Social Work, Department of

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Interim Department Chair

David Chenot

Department Office/Website

Education Classroom 207
657-278-8452
hhd.fullerton.edu/MSW

Faculty

Caroline Bailey, Alexander Ballan, David Chenot, David Cherin, Christine Ford, Sean Hogan, Juye Ji, Mikyong Kim-Goh, Marcella Mendez, Marilyn Milligan, Debra Saxton

Introduction

The mission of the Department of Social Work is to educate committed professionals for direct social work practice with vulnerable children and families, and underserved severely mentally ill individuals and groups, with special sensitivity to the multicultural populations of Orange County and nearby Southern California regions.

The M.S.W. program emphasizes ecological and open-systems perspectives that focus on the fit and interactions of a person or family within a variety of dynamic social and economic systems. Effective social work practice is seen as a change-oriented process that seeks to improve the quality of life of clients, ensures equitable access to opportunities and resources, supports social participation and advocates for fairness within a multicultural context.

The M.S.W. program is designed to address the growing need for social workers to work with individuals, families, groups and organizations in public and nonprofit social service agencies.

The Department of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (Council on Social Work Education, Commission on Accreditation, 1725 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, phone number: 703-683-8080).

Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes

The following learning goals and learning outcomes have been established for students pursuing a degree in Social Work:

Knowledge

• Enhance the social functioning and interactions of individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities
• Critically analyze and apply knowledge of human behavior in the context of social environments from a bio-psycho-social-spiritual strengths-based perspective using ecological and other applicable theories and research
• Develop and practice communication skills for effective social work practice with systems of all sizes
• Develop and practice strategies of intervention that are empowering and advance social and economic justice
• Learn theoretical frameworks that explain individual and family development across the life span, as well as developmental theories that apply to groups, organizations and communities

Skills

• Become change agents and work effectively in increasingly complex, culturally and racially diverse communities
• Understand, value and respect the multicultural perspectives, as well as recognize and apply skills of change to conditions of racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of oppression, discrimination and social and economic injustice at the individual, family, organizational and governmental levels
• Apply knowledge and skills of a generalist social work perspective that is contextually and culturally competent
• Leadership roles in public social service organizations

Experience

• Analyze social welfare policy and formulate advocacy and practice techniques
• Use supervision and consultation appropriately
• Apply knowledge and skills of advanced social work practice in the specialized areas of Child Welfare and Community Mental Health
• Function effectively within the structure of organizations and service delivery systems, and when appropriate, facilitate organizational change necessary to promote social work values and ethics

Concentrations

The Master of Social Work degree offers opportunities for study in two substantive areas: Child Welfare and Community Mental Health.

Child Welfare Concentration (CW)

The Child Welfare (CW) concentration prepares students for practice in a variety of settings, including child welfare/protective services, health care, mental health, public social services, schools, community-based outpatient agencies, corrections/juvenile justice, residential treatment, programs for persons with developmental disabilities, domestic violence shelters and other specialized programs.

Community Mental Health Concentration (CMH)

The Community Mental Health (CMH) concentration prepares students for practice in a variety of mental health settings, including psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment, county mental health clinics, correctional institutions, substance abuse treatment and other specialized programs.

CalSWEC M.S.W. Program

The M.S.W. Program at CSUF has established eligibility for the CalSWEC Title IV-E training funds.

California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC) is a unique partnership between social work education and the publicly supported child welfare structure. The mission and goals of the CalSWEC program is to re-professionalize public child welfare. CalSWEC provides financial support to M.S.W. students in exchange for a commitment to work in a public child welfare agency for a minimum of one year for every year of support received. The intent of the program is to strengthen and enhance the quality of practice by professionally trained and educated public child welfare social workers.

The Title IV-E stipends provide for either two (2) or three (3) years of support for students enrolled in the M.S.W. program, full-time or part-time, respectively. The student signs a contract to secure full-time employment in a public child welfare agency for two (2) years (one year of employment for each year of support) but is expected to remain in public child welfare employment for longer than this minimum period. Once accepted into the program, students must undergo pre-screening for county employment, including fingerprinting and participation in the criminal clearance process.

With the passage of the Mental Health Services Act, a parallel training stipend program was established in California for M.S.W. students who specialize in mental health. Similar to the child welfare training, the Mental Health Initiative, also managed by CalSWEC, offers training stipends for one year of support for students enrolled in the M.S.W. program in exchange for a commitment to work in a public mental health agency for a minimum of one year for every year of support received.

Programs and Courses Offered

Programs

• Social Work, Child Welfare Concentration, M.S.W.
• Social Work, Community Mental Health Concentration, M.S.W.

Courses

Courses are designated as MSW in the class schedule.

• MSW 501 - Social Work Perspectives on Human Behavior I (3)
• MSW 502 - Social Work Perspectives on Human Behavior II (3)
• MSW 503 - Social Work Perspectives on Human Behavior III (3)
• MSW 510 - Social Work Practice I (3)
• MSW 511 - Social Work Practice II (3)
• MSW 512 - Child Welfare: Advanced Practice I (3)
• MSW 513 - Child Welfare: Advanced Practice II (3)
• MSW 514 - Community Mental Health: Advanced Practice I (3)
• MSW 515 - Community Mental Health: Advanced Practice II (3)
• MSW 520 - Social Welfare Policy and Services I (3)
• MSW 521 - Social Welfare Policy and Services II (3)
• MSW 522 - Child Welfare Policy and Social Work (3)
• MSW 523 - Mental Health Policy and Social Work (3)
• MSW 530 - Applied Social Work Research Methods I (3)
• MSW 531 - Applied Social Work Research Methods II: Practice and Program Evaluation (3)
• MSW 540 - Social Work Field Instruction I (3)
• MSW 541 - Social Work Field Instruction II (3)
• MSW 542 - Advanced Social Work Field Instruction I (3)
• MSW 543 - Advanced Social Work Field Instruction II (3)
• MSW 550 - Social Work Practice with Diverse Populations (3)
• MSW 561 - Social Work Practice and the Law (3)
• MSW 564 - Professional Issues in Social Work, Supervision, Ethics and Finance (3)
• MSW 570 - Social Work Practice in Substance Abuse Treatment (3)
• MSW 580 - Social Work Practice with the Poor and the Homeless (3)
• MSW 596 - Master’s Project Development (3)
• MSW 597 - Master’s Project (3)
• MSW 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)

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