Department of Social Work MSW Online Field Supervisor Training

Welcome to the UMD Department of Social Work's on-line MSW Field Supervisor Training Program. This on-line course was developed with the assistance of Sara Letvinuck, an MSW graduate student during the 2004-05 academic year. The intent of the training is to provide new MSW field supervisors with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully provide supervision to our MSW students.

Support has been provided by the United States Children’s Bureau. The Department of Social Work was awarded a Children’s Bureau grant to enhance the training of Masters of Social Work (MSW) students for employment in critical settings such as tribal and/or public sector child welfare agencies. Other priorities of the grant are to increase the number of rural and tribal field placements, and to develop supervisor training models that will include on-line training.

This training has primarily been developed for MSW supervisors, but those of you who provide other kinds of supervision may also benefit. (non-MSW's in agencies that work with field students).

Starting Fall Semester, 2006 all field supervisors will be required to have either completed this on-line training or a similar in-person training offered by the Department of Social Work Field Program, prior to approval as an MSW supervisor for any MSW student. The goal is to improve the quality of MSW supervision for all students, especially those who are completing their placements in public and tribal child welfare agencies.

When you have completed all of the modules in the training, e-mail the Field Coordinator to report your completion. You will be asked tom complete a short on-line quiz pertaining to the content of the course. This is not a pass/fail course. The main goal here is for you to learn about how to be a quality supervisor for our students and for the experience to be a positive one for you, your agency, and for the field student.

Please contact Kathy Heltzer, MSSW,LICSW, UMD Department of Social Work Field Coordinator if you have any questions or need assistance with this on-line course. Kathy can be reached at 218-726-8935.