Social Work

Contact Information

phone: (716) 839-8515
daemen.edu/socialwork

Chair

George Siefert Jr
(716) 839-8294

Degrees Offered

• Bachelor of Arts in Social Work
• Master of Social Work (see Graduate Catalog for details)

Social Work Program Mission Statement

The mission of the Daemen College Bachelor of Arts Social Work (BASW) Program is to prepare students to be professionally responsible, ethical, competent, and committed generalist practitioners capable of intervening with diverse populations, in various settings, and at all levels of social work practice (i.e., micro, mezzo, macro).

Grounded in the Social Work profession’s knowledge, skills, and values, the BASW Program teaches students to become critically thinking, problem solvers and to recognize the inherent value of all human beings through the integration of classroom instruction and community-based and international learning opportunities.

Program Goals

In accordance with its mission, the Daemen College Social Work Program seeks to:

• Prepare students with a foundation in knowledge and skills necessary for effective generalist practice and/or advanced study in social work.
• Ensure that students are able to work with diverse populations and in various settings – integrating research, empirically informed practice, knowledge of human behavior and environment, and an awareness of social policy.
• Promote social work values and ethics emphasizing a commitment to social change, social justice, community, and diversity.
• Enrich the community through service learning, extracurricular activities, field education, research, and professional development opportunities.

Program Objectives

Graduates of the Daemen College Social Work program will demonstrate that they:

1. Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly;
2. Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice;
3. Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments;
4. Engage diversity and difference in practice;
5. Advance human rights and social and economic justice;
6. Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research ;
7. Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment;
8. Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work service;
9. Respond to contexts that shape practice; and
10. Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate interventions with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

The program of study leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) at the baccalaureate level. For more information about CSWE accreditation and core competencies, please visit the CSWE website.

The Social Work curriculum is carefully sequenced around a professional foundation that includes content on social work values and ethics, diversity, social and economic justice, populations-at-risk, human behavior and the social environment, social welfare policy and services, social work research, social work practice, and a field practicum.

Admission Requirement

First-year students are admitted to the Social Work program on a conditional basis. In the second semester of the sophomore year, students must complete the Upper Division application and participate in an interview in order to be fully accepted into the Social Work program.