University of Nebraska Kearney

Social Work Reaffirmation

Reaffirmation is a comprehensive program review that examines the design, implementation, and outcome of program delivery every eight years.  This promotes ongoing program evaluation, improvements, and responsiveness to changing practice and community needs. Through the reaffirmation process, the program provides a thorough evaluation of Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards along the following four attributes of curriculum:

1. Program mission and goals
   Values
   Program context


2. Explicit curriculum
   Social work curriculum and professional practice

Core competencies:

• Social work curriculum and professional practice
• Core competencies
• Identification and professional conduct
• Application of ethical principles to guide professional practice
• Application of critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgment
• Engagement of diversity and difference in practice
• Advancement of human rights and social and economic justice
• Engagement in research-informed practice and practice-informed research
• Application of knowledge related to human behavior and the environment
• Engagement in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social services
• Responsiveness to contexts that shape practice
• Engagement, assessment, intervention and evaluation of individuals, families, organizations, and communities.

Generalist practice
Signature pedagogy: Field education



3. Implicit Curriculum 
• The learning environment
• Diversity
• Student development: Admission, advisement, retention, & termination; and student participation
• Faculty
• Administrative structure
• Resources


4. Assessment 

More information about the reaffirmation process, its focus, and outcome can be found on the Council on Social Work Education website at http://www.cswe.org/.