Master of Social Work

Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior 

Social workers understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards, as well as relevant policies, laws, and regulations that may affect practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand that ethics are informed by principles of human rights and apply them toward realizing social, racial, economic, and environmental justice in their practice. Social workers understand frameworks of ethical decision making and apply principles of critical thinking to those frameworks in practice, research, and policy arenas. 

Social workers recognize and manage personal values and the distinction between personal and professional values. Social workers understand how their evolving worldview, personal experiences, and affective reactions influence their professional judgment and behavior. Social workers take measures to care for themselves professionally and personally, understanding that self-care is paramount for competent and ethical social work practice. Social workers use rights-based, anti- racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to understand and critique the profession’s history, mission, roles, and responsibilities and recognize historical and current contexts of oppression in shaping institutions and social work. Social workers understand the role of other professionals when engaged in interprofessional practice. Social workers recognize the importance of lifelong learning and are committed to continually updating their skills to ensure relevant and effective practice. Social workers understand digital technology and the ethical use of technology in social work practice. 

Social workers: 

• Make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision-making, ethical conduct of research, and additional codes of ethics within the profession as appropriate to the context. 
• Demonstrate professional behavior; appearance; and oral, written, and electronic communication 
• Use technology ethically and appropriately to facilitate practice outcomes. 
• Use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior.  

Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice 

Social workers understand that every person regardless of position in society has fundamental human rights. Social workers are knowledgeable about the global intersecting and ongoing injustices throughout history that result in oppression and racism, including social work’s role and response. 

Social workers critically evaluate the distribution of power and privilege in society in order to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice by reducing inequities and ensuring dignity and respect for all. Social workers advocate for and engage in strategies to eliminate oppressive structural barriers to ensure that social resources, rights, and responsibilities are distributed equitably, and that civil, political, economic, social, and cultural human rights are protected. 

Social workers: 

• Advocate for human rights at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community system levels. 
• Engage in practices that advance human rights to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. 

Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice 

Social workers understand how racism and oppression shape human experiences and how these two constructs influence practice at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community levels and in policy and research. Social workers understand the pervasive impact of White supremacy and privilege and use their knowledge, awareness, and skills to engage in anti-racist practice. Social workers understand how diversity and intersectionality shape human experiences and identity development and affect equity and inclusion. The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of factors including but not limited to age, caste, class, color, culture, disability and ability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, generational status, immigration status, legal status, marital status, political ideology, race, nationality, religion and spirituality, sex, sexual orientation, and tribal sovereign status. Social workers understand that this intersectionality means that a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege and power. Social workers understand the societal and historical roots of social and racial injustices and the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination. Social workers understand cultural humility and recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values, including social, economic, political, racial, technological, and cultural exclusions, may create privilege and power resulting in systemic oppression. 

Social workers: 

• Demonstrate anti-racist and anti-oppressive social work practice at the individual, family, group, organizational, community, research, and policy levels. 
• Demonstrate cultural humility by applying critical reflection, self-awareness, and self- regulation to manage the influence of bias, power, privilege, and values in working with clients and constituencies, acknowledging them as experts of their own lived experiences. 

Competency 4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice 

Social workers use ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive approaches in conducting research and building knowledge. Social workers use research to inform their practice decision making and articulate how their practice experience informs research and evaluation decisions. Social workers critically evaluate and critique current, empirically sound research to inform decisions pertaining to practice, policy, and programs. Social workers understand the inherent bias in research and evaluate design, analysis, and interpretation using an anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspective. Social workers know how to access, critique, and synthesize the current literature to develop appropriate research questions and hypotheses. Social workers demonstrate knowledge and skills regarding qualitative and quantitative research methods and analysis, and they interpret data derived from these methods. Social workers demonstrate knowledge about methods to assess reliability and validity in social work research. Social workers can articulate and share research findings in ways that are usable to a variety of clients and constituencies. Social workers understand the value of evidence derived from interprofessional and diverse research methods, approaches, and sources. 

Social workers: 

• Apply research findings to inform and improve practice, policy, and programs. 
• Identify ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive strategies that address inherent biases for use in quantitative and qualitative research methods to advance the purposes of social work. 

Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice 

 Social workers identify social policy at the local, state, federal, and global level that affects well-being, human rights and justice, service delivery, and access to social services. Social workers recognize the historical, social, racial, cultural, economic, organizational, environmental, and global influences that affect social policy. Social workers understand and critique the history and current structures of social policies and services and the role of policy in service delivery through rights- based, anti-oppressive, and anti-racist lenses. Social workers influence policy formulation, analysis, implementation, and evaluation within their practice settings with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers actively engage in and advocate for anti-racist and anti-oppressive policy practice to effect change in those settings. 

Social workers: 

• Use social justice, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to assess how social welfare policies affect the delivery of and access to social services. 
• Apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. 

