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University of Montana - Missoula

The College of Health Professions and Biomedical Science

The University of Montana School of Social Work
BSW Competency Examination Questions

* NOTE: In all questions the student is to focus on utilizing critical assessment supported by adequate referencing.

(1) Organizational and Community Context of Practice

Field Practicum Agency

Time Period of Placement

  1. Describe the agency's history, mission, purpose, goals and objectives, administrative structure, key programs and services.

    Describe how the agency is funded and the sources of these funds.

    Describe the characteristics common to the people served by the agency.

  2. Describe significant characteristics of the community (e.g. social, cultural, economic, political, demographic) and explain how those served by the agency and the services provided by the agency are influenced by these variables.

  3. If other agencies or programs offer similar social services, describe them and the linkages between them and the practicum agency.

  4. Discuss how the agency determines the effectiveness of its programs and services in relation to its goals and objectives, including how it utilizes evaluative information to improve agency programs, services, and staff performance. Make recommendations designed to improve the agency's program evaluation procedures.

(2) Assessment of Existing Social Policy

Note: As used here, the term social policy refers to decisions, directives, and guidelines articulated in laws and regulations at the national and state level, or promulgated by other state and national level organizations such as those that accredit or certify the operations of health and welfare programs. Social policy does not refer to internal policies and procedures used to govern day-to-day functioning of social agencies.

  1. Describe the major social problem(s) and conditions addressed by the agency.

  2. Describe a social policy intended to address this social problem(s) that has a significant impact on those served by the agency, on the agency's services and programs, and on how the professional staff functions within the program.

  3. Analyze the social policy in terms of:
    The key points in its historical development and original intent are:

    • How it attempts to address the causes and consequences of the social problem, including its implied social values and its assumptions about the etiology of the social problem(s)
    • Its major provisions and the programs designed to implement it
    • The adequacy of the social policy in addressing the social problem(s)

  4. Discuss social policy alternatives that would reflect social work's vision and values and which might better address the needs of clients served by your agency.

  5. Describe how your practicum activities in community development, advocacy, community organization, and/or social planning contributed to the clarifying and/or promotion of these social policy alternatives. What else could your agency do to further such proposed changes?

Questions 3 through 6

Under a separate heading equal to those of the other questions, provide a single-spaced abstract of 200 words or less for questions 3-6. These four questions are to be answered by referring to a specific example of a change effort you provided. This example can be focused on an individual client, family, group, organization, community or social change effort. In this exam the word client may be defined as an individual, a family, organization, group, agency, community, or government. Intervention may also be understood as: project, effort, activity.

(3) Problem Identification and Assessment

  1. Explain how your agency became involved with the client/client system with which you worked, including who requested the service.

  2. Discuss the expectations of the person(s) requesting service from the agency.

  3. Describe your problem identification and assessment activities, including the information you sought and the procedures and tools utilized to obtain it.

  4. Based on your assessment activities and your theoretical understanding of client concerns and problems, what was your conceptualization of the problem?

  5. What was the client/client system's conceptualization of the problem? If others viewed the concern differently, how did they conceptualize it?

  6. Describe how social work conceptual frameworks (e.g. ecological perspective, generalist perspective, strengths perspective, feminist perspective, social systems theory) assisted you in your assessment.

(4) Development of an Intervention Plan

  1. Discuss the various forms of intervention you considered, including the factors which led to the selection of a particular intervention plan.

  2. Describe the intervention plan, including your goals and objectives.

  3. Discuss the role played by the client/client system in the identification of goals and objectives and choice of intervention plan.

  4. What theory or theories of social work practice underlie this intervention plan?

(5) Implementation of the Intervention Plan

Note: When addressing this question, clearly define your terms, cite any relevant literature regarding intervention strategies, and illustrate with examples.

  1. Describe the implementation of your intervention plan, addressing the elements listed below in your response.

    • The expectations and responsibilities of those involved in the effort to bring about the desired change
    • Specific activities you undertook in order to achieve your goals and objectives and those of your client
    • Social work roles you assumed as part of the intervention plan
    • How and why, if at all, your plans (including goals and objectives) were altered during the intervention process
    • Efforts required to engage and maintain the active participation of those involved
    • Resources required to implement the plan
    • Efforts made to address client strengths, empowerment and diversity
    • Ethical and/or legal concerns encountered while developing and carrying out your interventions
  2. Describe the process of disengagement, even if the client(s) continued to receive services after your practicum experience was completed.

(6) Evaluation and Feedback

  1. Evaluate the effectiveness of your intervention in achieving the goals and objectives you established in question 4 and/or the revised goals and objectives established during the implementation of your intervention.

    • Describe the evaluation tools and techniques you employed in your final evaluation, even if the intervention continued beyond your personal involvement.
    • Present the data and observations you gathered in evaluating the effectiveness of your social work intervention.
    • Describe any problems you encountered in evaluating the effectiveness of this intervention and how you dealt with these problems.
    • In retrospect, how could you have been more effective in achieving your objectives and in evaluating the effectiveness of this intervention?
  2. How will you utilize the results of your evaluation to improve your professional practice?
  3. Discuss any implications for systems change and social justice efforts resulting from your intervention efforts.

(7) The Profession of Social Work

  1. Describe and evaluate the social work profession's contemporary approaches to dealing with clients such as those served by the agency. Make recommendations for an improved approach if you think changes are needed.

  2. In light of your academic and field experiences, describe your view of the profession's attempts to achieve its overall mission of "helping individuals, groups, or communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and creating societal conditions favorable to this goal" (National Association of Social Workers, 1970).

  3. Reflect on historical debates and tensions regarding the professional values most relevant to the social work practice of your agency.

  4. Describe your personal and professional stance, views and values as a social worker. What do you see as the core mission of the profession? What directions should the profession take to adequately prepare for and address emerging social problems and concerns? Include in your response how your personal values and beliefs shaped your view of the profession.

Scheduling the Competency Examination

Competency exams must be submitted to the School of Social Work main officetwo weeks prior to the end of the semester (note: finals week is not considered a part of the semester). Failure to submit the competency exam by semester deadline may result in the exam not being graded until the following semester. This may result in delayed graduation for the student. Extensions are given only for serious or emergency situations, and the extension must be obtained directly from the BSW Practicum Coordinator.

The faculty reader (evaluator) will be selected randomly. Students may request, in advance, that a certain faculty member not be a reader. Faculty may also request that they not read a particular student's exam. The Faculty Supervisor of the student's practicum will not be assigned to be the evaluator for that student.