Is Social Work's Human Rights Mandate Reaching Educators in the Field?

Background: In 2008, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) added acquiring knowledge of human rights as a “competency” that all social work students should attain. The CSWE 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards expanded the mandate, charging social work programs to teach skills that “advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice”(Competency 3) and foster students’ capacity “to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice” (Competency 5). Still, few studies have sought to examine the role of human rights in field education (Davis & Reber, 2016; Steen et al., 2017). Using Florida as a case study, this mixed-methods study explores whether rights-based concepts and practices have gained traction in field education.

 

Methods: First, data were collected from 158 field educators, as part of a larger survey on rights-based social work practice targeting Florida-based LCSWs. The project queried LCSWs on their human rights-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices to learn what field educators currently know, and how they apply their knowledge.

Next, field staff from all 15 Florida universities with accredited social work programs were contacted. Consenting staff participated in a brief informational interview (six questions) regarding how they are integrating human rights into field education. Data were tallied when appropriate and analyzed for themes.

 

Results: In the survey, field instructors were predominantly female (75.9%) and non-Hispanic white (84.2%); the mean age was 51.4 years (range = 27-83). More than 98% had more than 5 years of practice experience. Less than one third in this sample reported reading the UDHR as part of their social work education; yet a majority of participants indicated that their social work education had covered human rights violations both at home and abroad. A large majority agreed with the statement, “I learn about human rights issues in my work,” suggesting that they experience exposure to human rights education through work. Many, however, were unable to identify poverty, homelessness, and hunger as human rights violations. Interviews with field education staff revealed that most programs have not integrated specific human rights content into training for field educators, though staff expressed interest in doing so if appropriate resources were available.

 

Implications: U.S.-based social work has embraced the principles and aspirations of the human rights framework (McPherson, 2018; Steen et al., 2017) and has made important gains in the area of human rights education (Androff, 2016; Libal, Berthold, Thomas, & Healy, 2014; McPherson & Cheatham, 2015), yet this study reveals the need for greater integration of human rights-based approaches into field education. This research suggests that Florida field educators’ knowledge of human rights is contradictory and complex. Field educators rated themselves as very knowledgeable about human rights, but were quite divided in their human rights commitments and practices. The results of this study support the argument that field educators need specific training on human rights and how they can integrate human rights into their professional practices and social work mentoring.