Volunteer Requirement

Students without a human services degree requiring an internship will be required to volunteer for 30 hours prior to beginning the placement portion of the social work program. Volunteer hours must be completed within the past two years at one human services agency*. The agency must not be owned or led by a friend or family member of the student, and the student must not be supervised by a friend or family member. The supervisor for the student’s volunteer hours does not have to be a social worker. Students who are currently employed by a human services agency for three months or more are not required to complete volunteer hours, but are required to provide verification of employment. 

After the volunteer hours are completed, the student should complete the Social Work Volunteer Requirement Supervisor Request Form to request verification and evaluation from their supervisor.  

Evaluations must be submitted by the supervisor via the form sent to their email by April 25 for the BSW-DL program, by July 15 for the BSW program, and by Aug. 1 for the MSW program of the year the student is to begin the placement for the social work program. Failure to provide this documentation by the deadline will mean that the student will not be permitted to begin the placement or any coursework that is concurrent with the placement and will delay their progression through the social work program.

Poor feedback on the evaluation could create the need for further requirements and training in order to begin placements. 

If a student receives poor feedback on their volunteer evaluation, they will be given a second opportunity to improve by performing another 10 hours of volunteer work in the same location before the placement process can begin for them. Should the second evaluation not substantially improve, they will not be able to begin their placement and will need to wait a full academic year or until they are back on sequence (depending on program). During that time, the student will need to satisfactorily complete another 30 hours of volunteer work before their placement process can begin. Should that experience also be unsuccessful, the student will not be eligible to continue in the social work program. In no case will the placement process begin until the volunteer hours are satisfactorily completed.

* A human services agency is defined as an agency providing social services to an under- or un-served population.