Goals
Mission Statement
The mission of the Social Work Program is to prepare and equip, from a Biblical worldview, Social Work students who are committed to the core values and purpose of Social Work, so that these students might obtain entry level Social Work positions as generalist practitioners, improving the holistic quality of life of diverse populations at risk in a variety of work settings, and pursuing graduate level education.
Goals
The goal of the Social Work Program is ultimately to enable students to integrate the knowledge, values, and skills of the Social Work profession into competent practice by:
- Providing content about Social Work practice from a generalist perspective with client systems of various sizes and types.
- Preparing students to practice with the skills, values, and knowledge to practice with diverse populations at risk.
- Providing content about social contexts, the changing nature of those contexts, the behavior of organizations, and the dynamics of change.
- Preparing graduates who are aware of their responsibility to continue their professional growth and development.
- Preparing students to practice with populations at risk with unique discrimination and oppressive histories (with a special focus on poverty).
- Integrating Biblical principles throughout the curriculum so that students can appropriately integrate their faith and that of their clients into the helping relationship.
- Laying a foundation of core skills essential to a high caliber of Social Work practice (i.e., problem solving, listening, verbal and written communication, critical thinking).
- Creating an appreciation for the profession as well as an understanding of the history, personalities, and issues and events, which helped to shape it.
- Infusing throughout the curriculum the values and ethics that guide professional social workers in their practice.
Objectives
Graduates of Cedarville University Baccalaureate Social Work Program will be able to:
- Apply critical thinking skills within the context of professional Social Work practice.
- Practice within the values and ethics of the Social Work profession and with an understanding of and respect for the positive value of diversity.
- Demonstrate the professional use of self.
- Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination and the strategies of change that advance social and economic justice.
- Understand the history of the Social Work profession and its current structures and issues.
- Apply the knowledge and skills of generalist Social Work to practice with systems of all sizes.
- Apply knowledge of bio-psycho-social-spiritual variables that affect individual development and behavior, and use theoretical frameworks to understand the interactions among individuals and between individuals and social systems (i.e., families, groups, organizations, and communities).
- Analyze the impact of social policies on client systems, workers, and agencies.
- Evaluate research studies and apply findings to practice and, under supervision, to evaluate their own practice interventions and those of other relevant systems.
- Use communication skills differentially with a variety of client populations, colleagues, and members of the community.
- Use supervision appropriate to generalist practice.
- Function within the structure of organizations and service delivery systems and under supervision, seek necessary organizational change.
- Apply the knowledge, values, and skills of the profession to Social Work practice within the context of the local church and mission organizations.
- Analyze and apply the knowledge, values, and skills of Social Work practice from a biblical world and life view.
- Demonstrate an understanding, sensitivity, commitment to issues related to poverty.
- Demonstrate an understanding, sensitivity, commitment to social work issues from a global / multicultural perspective.
Integration of Faith and Practice
A dynamic relationship exists between the Christian life and social work practice.
Christians in social work ought not to be motivated by temporal wealth, power, or security.
Christians in social work ought to examine and evaluate all human ideologies and social work theories and methods as to their consistency with the Bible, their consciences, social laws, and professional codes of ethics.
Christians in social work ought to work for the temporal and external well-being of all human beings, and for the redemption of human communities and social institutions.
Christians in social work ought to support and submit themselves to the highest standards of professional education, practice, and ethics. Christians in social work ought to use the insights of their faith in helping people, and to treat everyone as Jesus Christ would have them treated.
Taken from the NACSW Code of Ethics