Columbia School of Social Work
 
Specialized Year Practicum Evaluation
 
Policy Practice
 
Note: This is for preview purposes only. At the end of the semester, practicum instructors will be emailed customized survey links to complete evaluations for each of their students.

[Enter practicum instructor name, agency name and description, description of agency conditions that may have adversely affected the student's placement (if any), and description of student's assignments to date.]
 

Competency 1: Ability to Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior

Policy Practice social workers demonstrate ethical and professional behavior by engaging in the development, assessment, and critique of policy to uphold social work professional practice and the field's values and ethical standards. They apply professional use of self, attending to one's own personal experiences and affective responses, in policy analysis and advocacy. They use advanced and audience-aware oral and written communication skills in working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and governments to effect policy change. They understand the importance of collaborating professionally and respectfully with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, governments, and colleagues in social work and other professions. They apply advanced critical thinking skills by identifying and analyzing the values and ethics underlying policy choices. These concepts transcend individual relationships with clients and encompass a code of behavior and ethics within organizations and communities, and with collaborators. Policy Practice social workers:

Assessment of the student social worker's ability to demonstrate ethical and professional behavior:
Examples of how the student social worker has demonstrated competency in demonstration of ethical and professional behavior:
 
 
 
 

Competency 2: Ability to Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice

Policy Practice social workers engage in diversity and difference in practice by advocating for policies that address oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation and promote equity, justice, and wellbeing of diverse groups and populations. They not only take into consideration these forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination in policy analysis, but also promote deeper engagement with diverse stakeholders as part of a process aiming to achieve equity, justice, and wellbeing of diverse individuals and populations. Policy Practice social workers understand and appreciate the broad range of personal and group variables (e.g., age, class, color, culture, disability and ability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, marital status, political ideology, race, religion/spirituality, sex, sexual orientation, and tribal sovereign status) that affect social policy. They also engage with diverse stakeholders in promoting policies that these constituencies support and need. Policy practice social workers approach their policy work with individuals, families, groups, communities, and governments with self-awareness and cultural humility. They understand how bias, power, and privilege impact how policy is conceived and implemented. Policy Practice social workers:

Assessment of the student social worker's ability to engage diversity and difference in practice:
Examples of how the student social worker has demonstrated competency in engagement of diversity and difference in practice:
 
 
 
 

Competency 3: Ability to Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice

Policy Practice social workers advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice by working in a self-aware, culturally-sensitive manner with diverse stakeholders to develop and advocate for policies that promote equity and counter discrimination and marginalization. To support that work, they understand the historical effects of oppression, discrimination, and economic and social disparities on populations to guide the development and implementation of just social policies. Policy Practice social workers collaborate with diverse stakeholders to advance policy proposals that positively impact vulnerable or oppressed client populations. To ensure they are effective, they provide compelling evidence to policymakers and engage with humility and empathy with clients and client systems to promote social justice. Policy Practice social workers:

Assessment of the student social worker's ability to advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice:
Examples of how the student social worker has demonstrated competency in advancement of human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice:
 
 
 
 

Competency 4: Ability to Engage In Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice

Policy Practice social workers engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice by using academic research, stories of lived experience, and practice wisdom to identify and assess the effectiveness and impacts of social policies and their implementations. They develop and/or use existing research-based evidence in policy analysis and advocate for policies that research indicates will improve clients' and client systems' wellbeing. Policy Practice social workers collaborate with key stakeholders to engage in practice-informed research for policy making, program design, and evaluation, through dissemination of research findings to diverse groups and levels of government. They value research as an important tool for long-term and wide-ranging change, and also understand its limitations in the social policy arena. Policy Practice social workers:

Assessment of the student social worker's ability to engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice:
Examples of how the student social worker has demonstrated competency in engagement in practice-informed research and research-informed practice:
 
 
 
 

