Social Work and Gerontology Department Resources
There are plenty of resources available to Social Work and Gerontology students. Here you can find details about the department, professional information and necessary paperwork.
As always, feel free to reach out to your professors or stop in at the department office if you have questions or need assistance.
The Resource Room, located in Shippen Hall 384B, serves as a quiet study room and meeting place for Social Work students. In this room, students will find the Department of Social Work journals, NASW membership materials, information about the graduate program, and resources related to internships, jobs, and volunteer opportunities. The Resource Room provides a quiet meeting and/or study space for students who want to develop relationships with their peers and faculty.
View the latest version of the department newsletter as a PDF.
The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers.
Clearances and Licensure
View instructions for obtaining clearances. All students are required to obtain clearances when they become social work majors and once again when they are enrolled in Preparation for Practicum SWK 388.
- Pennsylvania Background Checks and Clearances - This webpage has all of the information about obtaining a Pennsylvania ChildLine clearance, PA state background check, and FBI background check.
- New Jersey Child Abuse Record Information (CARI) - Child abuse record information. This website provides instructions to obtain this clearance.
- New Jersey State and Federal Background Checks - Information about obtaining New Jersey's state and federal background checks can be found here. Complete Form A.
- Maryland State and Federal Background Checks - Maryland's state and federal background checks can be found here.
- Maryland Child Protective Services Background Check - Maryland's child protective services clearance.
- West Virginia Background Checks and Clearances - This link opens directly to West Virginia's PDF form to be completed for a state, federal, and central abuse background checks.
- West Virginia Background Check Instructions - This webpage has instructions to complete a background check and where to go to be fingerprinted.
Becoming Licensed in PA - Information about licensure at the master’s level.
Handbooks and Forms
These items are available here in PDF format. Physical copies are available in the department office.
These items are available here in PDF format. Physical copies are available in the department office.
Field Education Resources
View a partial list of the many agencies we partner with to provide field education experiences for all of our Social Work students. New agency placements are being developed all the time.
Physical copies of these items may be obtained from the department office.
Bachelor of Social Work Student Handbook and Field Manual: This manual includes information about the BSW program and the BSW Field Program and requirements.
Forms:
Child Welfare Education for Baccalaureates (CWEB) is a program administered by the University of Pittsburgh's School of Social Work. The CWEB program is a cooperative effort among the United States Administration for Children and Families, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, and fourteen undergraduate social work degree programs in Pennsylvania accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Its goal is to strengthen public child welfare services in Pennsylvania by providing educational opportunities for undergraduate social work majors preparing for employment in one of Pennsylvania's 67 public child welfare agencies. Qualified persons who are enrolled as social work majors in any of the approved schools on either a full-time or part-time basis may receive substantial financial support in return for a contractual obligation to accept employment in a Pennsylvania public child welfare agency following their studies.
For more information about how Shippensburg University participates in the CWEB program, please contact Dr. Michael Lyman by emailing mjlyma@ship.edu.
CWEB Internship Application
Retrieve the application for County Social Casework Intern (Local Government) to begin the civil service process when you are seeking a position with the county child welfare agencies.
Physical copies of these items may be obtained from the department office.
MSW Student Field Manual: This manual includes information about the MSW Field Program and its requirements.
Child Welfare Education for Leadership (CWEL) and this program is also administered by the University of Pittsburgh's School of Social Work. The CWEL program is a cooperative effort among the United States Administration for Children and Families, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, the Pennsylvania Child and Youth Administrators and eleven accredited schools of social work in Pennsylvania. Its goal is to strengthen public child welfare services in Pennsylvania by providing educational opportunities at the graduate level for public child welfare personnel. Qualified persons who are admitted to any of the approved schools on either a full-time or part-time basis may receive substantial financial support in return for a contractual obligation to continue employment with the sponsoring agency following their studies.
Any employee of a Pennsylvania county child welfare agency may apply provided the applicant has the prerequisite academic degree from an accredited institution of higher education; has been employed by the same agency for at least one year; has at least satisfactory performance evaluations; and (if applying for full-time study) is granted an educational leave by the employing agency for the purpose of enrolling in the CWEL program. Those who have already started a graduate Social Work program in a CWEL school may also apply, so long as they are in good academic standing and they do not have any outstanding debts to school in which they are enrolled. Persons in default of federal educational loans are ineligible. Caseworkers, supervisors, and administrative personnel are all eligible to participate.
