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G1.30 Student Co-op/Interns and Volunteer Practicum Programs

Legal Authority

Introduction

Many degree programs require students to complete volunteer practicum hours or paid internships as part of the degree. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services (Cabinet/CHFS) accepts students from academic institutions with which there is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place for this purpose.

Practice Guidance

The Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) fosters the development of potential child welfare and adult services staff, while at the same time protecting the safety and confidentiality of the children, families, and adults for whom services are provided. Through a coordinated process, DCBS will ensure that appropriate candidates are selected to provide co-op/intern and volunteer practicum service.
Students who are seeking paid opportunities for on-the-job learning while enrolled full-time in undergraduate or graduate school and who meet the criteria outlined in the Personnel Cabinet’s Coop/Intern Program Guidelines (and are approved for the program by the Personnel Cabinet) are considered co-op/intern students. These students may contact the service region directly or may apply to a co-op/intern register posted on the Personnel Cabinet’s Career Opportunities website. These opportunities may be rare, dependent on the availability of funding.
Practicum students who are not paid for time spent in on-the-job learning are considered student volunteers and may contact DCBS directly to seek such opportunities. These opportunities will be more abundant.
Student interns and volunteer practicum students are not only provided an opportunity to acquire hands-on knowledge and skills, but the agency may also have the opportunity to mentor individuals who recognize and share the importance of the agency's mission and who may later choose employment with the agency. Approval to complete a formal educational practicum or internship may be granted to graduate and upper-class undergraduate students who are:
- Attending an accredited college or university; and
- Obtaining a primary degree in social work or a related degree. Students in a social work program must be from a college or university whose program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). In addition to social work degree programs, the following related human services degree programs may also require practicum or intership experiences:
Members of the general public may not be accepted as volunteers at DCBS.
Supervision is a vital learning process for all student interns and volunteer practicum students. After the supervisor has determined that the student can handle routine situations, the student may be assigned duties similar to those of regular staff, under the direct supervision of the practicum supervisor, provided these duties do not conflict with the student's role. Initial client contacts by students are made only when the student is in the presence of Cabinet staff assigned to work with the student.
The student completing a formal educational practicum is responsible for obtaining all required signatures for their learning agreement (student, DCBS, faculty advisor). The learning agreement should specify:

The length of placement;
The geographic area to be served;
A written job description developed in conjunction with the student's faculty advisor and their onsite supervisor; and
Parameters for evaluation of the practicum that are agreed upon by DCBS, the student, and the college or university, that include expected goals, outcomes, and learned behaviors to be acquired by the student.

A copy of the learning agreement should be maintained on file at the practicum site and is available for review by all involved parties.
A DCBS Protection and Permanency (P&P) staff person pursuing a Master of Social Work (MSW) may perform the same job tasks as an employee in a compatible role, and assignments are based on the student's knowledge, skills, experience, and abilities. Based on the practicum experience, the student's role may be expanded to include program areas other than their normally assigned duties and responsibilities
Co-op/intern or volunteer practicum students may be assigned, based on knowledge, skills, and abilities, the following tasks including, but not limited to:

Supportive services to resource families (foster and adoption homes);

Supportive services to committed children and families receiving services; or

Supportive efforts to the SSW who manages the case;
Accompany an SSW on visits, assist with interviews, assessment of safety threats and risk, assessment of client strengths and needs, and other tasks during the course of an investigation or ongoing service provision; or
Conduct research projects initiated by DCBS.

Co-op/intern or volunteer practicum students are not to:

Use the names of clients served in oral or written communication except as it pertains to Cabinet business;
Assume sole responsibility for casework decisions and responsibilities;
Transport a client or child in the legal custody of the Cabinet;
Assume sole responsibility for supervision of minor children;
Conduct adult or child protective service investigations; or
Conduct general adult or alternate care assessments until the student intern has completed training in the program area and only under the supervision of the practicum supervisor.

