Developing Antiracism Competencies In Social Work Practicum Education

Background and purpose

In 2022, CSWE revised its accreditation standards to emphasize the importance of preparing graduates to advocate for racial justice. More specifically, social work students are expected to develop the ability to “advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice” and “engage anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) in practice.” Students develop these competencies through their academic coursework as well as practicum education in clinical and/or macro settings.

Practicum supervisors play a pivotal role in students’ professional development. This study explored supervisors’ perceptions of teaching students to engage in anti-racist practice. To what extent do supervisors feel prepared and supported in training social work students to engage ADEI in practice? What learning activities help students develop these competencies in their practicum placements?

Methodology

Practicum directors at all CSWE-accredited programs were asked to share a one-time survey with their practicum supervisors. The Qualtrics survey included questions about their perceptions of the competencies 2 and 3 and the specific learning activities for these competencies in their practice setting. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS. A content analysis identified themes in the qualitative data.

Results

Participants (N=243) were social workers who supervised BSW and/or MSW students. They earned their MSW an average of 17.5 (SD=10.3) years ago and had been supervising for 10.1 (SD=8.9) years. Participants were primarily White (77.0%), female (77.0%), and a mean of 47.2 years old (SD=11.6). Twenty-six states and Washington, DC are represented.

Most supervisors (93.5%) incorporate anti-racism into their social work practice, and many (75.7%) consider anti-racism to be central to their agency’s work. One-quarter (25.5%) believe that it is primarily the responsibility of classroom instructors, not practicum supervisors, to ensure that students learn about anti-racism. Many supervisors (59.7%) believed that social work programs do not provide supervisors with sufficient training for teaching social work students to engage in anti-racist practice, and some supervisors (24.3%) do not have access to resources for preparing students to address racial justice in practice.

Participants identified learning activities for competency #2: advocating for clients, addressing inequities, engaging in structural change, utilizing specific practice models, and engaging in trainings and supervision. They described learning activities for competency #3: ensuring access to services, practicing with cultural responsiveness, being aware of implicit bias, and engaging in training and supervision. A few participants expressed negative views about these competencies, including that they are difficult to operationalize and may not be possible in all sites, and that students should simply focus on “meeting the needs of all clients.”

Conclusions and Implications

Students can develop competencies #2 and #3 through myriad learning activities. Specific examples shared in this study help operationalize these competencies and offer possibilities that may be relevant for other sites. Supervisors appear committed to anti-racism in their own practice and would benefit from more training and resources to ensure they can assist students in becoming justice-based, anti-racist practitioners. This presentation reflects the SSWR conference objective of engaging in research to “build a more just, inclusive, and vibrant democracy.”