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

Social workers understand that engagement is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with and on behalf of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. 

Social workers value the importance of human relationships. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge to facilitate engagement with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers are self-reflective and understand how bias, power, and privilege as well as their personal values and personal experiences may affect their ability to engage effectively with diverse clients and constituencies. Social workers use the principles of interprofessional collaboration to facilitate engagement with clients, constituencies, and other professionals as appropriate. 

Social workers: 

• Apply knowledge of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, to engage with clients and constituencies. 
• Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies. 

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

Social workers understand that assessment is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and they critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in culturally responsive assessment with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. 

Assessment involves a collaborative process of defining presenting challenges and identifying strengths with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities to develop a mutually agreed-upon plan. Social workers recognize the implications of the larger practice context in the assessment process and use interprofessional collaboration in this process. Social workers are self- reflective and understand how bias, power, privilege, and their personal values and experiences may affect their assessment and decision making. 

Social workers: 

• Apply theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive and interprofessional conceptual frameworks, when assessing clients and constituencies. 
• Demonstrate respect for client self-determination during the assessment process by collaborating with clients and constituencies in developing a mutually agreed-upon plan. 

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

Social workers understand that intervention is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice. Social workers understand theories of human behavior, person-in-environment, and other interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and they critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in selecting culturally responsive interventions with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand methods of identifying, analyzing, and implementing evidence-informed interventions and participate in interprofessional collaboration to achieve client and constituency goals. Social workers facilitate effective transitions and endings. 

Social workers: 

• Engage with clients and constituencies to critically choose and implement culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals. 
• Incorporate culturally responsive methods to negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of clients and constituencies.  

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

Social workers understand that evaluation is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with and on behalf of diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers evaluate processes and outcomes to increase practice, policy, and service delivery effectiveness. Social workers apply anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspectives in evaluating outcomes. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in evaluating outcomes. Social workers use qualitative and quantitative methods for evaluating outcomes and practice effectiveness. 

Social workers: 

• Select and use culturally responsive methods for evaluation of outcomes. 
• Critically analyze outcomes and apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.  

Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior 

Social workers specializing in APwIFC extend and enhance generalist competencies by using a justice orientation to navigate ethical dilemmas across practice, research, and policy. They reflect on personal growth through supervision and consultation, recognizing its impact on professional judgment. Prioritizing self-care, they maintain well-being as a part of effective practice, employing anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspectives to analyze their roles. Using trauma-informed and harm-reduction perspectives, they work to dismantle oppressive and dehumanizing systems. APwIFC social workers collaborate with other professionals and embrace lifelong learning. They also responsibly use digital technology in education and practice. 

Associated behaviors, measured in Practicum  

• Analyze and understand multiple variables to make complex ethical decisions prioritizing trauma-informed and harm-reduction perspectives.  
• Enhance professional strengths and address limitations and challenges through lifelong professional development, including supervision and consultation.  
• Engage in thoughtful and strategic professional written and oral communication with all stakeholders in ways that demonstrate the understanding that professionalism varies by context and can be oppressive.   

Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice 

Social workers specializing in APwIFC extend and enhance generalist competencies by actively promoting social justice from trauma-informed and harm-reduction perspectives.  

By practicing cultural humility and applying a human rights-based lens in interprofessional settings, social workers collaborate with and empower others to advocate for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. They strategize to dismantle oppressive structures through the equitable distribution of resources, rights, and responsibilities. By prioritizing civil, political, economic, social, and cultural human rights, APwIFC social workers promote safety and healing among individuals, families, and communities. 

Social workers: 

• Implement change strategies to advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice for individuals, families, and communities from trauma-informed and harm-reduction perspectives.  
• Assess and develop mechanisms to address the inequitable distribution of resources, rights, and responsibilities. 

Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice 

Social workers specializing in APwIFC extend and enhance generalist competencies by working with a justice orientation to address historical injustices and discriminatory systems. They practice cultural humility, understanding how cultural structures sustain systemic oppression and cause harm to individuals, families and communities. They strive to dismantle these oppressive systems through informed action. They engage clients and communities as experts in their own lives, recognizing the complexities of oppression, marginalization, privilege, and power within individual experiences.  

Social workers:

• Utilize a justice orientation to collaborate with individuals, families, and communities with unique identities. 
• Demonstrate cultural humility by applying critical reflection, self-awareness, and self-regulation to manage the influence of bias, power, privilege, and values in work to dismantle oppressive structures.  
• Use knowledge of the harm that is caused by systemic oppression to guide rights-based, anti-oppressive and anti-racist practice with individuals, families, and communities. 

Competency 4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice 

Social workers specializing in APwIFC extend and enhance generalist competencies by using a justice orientation through ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive approaches to conducting research and building knowledge. They use research to inform their practice decision-making and articulate how their practice experience informs research and evaluation decisions. These advanced practice social workers critically evaluate and critique current, empirically sound research to inform decisions pertaining to practice, policy, and programs. 

