Social Work Core Competencies

Upon completion of the program, students are expected to have achieved nine core competencies as outlined in the Council on Social Work Education 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards:

SOCIAL WORK CORE COMPETENCIES (EPAS 2022)

Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior

A. Make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision making, ethical conduct of research, and additional codes of ethics within the profession as appropriate to the context.

B. Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior; appearance; and oral, written, and electronic
communication.

C. Use technology ethically and appropriately facilitate practice outcomes, and

D. Use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior.

Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice (this was basically Competency 3 in the EPAS 2015 EPAS)

A. Advocate for human rights at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community system levels; and

B. Engage in practices that advance human rights to promote social, racial, economic, and
environmental justice.

Competency 3: Engage in Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice (this was basically Competency 2 in the EPAS 2015 EPAS)

A. Demonstrate anti-racist and anti-oppressive social work practice at the individual, family, group, organizational, community, research, and policy levels; and 

B. Demonstrate cultural humility by applying critical reflection, self-awareness, and self-regulation to manage the influence of bias, power, privilege, and values in working with clients and constituencies,
acknowledging them as experts of their own lived experiences.

Competency 4: Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice

A. Apply research findings to inform and improve practice, policy, and programs, and

B. Identify ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive strategies that address inherent biases for use in quantitative and qualitative research methods to advance the purposes of social work.

Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice

A. Use social justice, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to assess how social welfare policies affect the delivery of and access to social services

B. Apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice

Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

A. Apply knowledge of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, to engage with clients and constituencies; 

B. Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies.

Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities 

A. Apply theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive and interprofessional conceptual frameworks, when assessing clients and constituencies; and 

B. Demonstrate respect for client self-determination during the assessment process by collaborating with clients and constituencies in developing a mutually agreed-upon plan. 

Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

A. Engage with clients and constituencies to critically choose and implement culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals; and 

B. Incorporate culturally responsive methods to negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of clients and constituencies.

Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

A. Select and use culturally responsive methods for evaluation of outcomes; and 

B. Critically analyze outcomes and apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.