CSWE is the sole accrediting body for BSW and MSW social work programs in the United States. Every 8 years, the CSWE Commission for Curriculum and Educational Innovation (COCEI) and Commission for Accreditation (COA) review and revise the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS), the document used by COA in making accreditation decisions. The 2008 EPAS signaled a significant shift to a focus on student outcomes, which moved social work to a competency-based outcomes approach to education.
Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards
The 2008 EPAS requires all programs that seek accreditation to use a competency-based approach to curriculum design, e.g., to focus on what a student must learn and be able to do. Competencies are measurable practice behaviors that are composed of knowledge, values, and skills for both generalist and advanced practice. The EPAS identifies 10 competencies that are common to all social work practice.
Programs may develop, build on, and apply these 10 competencies in an area of concentration, which derive from their mission, goal, and context, including demography (EPAS, 2.1; M2.2). Since 1998, the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative has developed and used competencies for both generalist and advanced practice with older adults and their families. Program participants in the Gero-Ed Center and Hartford Partnership Program in Aging Education (HPPAE) are well positioned to implement and measure gerontological practice behaviors under the new EPAS.
View the Advanced Gero Social Work Practice Guide to see how the 2008 EPAS and gero competencies connect. The Practice Guide contains teaching resource examples, such as class exercises, assignments, and articles on evidence-based practice linked to select practice behaviors. It serves as a template for programs in implementing gero competencies.
Accreditation Self-Studies
Infusion of Gerontology Content in 2005 and 2006 Bachelor and Master of Social Work Accreditation Reports: A Content Analysis (PDF) is an extensive review of accreditation self-study documents from 45 social work programs, was completed by Dr. John Rife, CSWE senior scholar, in 2006. By identifying the extent of gerontological content in social work curricula, this report offers a baseline snapshot of the frequency of recent gerontology infusion and points to potential impacts of the Hartford curriculum development projects. An Executive Summary (PDF) of the 2006 review is also available.