Academic and Professional Standards of Performance Policy
Policy Rationale
As the primary role of the SIUE Department of Social Work is to prepare students to engage in
ethical social work practice, a major element of this training involves ensuring that students
understand the values that undergird the profession and display behaviors that are consistent with
these values. The National Association of Social Work (NASW) Code of Ethics serves as the
cornerstone of both our profession and this departmental behavior and performance policy. This
policy supports and is in addendum to the SIUE’s Student Rights and Conduct Policy, which
students are also bound to. That policy can be found at: https://www.siue.edu/policies/3c1.shtml
All students are expected to uphold and adhere to the Academic and Ethical Standards of the
Performance Policy in and outside of class, including but not limited to activities they are
involved in on SIUE property, in the wider community, at practicum placements, volunteer sites,
and online. With respect to social media postings and other online communications in particular,
students should adhere to the Standards for Technology in Social Work Practice published by
NASW, which states that “social workers should apply principles of honesty, respect, and social
justice, whether their electronic communications are for personal or work-related purposes” (p.
25).
In order to support students through the process of acclimating to the profession as well as our
department’s ethical responsibility to safeguard the communities in which social workers engage,
we have laid out this policy. The intent of the policy is to provide students with feedback and
coaching on those aspects of our profession that are not easily captured in standard university
course participation assessment and grading metrics. The terms of this policy may take the form
of either commendation or remediation depending on the circumstance and review of the faculty.
Learning about historical and contemporary structural influences on marginalized and oppressed
populations may challenge previously held attitudes and require significant personal change.
This process may be anxiety producing, thus the department strongly encourages students to
develop a support system in which all attitudes may be examined and challenged toward the goal
of greater empathy and social action.
In instances of this policy initiating remediation the results will include a plan for ameliorative
action up to dismissal from the program. In particular, the Department has zero tolerance for the
denigration of any person based on race, ethnicity, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual
orientation, religion, age, disability, or any other dimension of human identity. Any violation of
this fundamental value of the social work profession and the SIUE Department of Social Work
that comes to our attention is addressed with all due seriousness and swiftness, in accordance
with the Policy Guidelines delineated below.
Policy Dissemination
Students
Students receive information regarding the Academic and Ethical Performance Standards Policy
prior to entering the program. Information dissemination occurs through:
1. The policy is placed on the SIUE Department of Social Work website so that prospective
students have the opportunity to review the policy early in their process of considering
our programs of study.
2. This policy is reviewed during program orientation sessions that prospective students
attend prior to applying to the BSW program as well as at MSW program orientation.
3. Students must address their commitment to the Policy Guidelines (delineated below) in
their personal statements submitted with their applications.
4. Both the BSW and MSW application forms require that students sign off that they have
read and understand the policy.
5. For undergraduate students, the SOCW 202 course reviews and reinforces the Academic
and Ethical Standards of Performance Policy set forth by the Department of Social Work.
It is strongly recommended that students take this course prior to being declared a social
work major. For graduate students, this information is covered very early in their course
of study.
It is the goal for students to know and understand the Academic and Ethical Standards of
Performance Policy for the SIUE Department of Social Work as early as possible in their process
of considering and applying for the BSW or MSW program. If students do not feel as though
they can uphold these standards, it is recommended that they consider pursuing other majors that
may be a better fit.
Faculty and Staff
Faculty receive information regarding the Academic and Ethical Standards of Performance
Policy through the following:
1. The policy is placed on the SIUE Department of Social Work website and within the
department’s SharePoint to ensure ease of access to all faculty.
2. Faculty are briefed on the contents and trained on the purpose of the policy during
onboarding by The Department Chair.
3. The full contents of the policy, its use, and statistics on policy application from the
previous year are reviewed at on of the first faculty meetings of each academic year.
4. If faculty complete a disposition, they are to complete the Qualtrics survey on review of
the disposition process to facilitate future updates.
