Our Mission and Goals

Mission

The Department of Social Work at Western Connecticut State University prepares highly competent generalist social workers to practice as professionals and leaders in a manner consistent with the purposes and values of the profession. The Department builds upon a liberal arts education by creating opportunities for internships, research, and experiential learning that ignite a desire for life-long learning. The Department engages students in education and training of the social work process, preparing them to employ practice that enhances the quality of life for people in the community while balancing the person-in-environment framework and a global perspective. The program highlights respect for difference, the value of the relationship as a vehicle for change, the pursuit of social and economic justice, and equitable human rights.

Goals To achieve this, the Department prepares students to:

• Promote individual, family, and community well-being, human rights, and social, economic, and environmental justice.
• Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior as informed by the values, principles, and standards as outlined in the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.
• Understand the importance of diversity and intersectionality in shaping life experiences on the micro, mezzo, macro level and challenge systemic mechanisms of oppression and discrimination.
• Integrate research-based practice and use practice to inform scholarship.
• View social welfare policy with a critical lens and enact policy and advocacy initiatives on a local, national, and global scale.
• Utilize the social work process of engaging, assessing, intervening, and evaluating individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.