CSWE Accreditation Information
Specialized Accreditation
The UAF Social Work Department is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and has been continuously since l985. In February 2016, the Commission on Accreditation (COA) reviewed the Self-Study, the Accreditation Review Brief, and the program’s response to the Brief as the reaffirmation application for the baccalaureate social work program, and voted to reaffirm the program’s accreditation for eight years, ending February 2024.
CSWE 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS)
Core Competencies and Practice Behaviors
Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
1.1 Student will make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the NASW Code of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision-making, ethical conduct of research, and additional codes of ethics as appropriate to context;
1.2 Student will use reflection and self-regulation to manage personal values and maintain professionalism in practice situations;
1.3 Student will demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior; appearance; and oral, written, and electronic communication;
1.4 Student will use technology ethically and appropriately to facilitate practice outcomes; and
1.5 Student will use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior.
Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
2.1 Student will apply and communicate understanding of the importance of diversity and difference in shaping life experiences in practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels;
2.2 Student will present themselves as learners and engage clients and constituencies as experts of their own experiences; and
2.3 Student will apply self-awareness and self- regulation to manage the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse clients and constituencies
Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
3.1 Student will apply their understanding of social, economic, and environmental justice to advocate for human rights at the individual and system levels; and
3.2 Student will engage in practices that advance social, economic, and environmental justice.
Competency 4: Engage In Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice
4.1 Student will use practice experience and theory to inform scientific inquiry and research;
4.2 Student will apply critical thinking to engage in analysis of quantitative and qualitative research methods and research findings; and
4.3 Student will use and translate research evidence to inform and improve practice, policy, and service delivery.
Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice
5.1 Student will identify social policy at the local, state, and federal level that impacts well-being, service delivery, and access to social services;
5.2 Student will assess how social welfare and economic policies impact the delivery of and access to social services;
5.3 Student will apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.
Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities.
6.1 Students will apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks to engage with clients and constituencies; and
6.2 Students will use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage diverse clients and constituencies.
Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
7.1 Students will collect and organize data, and apply critical thinking to interpret information from clients and constituencies;
7.2 Students will apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in- environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the analysis of assessment data from clients and constituencies;
7.3 Students will develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives based on the critical assessment of strengths, needs, and challenges within clients and constituencies; and
7.4 Students will select appropriate intervention strategies based on the assessment, research knowledge, and values and preferences of clients and constituencies.
Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
8.1 Students critically choose and implement interventions to achieve practice goals and enhance capacities of clients and constituencies;
8.2 Students will apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in- environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in interventions with clients and constituencies;
8.3 Students will use inter-professional collaboration as appropriate to achieve beneficial practice outcomes;
8.4 Students will negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of diverse clients and constituencies; and
8.5 Students will facilitate effective transitions and endings that advance mutually agreed-on goals.
Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
9.1 Students will select and use appropriate methods for evaluation of outcomes;
9.2 Students will apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in- environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the evaluation of outcomes;
9.3 Students will critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate intervention and program processes and outcomes; and
9.4 Students will apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels.