Greetings MSW Students,
Please see below for some important field-related reminders, including important information regarding field hours and application deadlines:
- Spartan Compact: All AU students have been asked to adhere to the Spartan Compact, which outlines minimum requirements as it relates to taking proper precautions during University-related activities (this includes internships). You will find the language for the Spartan Compact attached to this email. While we do not have required COVID-related procedures for sites, we do ask our students to follow the guidance of our Spartan Compact as their "minimum requirements" at your internship site.
- COVID-19 Exposure: If you have been exposed to COVID-19, or have concerns about a potential exposure, please contact the AU COVID Line at 630-844-7500
- Summer Application Deadline: The deadline for Summer 2021 Field Applications is next Monday, March 1, 2021. If you are hoping to begin a field placement in May but have concerns about meeting the March 1st, deadline, please contact me.
- Minimum internship hour reductions. Given the pervasive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been given permission to extend the current reduction in field hours to all internships that begin before May 2022. Students are permitted to continue past the revised minimum if they choose to do so. Professional and ethical termination practices should always be prioritized. Please contact your field liaison if you have questions regarding ethical termination.
You are encouraged to confirm the required minimum hours will meet your state’s licensure requirements. For example, some states require a specific number of direct hours for licensure eligibility.
- 1st year MSW Students need to complete a minimum total of 350 hours* by their second semester in order to meet the requirement for 1st year internship.
- 2nd year MSW/Advanced Standing Students need to complete a minimum total of 500 hours** by their second semester in order to meet the requirements for 2nd year internship.
- **PEL: SSW: For school social work placements, the current ISBE requirement is still a minimum of 600 hours. We are actively monitoring these requirements.
- Social Media and Field Questions. We have been noticing an increase in questions regarding field being asked on the various AU SSW social media platforms, and unfortunately have seen quite a bit of misinformation being provided. Please continue to give your peers encouragement and tips in their field search, but please make sure to send all field questions directly to your field staff to avoid any misinformation or frustrations.