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Student Development Policy

Policy Purpose:

The preamble to the National Association of Social Workers (“NASW”) Code of Ethics states that “the primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and to help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.” In addition to this mission, the Council on Social Work Education’s 2022 Educational Policy and Competency Standards identifies a demonstration of “ethical and professional behavior” as Competency 1. In order to help meet our ethical mission and to ensure that our graduates are prepared with skills and behaviors to work within a variety of professional situations, the Student Development Committee’s (“SDC” or “committee”) purpose is to review situations and make recommendations for students who are referred to the SDC because of concerns in class or practicum or because of a potential violation of of the policies the School of Social Work, or the University, and/or a violation of the NASW Code of Ethics.

Policy Statement:

The School of Social Work is committed to the professional development of our students. This development includes knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive/affective processes needed to become a professional Social Worker. Meeting the criteria for scholastic achievement is necessary, but not sufficient to ensure continued enrollment in the BSW and MSW programs and ultimately a career in social work practice. When concerns arise, the SDC should be a resource for both students and faculty to address those concerns. Concerns may include professional skills, self-management, professional behavior, and academic performance. As set forth in the Level 1 guidelines, below, not all student concerns will require referral to the SDC.

The SDC will comprise all program coordinators, the field director and assistant field director, and one additional faculty member appointed by the Divisional Dean. All members will rotate chairing responsibilities within the committee.

A non-exhaustive list of examples of behaviors that may threaten a student’s ability to engage in productive social work practice appear below. Exhibiting one or more of these behaviors may result in a review by the SDC:

  • Failure to meet or maintain program academic requirements;
  • Academic dishonesty, including cheating, lying, plagiarism, collusion, use of AI that has not been expressly allowed, or falsifying academic records;
  • Behavior in violation of the current NASW Code of Ethics and/or state licensing standards;
  • Failure to pass a criminal background check or drug screen, which may be required by the program or a field agency;
  • Conduct or actions that interfere with professional judgment or impact the ability to practice safely, ethically, or competently, consistent with Standard 4.05 of the NASW Code of Ethics;
  • Conviction of a criminal act that is contrary to professional practice or ethics, as outlined in the Background Check Policy, occurring during the course of study or occurring prior to admission but not disclosed in the student’s application for admission;
  • A pattern of unprofessional behavior, as identified in the Student Professional Conduct and Professional Standards Policies. This may include inappropriate or ineffective interaction with faculty, staff, peers, field instructors, or in other collegial relationships; or
  • Pending legal charges deemed antithetical to direct social work practice.

Procedure:

Level 1: 

A Level 1 review involves a faculty member and the student. A review at this level occurs when a faculty member has concerns about a student enrolled in the social work program that are less serious in nature, whether related to the student’s professional behavior or academic performance. In such cases, the faculty member may:

  • Discuss those concerns directly with the student and develop a plan or contract with the student to resolve the difficulties. For impairments as described in Standard 4.05 of the NASW Code of Ethics, the plan may include referral to the EAC if the student discloses a disability or requests a disability-related accommodation. Details of the plan should be documented in writing and shared with the student and the appropriate Program Coordinator and/or the Field Director or the Assistant Field Director. Progress toward  goals should be monitored and shared with the appropriate Program Coordinator and/or Field Director or Assistant Field Director. In many instances, this level of intervention may be sufficient and the concern may be resolved. The faculty member should apprise the appropriate Program Coordinator or Field Director of the outcome of the Level 1 review. If the concerns are not resolved, the student may be referred to the SDC for a Level 2 review.
  • If the student does not agree with the plan or has concerns, a Level 2 review may be initiated for SDC input and recommendations.
  • Refer the student directly to Level 2 if the concern is serious. The Level 2 referral may concern, but is not limited to,students with repeated issues or problems within the program, or behavior that violates the current NASW Code of Ethics.

If the concern is related to academic integrity issues, including plagiarism and/or cheating, the instructor is highly encouraged to review the Student Code of Conduct (University Policy 2020) and follow processes for a referral to the Dean of Students. See also University Policy 4180: Faculty Responsibility to Address Student Academic Misconduct.

Level 2: SDC Referral

The purpose of a Level 2 referral is to ensure a broader review of the student’s situation with the primary goal of the SDC developing a recommendation for a plan to support the student in addressing the concerns and successfully completing the program. In situations where completion of the program is not an option, a process concerning the student’s dismissal from the program will be determined in accordance with the School of Social Work Student Dismissal policy. 

A Level 2 review will involve at least three SDC members, the student, and may also include other relevant faculty members. Faculty intending to make a referral to the SDC will notify the student of their intention to refer to the committee and explain their concerns, before making a referral in writing to the relevant Program Coordinator. Referrals involving academic coursework are sent to the Coordinator of the student’s program; referrals involving field practicum are sent to the Director or Assistant Director of Field Education. When a concern involves academic integrity issues such as plagiarism or cheating, faculty are highly encouraged to review the Student Code of Conduct (University Policy 2020) and to follow processes for a referral to the Dean of Students. For impairments as described in NASW Code of Ethics Standard 4.05, the faculty member should refer the student to the EAC, if the student discloses a disability or requests a disability-related accommodation.