Competency 5: Ability to Engage in Policy Practice

Policy Practice social workers engage in policy practice as professionals in the social policy arena, working to formulate, establish, and/or change policies in groups, organizations, communities, and governments. They personally conduct or lead groups engaged in the full iterative range of activities in policy practice: issue identification, information gathering, analysis, policy option development, presenting to policymakers, implementation approval, and evaluation, which includes recognition of the hierarchy of information. They understand policy options within specific political, economic, social, and cultural contexts, and are aware of the impact of their own personal experience and affective reactions in policy practice. Policy Practice social workers recognize the importance of incorporating the perspectives of diverse stakeholders from all systems levels in the creation and advocacy of social policy. They understand the importance of communication with and the dissemination of information to key policymakers and constituents through a range of formats and platforms. Policy Practice social workers:

Assessment of the student social worker's ability to engage in policy practice:
Examples of how the student social worker has demonstrated competency in engagement in policy practice:
 
 
 
 

Competency 6: Ability to Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Policy Practice social workers engage with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and levels of government in creating and advocating for social policy. They work with policy makers, community constituents, and/or organizations affected by policy in ways that value, respect, and include the expertise, knowledge, and culture of those impacted by policy. Of critical importance from a social work lens is for the Policy Practice social workers to engage policymakers to educate, inform, and advocate in ways that compel a better understanding of the impact of social policy on the lived experience of diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. This also involves deep engagement with key informants to understand the impact of social issues on the community in ways that promote dialogue and collaborative processes. Policy Practice social workers:

Assessment of the student social worker's ability to engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities:
Examples of how the student social worker has demonstrated competency in engagement with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities:
 
 
 
 

Competency 7: Ability to Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Policy Practice social workers assess the social policy needs and impacts for diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. They are able to use their Policy Practice social work experience to develop, select, and conduct assessments using appropriate metrics, analytical methods, and the lived experience of individuals, families, and groups within organizations and communities affected by social policy. Policy Practice social workers are equipped to understand, and communicate to policymakers, how social policies impact individual behaviors, opportunities, attitudes, and living conditions. They understand how to use evidence at the individual, family, group, organization, and/or community levels to understand the impacts of relevant social policies, advocate for changes based on the evidence, and frame options for action with partners and key stakeholders. Policy Practice social workers:

Assessment of the student social worker's ability to assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities:
Examples of how the student social worker has demonstrated competency in assessment with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities:
 
 
 
 

Competency 8: Ability to Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Policy Practice social workers intervene with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities by engaging in the full iterative process of social policy formulation. They understand the importance of sustainable solutions to meet the social welfare needs of diverse clients and client systems. They advocate for policy solutions that are informed by evidence, meeting the needs of diverse populations to develop and revitalize social, economic, and environmental assets, and to build community capacity. Policy Practice social workers use their specialized practice skills to communicate findings from policy research into effective and persuasive arguments for advancing social policy. They work with and on behalf of diverse clients and constituencies, and facilitate the participation of diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in policy processes. They reflect on their own personal experiences and affective reactions and the impact those may have on policy interventions. Policy Practice social workers:

Assessment of the student social worker's ability to intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities:
Examples of how the student social worker has demonstrated competency in intervention with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities:
 
 
 
 

Competency 9: Ability to Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Policy Practice social workers evaluate policy practice with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities by differentially analyzing effectiveness and impacts of social policies for diverse populations. They develop appropriate evaluative strategies, using theoretical and conceptual frameworks to evaluate policy, taking into account how one's own personal experiences and affective reactions influence the evaluation. Policy Practice social workers crucially use principles of micro and macroeconomics in the development, analysis, and evaluation of social policies, drawing on their specialized practice expertise. They also understand advanced quantitative and qualitative data analysis and current technology and resources that inform and enhance policy evaluation across client systems. Policy Practice social workers:

Assessment of the student social worker's ability to evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities:
Examples of how the student social worker has demonstrated competency in evaluation with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities:
 
 
 
 
Overall impression of the student's progress and recommendations for future learning goals:
 
 
 
 
Recommended grade: