Within the Socio-Political Context: Identifying Opportunities for Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards to Uphold Equity and Social Justice within Social Work Education

Social work education is a crucial step providing new coming social workers with the needed tools to address a client’s issues in a structured and research informed context. Both micro and macro social work is influenced by the socio-political climate of the times. This places social workers in the forefront of needing to address continuously evolving issues within their selected area of practice. Tensions between concepts learned inside versus outside of the classroom setting have been found (Tang Tan et al, 2022) bringing attention to the disconnect of social work curriculums in real-time. Students working in field placements are often introduced to client issues that are a result of continuously changing policies and cultural shifts. Despite these changes, the efficacy of social work curriculum addressing identified issues is uncertain (cite).

A program’s ability to provide a comprehensive and adaptable curriculum begins with the standards they are held to by accreditation boards. Since 1923, the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) has provided universities with accreditation standards in an attempt to ensure programs uphold the core values of the social work profession.

The most recent Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) were published in 2022. This guide outlines curriculum standards based on competency based learning for social work programs. This presentation? Will examine and compare the 2015 and 2022 EPAS response to socio-political events. While the 2015 EPAS addresses cultural competence and diversity the 2022 EPAS places a stronger emphasis on ADEI practice. Compared to the 2015 EPAS, the 2022 EPAS allows for flexibility within the competencies while ensuring more accountability regarding the implementation of ADEI within social work programs.

This presentation will review the 2015 and 2022 EPAS from a historical perspective in efforts to focus on the major socio-political events during the time of publication. The contrast between the impact of policy on social work practice versus written accreditation standards will be discussed. Within the last 20 years the United States has seen a growth in technology, shifts within race relations, global crises, and economic changes. The ways in which CSWE responds to these notable socio-political and cultural shifts will be identified. The overall impact on the general populous will be discussed with further emphasis on BIPOC and other vulnerable groups highlighted. This presentation will identify areas where the EPAS could ensure social work programs are appropriately preparing their students to uphold the core social work values of social justice and competence within their practice. Lastly, the discussion will examine the advantages and possible disadvantages of creating further restrictions on social work curriculum within the current evolving political landscape.