Level 2: Process:

When a level 2 referral is made, students are entitled to the following specific procedures and timelines:

A. Notice of Referral to the SDC: Faculty intending to make a referral to the SDC will notify the student of their intention as described above. When a referral is received by the SDC, the members will determine who will chair the committee and whether any recusals are necessary due to conflicts of interest. Notice will be sent via email from the designated chair to the student within ten (10) university business days of receipt of the referral. The email notifies the student of the report, the date and time of the committee meeting, and that the student may request disability-related accommodations needed to participate in the process by notifying the committee chair no more than five (5) University business days prior to the meeting date. Students are advised of their rights prior to their meeting with the committee and throughout the process. The committee chair will also include all documents that have been shared with the committee, including the initial referral letter and a copy or links to any documents (e.g., the field manual, the student handbook, links to university code, etc.) identified within the referral letter. The chair will also provide a copy of the SDC policy and an offer to meet with the student to review the committee process. The chair also shares this information with all members of the committee. In certain circumstances, the SDC may determine that suspension of the student from courses and/or field practicum is warranted for some period of time during the SDC’s proceedings. (See University Policy 2020 §5.A.)

B. Reflection: The student will be provided with the opportunity to write a reflection about the matter or matters of concern and share with the committee prior to the meeting, or, the student may verbally address reflection questions during the committee meeting. The goal of the reflection is for the student to be able to reflect on the identified issues of interest, examine their responsibility, consider what they could have done differently, and consider how they may avoid a similar situation in the future.

C. Additional information: Any additional materials that are shared with the chair of the committee between the date of initial referral and the date of the committee meeting must be shared with all committee members and the student within two University business days of receipt of such materials.

D. Committee Meeting: The committee meeting will take place within 45 calendar days of the notice provided to the Student of the committee meeting. Students involved in this process are encouraged to fully review all documents provided and meet with the chair of the committee to prepare for the committee’s formal meeting and ask any questions prior to the meeting. The committee meeting must be held in private and recording of committee meetings is not allowed by any participant. If the committee meeting is held online (e.g., via Zoom), all participants must ensure they are in a private and quiet place.  During the meeting with the student the committee chair will provide time for the student to share their insights and information with the committee, ask questions of the committee, and ask committee members for any questions they may have for the student. At the conclusion of the meeting with the student, committee members will meet to finalize recommendations that are then submitted to the Divisional Dean within five University business days. Potential committee recommendations may include but are not limited to:

  • Continue the student in the program with no new conditions. In these situations, the concern has been addressed and no further action by the student or program is required.
  • Continue the student in the program without conditions, but with one or more of the following:

(1) referral of the student to supports or services that may help address the concern;

(2) oral or written disciplinary warning or reprimand;

(3) noting of concern in records maintained by the School; and/or

(4) administration of any other sanctions tailored to prevent and/or avoid the recurrence of the prohibited conduct.

  • Continue the student in the program with formal probationary conditions. In these situations, specific conditions must be met in order for the student to remain in the program. The conditions may include establishing goals, strategies, a timeline, and appropriate accountability; providing mentoring and support; referring the student to counseling and/or advising services; referring the student to academic support services; allowing the student to follow a reduced course load or delay entry to the field practicum; requiring the student to complete additional (specified) hours in field.
  • Discontinue the student from the program. Any dismissal from the program must follow the School of Social Work Student Dismissal Policy.

Students who have been removed from their field education placement pending the results of the committee meeting will not be placed in a new setting until the committee meeting has been completed. Any students who are awaiting placement will not begin a field placement until the committee meeting has been completed and a recommended plan of action has been defined.

E. Student support: Students may be accompanied by one support person at the committee meeting after a written request is made (by email) to the committee chair at least five (5) University business days before the committee meeting. The support person may be any person who is not otherwise a party involved in the matter before the committee, or a witness, or a student in the program. The support person’s role is to provide guidance and emotional support through the process. The support person may not speak on behalf of a student or otherwise disrupt any committee meeting or proceedings in any manner. The student is expected to notify the committee chair of their intent to include a support person in the committee’s meeting and to share the support person’s name and relationship to the student. If the student fails to so notify the committee chair, but nonetheless brings a support person to the committee meeting, the committee may elect to reschedule the meeting. A support person may be excluded from participation by the committee chair should that person fail to adhere to these procedures.

F. Notification of Plan: The Divisional Dean will typically notify the student of the recommendations and plan  within ten (10) University business days of the committee meeting. A copy of the recommendations will be provided to the Program Coordinator and/or Field Director/Assistant Field Director of the program the student is enrolled in and the chair of the committee.

G. Appeal: Students have a right to appeal the decision of the Divisional Dean. The appeal must be submitted to the Associate Dean of the College of Health Sciences within five (5) University business days of receipt of the decision from the Divisional Dean. In the case of an appeal, the Associate Dean will notify the Divisional Dean who will then notify the committee.

H. Confidentiality: All participants in the process – committee members, students, and any support individuals – are expected to observe strict confidentiality relating to any information covered by provisions in the NASW Code of Ethics or by FERPA.

I. Custody of records: All documentation relating to Level 2 referrals will be retained in Google Workspace folders (or other comparable electronic folders), organized by academic year, with security and access controls set to ensure FERPA compliance. Only current committee members and the Divisional Dean will be granted access to the folders, such that a committee member may access records for any academic year when they served on the committee, whereas the Divisional Dean may access all records. The joint consent of the committee and Divisional Dean is required to share any information contained in the folders on a need-to-know basis (e.g., to an admissions committee chair), though any student may inspect the retained records relating to their own referral.

Adopted May 6, 2013, edits February 7, 2014 – Changes Accepted, modified May, 2022

Substantial revisions ratified by faculty November, 2025 – Revisions approved by faculty April, 2026