field hours as follows:

• MSW students: All MSW “in-field” students are required to complete a minimum of 435 hours of field in the 2021-2022 academic year (29 weeks of field at 15 hours-per-week). This is true for students engaged in a field unit or agency-affiliated field education (whether at the agency or remote) and those engaged in remote field experiences.
• BSW students: All BSW “in-field” students (i.e., seniors) are required to complete a minimum of 406 hours of field in the 2021-2022 academic year (29 weeks of field at approximately 14 hours-per-week). This is true for students engaged in a field unit or agency-affiliated field education (whether at the agency or remote) and those engaged in remote field experiences.

MSW Students: All MSW “in-field” students are required to complete a minimum of 15 hours per week in field education. This is true for students engaged in a field unit or agency-affiliated field education (whether at the field unit / agency or remote) and those engaged in remote field experiences. Some agency placements may require a student to do up to 20 hours per week in their placement.

BSW Students: All students are required to complete approximately 14 hours per week in field education. This is true for students engaged in a field unit or agency-affiliated field education (whether at the field unit / agency or remote) and those engaged in remote field experiences.

We expect that most students will finish their field education hours April 22 in 2022. Some agencies may require additional hours or have a later end date.

MSW Students: REMINDER: All MSW students MUST complete 435 hours in field during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Advanced Standing students must complete a minimum of 765 field hours to graduate in Spring 2022 (combining hours from their BSW program and the MSW program). All other MSW students must complete 855 field hours to graduate in Spring 2022 (combining hours from their first and second year field placements).

BSW Students: BSW seniors need to complete 406 field hours to graduate in 2022.

In order to get licensed in Connecticut, a basic requirement is graduation from an MSW program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The UConn School of Social Work is accredited by CSWE.

The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) reported in Spring 2020 that no state’s regulatory requirements exceed CSWE’s temporary guidelines for reduced field hours during the coronavirus pandemic. This means that students who graduated with their degree from UConn during the pandemic were not limited in terms of where they could apply for licensure in the United States based on graduating with reduced field hours authorized by CSWE. Students are encouraged to check with each state’s licensing body for details and up-to-date information.

During the 2021-2022 academic years, in keeping with the CSWE guidelines, the SSW will allow for remote field activity, field supervision, and field seminar hours to count toward MSW students’ field hours.

You may be able to do an Employed Social Work (ESW) placement. In keeping with CSWE’s updated guidance on employment-based field in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the SSW will be more flexible in the use of ESW placements in 2021-2022 academic years. Please contact the Field Education Department at sswfielded@uconn.edu if you are interested in exploring this.

Field Seminars will be held in person during the 2021-2022 academic year. Students will receive information from the Field Advising Seminar instructor.