This page is intended for agency supervisors. Below you will find important information on what to expect when your employee is accepted as an MHSP scholar.

Your employee will follow the Silberman School of Social Work (SSSW) one-year residency field practicum and academic calendar. This is a year-round academic program, running from late August to mid-August of the following year (with a two-week break between summer and fall classes). Your employee will be in school for just over two years. During the Fall semester of their first academic year, they may need to request some adjustments in their schedule to accommodate class attendance. We understand that some of your programs, such as housing, outreach, or home visiting settings, have evening, weekend, or nontraditional “office” hours that may require some flexibility and planning around any requested schedule changes to ensure proper continuity of care.

In the Spring semester of your employee’s first academic year, your agency will be contacted by the SSSW Field Office to develop appropriate field assignments for your employee’s field practicum year. Your agency will need to complete the OYR Field Agreement Packet, sign and return it to the Field Office. The MHSP Professional Development Counselor (PDC) assigned to your employee, will be available to assist you with this process. You are asked to sign this agreement in the Spring to allow enough time to implement the necessary changes to support your employee’s new field assignment.

The OYR Field Practicum begins in the Fall of your employee’s second academic year. 28 hours per week of their time are dedicated to the field practicum assignment described above. These 28 hours can be divided into 14 hours of new advanced learning opportunities – achievable without changing the core responsibilities of your employee’s job; while, the remaining 14 hours are taken from the employment responsibilities approached from a new social work perspective. The practicum assignment must reflect a change in focus to provide your employee with new opportunities that afford advanced learning. At least half of their assignment must be different from their current job and must be consistent with their Practice Method and Field of Specialization (Clinical, OML or Community Organizing). The developed assignment must follow the approved plan throughout the academic year. The Assistant Director, at the SSSW Field Education Office must be contacted if there are any changes. It is important to remember that the student will be working their regular workweek (35-40 hours). We ask that the 14 hours of new learning be part of, and NOT in addition to your employee’s work week.

A qualified field instructor, someone who is not serving as the employee’s supervisor, who is a licensed MSW with SIFI (or SIFI eligible) must be available to provide 60-90 minuted of weekly field instruction to your employee.