If difficulties or problems are encountered during the placement, all parties should attempt to resolve the issue or problem. The service region should discuss the problem or issue with the university's intern or practicum coordinator.
In accordance with the MOUs, the student, the student’s college or university, or the Cabinet, DCBS, or the service region may terminate the placement at any time. If different arrangements are needed to fulfill a student intern's need for a formal practicum placement, the person terminating the practicum is to give reasonable notice of the change in practicum status unless the safety of children or families is involved.
When requests have been submitted by a region or division for a paid student internship/co-op, the DCBS Commissioner’s Office will complete a child abuse/neglect (CAN) check for each co-op/intern action submitted and a second AOC check. A determination regarding approval must be made by the DCBS budget-level approval authority, the DCBS Commissioner's Office appointing authority, and the Office of Human Resource Management. The personnel action will then be reviewed by the Personnel Cabinet for a final review and determination on approval. A minimum of ten (10) calendar days' notice will be provided on the personnel action for the effective date for the co-op/intern student, if approved.

Procedure

Division of Service Region (DSR) or Division of Protection and Permanency (DPP) Staff Supervising Students:

Provide prospective volunteer practicum students or interns with an application packet upon inquiry by the student regarding opportunities. The application packet includes:

DPP-098 Student Intern/Volunteer Application;
Confidentiality Agreement; and
A copy of the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Handbook;

Maintain the co-op intern’s or student volunteer’s application, confidentiality agreement, and background checks until the completion of the placement period;
Ensure that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) exists between the Cabinet and the university or college, as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding Universities Listing before accepting a student intern or practicum student;
Instructs the university to contact the Division of Administration and Financial Management (DAFM) (502-564-7463) if it wishes to develop an MOU, if one does not already exist;
Reviews the MOU to understand the requirements outlined in the MOU;
Ensures AOC and CAN checks have been completed by the human resources specialist prior to accepting a volunteer practicum student or student intern;
Obtain approval from the appropriate service region administrator (SRA), division director or designee before accepting a practicum student. The approval process will include provision of the application packet and background checks to the SRA, Director or designee, and an interview by the SRA, Director or designee to determine the appropriateness as a volunteer practicum student or intern;
Determine whether the student is seeking a paid internship or volunteer practicum placement;
Complete the following steps if the student is seeking a paid internship:

Submit the student’s resume and unofficial transcript to the Personnel Cabinet’s co-op/intern coordinator for review and approval to participate in the Co-op/Intern Program;
Upon approval to participate in the Co-op/Intern Program, submit a formal personnel action recommending the student for a co-op/intern position as an interim employee;
Include the following attachments with the personnel action:

The approval email from the Personnel Cabinet for the student’s co-op/intern approval;
The student’s resume;
The student’s unofficial transcript; and
An Administrative Office of the Court (AOC) check, completed by the human resource specialist in the division/service region;

Obtain review and approval of the division director/SRA or designee for all requests for the formal submission of a student as a co-op/intern interim recommendation;
Provide the following information about the volunteer practicum student or intern to the Commissioner's office HR staff for monitoring and tracking purposes:

Student’s name;
College/university they attend;
Date they began the internship or practicum;
Date they are scheduled to end the internship or practicum;
Graduation date; and
Supervisor's name.

Assist the student under their supervision with obtaining appropriate access to the network and email, if hired into an intern position as an interim employee;
Participate with the student and faculty advisor in the development of a written outline (learning agreement) of the objectives for the practicum;
Provide the student with an orientation to the agency and to the standards of practice (SOP);
Avoid placing a student in situations that may be harmful to the student or the client;
Supervise all work of the student, especially interactions with clients, and provide a report detailing the student's strengths and weaknesses to the supervisor;
Discuss any concerns with the student;
Report the progress of the student to their college or university faculty advisor and provide the evaluation checklist and any other required paperwork to the student and their college or university;
Consult with the student's faculty advisor as needed or negotiated in the learning agreement;
Provide the student with a rich learning opportunity including:

The opportunity to learn about DCBS and the field of child welfare and adult services;
Protected time to receive information about how the agency meets needs and time to ask questions;
Opportunities to interact with staff in various roles such as SSWs, FSOSs, SRAA or SRCA, and SRA;

Ensure that the regional or division designee has notified the commissioner’s office human resource staff upon the student's completion or termination of the co-op/intern or volunteer practicum program; and
Ensure that a personnel action has been submitted by the human resource specialist in the division/service region to end a student’s participation in the co-op/intern program.