They value evidence derived from interprofessional and diverse research methods, approaches, and sources. They understand the inherent bias in research and evaluate design, analysis, and interpretation using anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspectives. Social workers know how to access, critique, and synthesize current literature to develop appropriate research questions and hypotheses. They demonstrate knowledge and skills regarding qualitative and quantitative research methods and analysis, interpreting data derived from these methods. Social workers can assess reliability and validity in research to articulate and share research findings in ways that are usable to a variety of stakeholders.  

Social workers: 

• Use a justice orientation to critically evaluate, select, and utilize research to inform practice with individuals, families, and communities. 
• Use a justice orientation to consciously integrate the voices of people with lived experiences of to evaluate programs and practices for individuals, families, and communities.    

Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice 

Social workers specializing in APwIFC extend and enhance generalist competencies by representing, mobilizing, and empowering disenfranchised populations to have a voice and advocate for just local, state, national, and international policies. They work to dismantle oppressive systems through the promotion of well-being, human rights, and social justice by applying rights-based, anti-oppressive, and anti-racist lenses in their advocacy efforts. Social workers lead the development and sustenance of inter-professional collaborations to address complex issues within communities. They synthesize ecological influences impacting social welfare policy, thus creating platforms for systemic change at micro, mezzo, and macro levels. They promote social transformation by fostering individual and collective problem-solving and applying community organization methods in practice. 

Social workers: 

• Use a justice orientation to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance the social well-being of individuals, families, and communities. 
• Develop plans to advance social policy change in collaboration with administrators, clients, community partners, and legislators to affect policies and practices that promote human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. 

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

Social workers specializing in APwIFC extend and enhance generalist competencies by cultivating engagement and demonstrating a nuanced understanding of the ways that systemic oppression causes harm. They engage with individuals, families and communities from a trauma-informed perspective and privilege lived experiences over professional expertise. These advanced practice social workers work to promote safety and healing by regularly employing sophisticated self-reflection skills to mitigate the effects of bias, power, and privilege in their engagement work. Their work is culturally responsive, honoring the intersection of oppression, racism, and trauma through the use of rights-based, anti-oppressive and anti-racist engagement practices. 

Social workers: 

• Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the way that harm from oppressive structures can be perpetrated in the ongoing engagement process with individuals, families, and communities. 
• Openly and transparently self-reflect on the effects of bias, power, and privilege in the engagement process. 
• Engage with individuals, families, and communities using rights-based, anti-oppressive and anti-racist practices.  

Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, and Communities 

Social workers specializing in APwIFC extend and enhance generalist competencies by fostering authentically collaborative relationships as part of the assessment process. They work with individuals, families and communities to identify mutually agreed-upon goals while actively mitigating the effects of oppression, racism, and trauma. They consistently identify and highlight the strengths of clients and communities throughout the assessment process using trauma-informed frameworks. These advanced practice social workers also act to mitigate the harm that can arise during the process of assessment due to professional bias, power, and privilege.  

Social workers: 

• Utilize trauma-informed and harm reduction perspectives to center the knowledge and expertise of clients and communities in the assessment process 
• Act upon and address the ways bias, power and privilege impact the assessment processes and outcomes 

Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, and Communities 

Social workers specializing in APwIFC extend and enhance generalist competencies by engaging in interventions that are designed to promote safety and healing. They possess a nuanced understanding of the kinds of harm that can be perpetrated in the intervention process and seek to actively mitigate these risks. They employ theoretical frameworks to critically evaluate interventions and demonstrate the capacity to adjust intervention plans to meet the dynamic needs of clients. Social workers value collaboration, recognizing that advancing human rights and social justice often requires multi-level and interprofessional collaboration along with client feedback. This collaboration privileges the lived experiences of individuals, families and communities.  

Social workers: 

• Use trauma-informed and harm-reduction interventions that are designed to promote safety and healing. 
• Adjust intervention plans to continually meet the dynamic needs of individuals, families, and communities. 

Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, and Communities 

Social workers specializing in APwIFC extend and enhance generalist competencies by engaging with evaluation of practice from a justice orientation. They recognize the importance of evaluating practice as a key element to harm reduction and the promotion of healing. They evaluate processes and outcomes to enhance practice, policy, and service delivery effectiveness. Social workers apply anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspectives in evaluating outcomes. They understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and critically apply this knowledge in evaluations. Social workers utilize qualitative and quantitative methods to assess practice effectiveness. 

Social workers: 

• Evaluate their own practice effectiveness from a justice orientation. 
• Develop strategies to continuously improve service delivery to individuals, families, and communities, informed by anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspectives. 
• Synthesize and apply trauma-informed and harm reduction-based theories to guide the evaluation of work with individuals, families, and communities.