Policy Guidelines
Policy Guidelines
The table below outlines the major values and ethical principles of the social work profession as
found in the NASW Code of Ethics. In addition, it outlines some of the behavioral expectations
of students that demonstrate a sound understanding of and adherence to these values and ethical
principles. Please note that the behavioral expectations identified below are not exhaustive, but should be interpreted as a foundation for broader considerations of how behaviors may or may
not align with the values and ethical principles identified in the left-hand column.
| Social Work - Values and Ethical Principles | Academic and Professional Expectations |
|---|---|
|
Service
|
Social workers should: |
|
Social Justice
Social workers challenge social injustice |
Social workers should:
|
|
Dignity and Worth of the Person Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person |
Social workers should: Show respect for the self-determination of clients, regardless of personal feelings and/or values, within practicum and/or agency settings
|
|
Importance of Human Relationships Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships |
Social workers should:
|
|
Integrity Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner |
Social workers should:
Show honesty in communication with fellow students, faculty, practicum sites, employers, clients, and others
Understand and practice academic honesty and the proper standards of academic citation
Understand and practice professional honesty and give credit to others’ work whenever appropriate Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with fellow students, faculty, and others |
|
Competence Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional experience |
Social workers should:
Demonstrate responsibility and dependability by fully adhering to the academic and professional standards articulated through course syllabi and departmental policy and standards, by meeting deadlines on assignments and projects, keeping appointments, and being responsive in communications.
|
Policy Implementation
There are several opportunities for evaluation of students using the Policy Guidelines. At the
end of each academic year all students will complete a self-assessment of their progress through
the program using the Commendation/Disposition Form to be submitted to the program director
and reviewed by the appropriate program committee. At any time, students may initiate formal
feedback through the policy process by contacting their faculty mentor or appropriate program
director; feedback may be provided by faculty who have worked with the student in an
educational or mentor capacity during the current academic year. Additionally, Faculty and
Directors will fill out disposition forms when a violation of ethical standards occurs requiring
remediation.
As the point of this policy is to provide coaching and feedback outside of traditional university
course participation assessment and grading metrics, students should not receive a disposition for
those instances in which they are already receiving a grading sanction.
All commendation or disposition forms are placed inside the internal departmental file of the
students. However, students who receive a “some concerns” and “does not meet” designation on
one of the Policy Guidelines criteria receive a written remediation and follow-up discussion
outlined more fully below.
If the person filling out the Disposition Form deems the violation of the Policy Guideline to be
egregious they write a detailed description and bring the matter before the full faculty to vote on
recommendation of student termination. If the majority of faculty vote in favor of student
termination, the Chair meets with the Associate Dean of Student Affairs in the College of Arts
and Sciences to facilitate student removal from the program. Otherwise, remediation proceeds as
follows.
Remediation Steps
Step 1: Filling Out Disposition Forms
Before any student receives a disposition, the Faculty or Director wishing to initiate the
disposition process will bring the matter before the appropriate program committee (either BSW
or MSW) for review. If the committee determines that the concern brought by the Faculty or
Director warrants a disposition then the petitioning Faculty or Director will complete the
disposition form.
Step 2: Remediation
When a student receives a “some concerns” and/or “does not meet” for any category on the
disposition form, the student meets with the person who filled out the remediation form, the
student’s mentor, and the student; the student may also choose to invite an advocate to the
meeting. Together, the attendees develop a plan of action to consider the behavior and how best
the student can proceed in the future to work with the feedback. The plan will then be put in
writing, signed by the student, and placed in the student’s file. All goals listed in the plan of
action should be measurable and include a concrete plan for follow-up with the student on goal
progress. Copies of the plan of action will be emailed to the student and their mentor, placed in
the student’s file and kept in the department SharePoint folder.
Step 3: Filling out Second Disposition Form
Before a second disposition is filled out the Faculty or Director should follow the petitioning
steps outlined in Step One. If a second disposition is granted and the student receives a “some
concern” and/or “does not meet” for any category (including one different than the first), the
Program Director solicits feedback from departmental faculty to receive a more comprehensive
view of the student. After soliciting feedback, the Director sets up a meeting with the student,
the Program Director, Chair of the department and possibly the Associate Dean for Student
Affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences to discuss remediation. A remediation plan,
including concrete measurable action steps with clearly delineated deadlines and follow-up is
created and shared with the student and placed in the student’s file.
Step 4: Termination
If following the steps of this process the student receives a third disposition form for any reason
they are terminated from the program.
Commendation:
accomplishments of students that exemplify ethical social work practice. They can use the
Commendation Form to highlight which area(s) of practice the student is currently excelling at to
be placed in the student’s file. These commendations may serve as the basis for recommendation
letters, departmental awards, or other recognition. However, receipt of a commendation does not
oblige the department to any of these actions.