For more information about how Shippensburg University participates in the CWEL program, please contact Dr. Marita Flagler by emailing mnflagler@ship.edu.
Research and References
The Library of Congress/THOMAS - Access the world's largest collection of social science research data.
Student Research at Ship - Shippensburg University provides many opportunities for student research.
Ezra Lehman Memorial Library - The Ezra Lehman Memorial Library at Shippensburg University has a huge assortment of resources, guides and more.
American Psychological Association - This is the American Psychological Association electronic reference citation format.
Purdue Online Writing Lab - This is the American Psychological Association electronic reference citation format.
Sites for Information
Child Trends - A nonprofit, nonpartisan research center that studies children at all stages of development.
Child Welfare League of America - CWLA is a powerful coalition of hundreds of private and public agencies serving vulnerable children and families since 1920.
ACT Raising Safe Kids Program - The ACT program mission is to mobilize communities and educate families to create safe, nurturing, healthy environments that protect children and youth from violence and its consequences.
National Data Archive on Child Abuse & Neglect (NDACAN) - NDACAN promotes scholarly exchange among researchers in the child maltreatment field.
Mandated Reporter Training - The University of Pittsburgh Child Welfare Resource Center offers a training on mandated reporting. Click on the registration tab to complete webinar registration and continue to the offered training.
Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice (CHHIRJ) at Harvard Law School - This institute is committed to marshalling the resources of Harvard and beyond to use the law as a tool to reverse the unjust consequences of racial discrimination.
The Jim Crow Museum - The Jim Crow Museum at Ferris University, Grand Rapids, Michigan displays many artifacts that represent racism in America.
Anti-Defamation League - The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry in the U.S. and abroad through information, education, legislation, and advocacy.
Diversity Rx - Diversity Rx works towards promoting language and cultural competence to improve the quality of health care for minority, immigrant and ethnically diverse communities.
Human Rights Watch - Human Rights Watch is the largest human rights organization based in the United States.
Association of Clinicians for the Underserved - ACU is a nonprofit, trans-disciplinary organization of clinicians, advocates, and health care organizations united in a common mission to improve the health of America's underserved populations and to enhance the development and support of the health care clinicians serving these populations.
LGBTQ+ Concerns Committee - This is the online presence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and ally (LGBTQIA) resources and organizations at Shippensburg University.
PA Chapter of the NASW - The Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
National Association of Social Workers - The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world.
School Social Work Association of America - SSWAA is the only national organization solely dedicated to advancing the profession of School Social Work.
Society for Social Work Leadership in Healthcare - The Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care is an association dedicated to promoting the universal availability, accessibility, coordination, and effectiveness of health care that addresses the psychosocial components of health and illness.
The New Social Worker Online - The magazine's primary focus is on career development for social workers and social work students at all levels.
Association of Social Work Boards - The Association of Social Work Boards owns and maintains the social work licensing examinations that are used to test a social worker's competence to practice ethically and safely.
Council on Social Work Education - The sole accrediting agency for social work education in this country.
Association for Community Organization & Social Administration - A membership organization for community organizers, activists, nonprofit administrators, community builders, policy practitioners, students and educators.
Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups - The purpose of this non-profit, member-driven organization is to promote excellence in group work practice, education, field instruction, research and publication.
National Institute on Aging - Leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life.
Social Security Administration - The United States Social Security Administration administers Social Security.
Administration on Aging - The Administration on Aging (AoA) is the Federal agency responsible for advancing the concerns and interests of older people and their caregivers.
Medicare - Medicare is a national health insurance program.
NGOabroad - This is a unique service that helps you enter or advance in international humanitarian work and provides frugal international volunteer opportunities.
The United Nations - The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights.
International Council on Social Welfare - It is a non-governmental organization which represents national and local organizations in more than 70 countries throughout the world that work directly with people in poverty, hardship or distress.
National Institute of Mental Health - The mission of NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure.
SAMHSA - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) - The mission of SAVE is to prevent suicide through public awareness and education, reduce stigma and serve as a source to those who are touched by suicide.
Society for Social Work and Research - Founded in 1994 as a free-standing organization dedicated to the advancement of social work research.
American Evaluation Association - An international professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of program evaluation, personnel evaluation, technology, and many other forms of evaluation.
Influencing State Policy - Assists faculty and students in learning how to influence effectively the formation, implementation, and evaluation of state-level policy and legislation.
