Social Work Student Union

Because we are the future of social justice.

University of Washington School of Social Work Practicum Program: Fact Sheet
UW School of Social Work
The University of Washington School of Social Work is ranked #3 in the country, tied with the University of Chicago
and higher in ranking than Columbia University (#5).
Practicum Program
In 2013, 514 students were involved in the practicum program at the University of Washington School of Social
Work (SSW).
Undergraduate social work students are required to complete 480 hours and graduate students are required to
complete 1080 hours of student labor at their practicum sites. Graduate students spend almost half of their
education at their practicum sites.
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the accrediting body for academic social work programs, requires
only 400 hours of field education for undergraduates and 900 hours for graduates. The UW SSW requires an extra
80 hours for undergraduates and an extra 180 hours for graduate students, adding to tuition costs.
Field faculty at the SSW assign students to practicum sites, often with minimal student input and practicum sites are
local and state public agencies, non-profit organizations, private corporations and the SSW itself.
Practicum students are not protected by federal, state or local employment laws governing wages and hours,
workplace safety and health, workers compensation, benefits and leave, or discrimination and harassment.
The UW SSW provides limited liability insurance only if students are named in a lawsuit, not if they are seeking legal
action as a plaintiff and does not cover any additional hours worked by the student. It is common for students to
work additional hours at their sites, increasing their legal risk.
While the SSW administration maintains that the practicum site is not an employer, the Affiliation Agreement
between the site and the SSW specifically states that, The Training Site shall maintain the right to bill and receive
payment for services performed at the Training Site, a relationship indistinguishable from that of paid employees
and the practicum site.
Financial Figures
In 2012, Dean Uehara made an annual salary of $215,796 and the SSW reported a $43 million budget in FY 2013.
Students are required to pay per credit for practicum labor hours. Depending on the program, resident students pay
between $3000 (undergraduate) to $18,000 (graduate, extended day program) for practicum labor hours over the
course of their education. Non-resident students pay almost double. The vast majority of practicum sites do not
provide any level of compensation or worker protection for student labor.
Student Experiences

Between January and February 2014, nearly 50% of student body signed a petition asking Dean Eddie Uehara
to meet with students and address the issue of the uncompensated, unrecognized and unprotected labor
required of the schools practicum program.
A survey disseminated by the student-led group Social Workers Stand Up (SWSU) captured the following student
feedback on their lived practicum experiences:
o 83% of students did not receive any kind of compensation for their labor at their practicum sites.
November 11th, 2014

Social Work Student Union

Because we are the future of social justice.
o 82% of students reported performing duties and tasks that were similar to those of paid employees at their
practicum site.
o 52% of students did not feel completely safe at their practicum sites.
o 22% of students reported that their practicum sites received some kind of reimbursement for student practicum
labor, including health coverage reimbursement or client payment for mental health services provided by
students, awarded grants that were developed by students and other sources of funding secured by students.
o 20% of students suspected that their practicum site received some kind of reimbursement for their student
labor but they were not included in or informed of the outcomes of their work.
Social Work Student Union
Our union was formed to protect and represent student social workers. We seek to strengthen the University of
Washingtons School of Social Work through transformation of the field practicum program. To learn in the field, social
work students must work. This work must be recognized, supported, protected, and compensated.
We are a group of students who wholeheartedly work toward fulfilling the mission of the school, to promote social and
economic justice for poor and oppressed populations and enhance the quality of life for all. In order to challenge
injustice and promote a more humane society we begin with ourselves and our school. The high cost of a social work
masters degree is unjust. Students go deep into debt to enter a low-paid profession because they care. Requiring these
students to pay to work for free without recognition, support, or protection is wrong.
We are working to change and improve our program through every available avenue. The dissonance between the
mission and values of the program and the lived experience of students is humiliating for a prestigious and highly
respected school of social work.

November 11th, 2014