NANFED - North American Network of Field Educators and Directors

"Build it and they will come" would be the way to describe the outpouring of support we received after the first major Field Work Symposium was held at the St. Louis APM in February 1987. Over 200 field educators participated and after the 1988 Field Symposium, which drew even larger numbers, the Symposium chairs, Dean Schneck, Bart Grossman, and Urania Glassman, agreed that the rich papers presented merited an edited volume. Considering there had been no venue for the dissemination and review of field education knowledge, the high quality of the submissions was no surprise. Field Education in Social Work: Contemporary Issues and Trends, edited by the threesome was published in 1991. And in 1995, the edited volume, Social Work Field Education: Views and Visions by Gayla Rogers was published with some special focus on Canada emanating from the launching of the first Canadian Field Work Symposium in Calgary It should be noted that the CSWE was given the first option to publish these materials and declined, and so with the support of the publishing house of Kendall Hunt in Iowa, these volumes came into being.

The field educators from the US and Canada involved in the Field Symposia each year recognized that field work had been under-represented in the CSWE, and in the APM. There was no Field Work Commission -- the view of the CSWE was that field work was actually being represented through the Practice Commission. There were virtually no known field directors taking part in accreditation site visit teams.

The North American Network of Field Educators and Directors - NANFED - was formed to promote the interests of field education within the CSWE and the APM. The Field Work Symposium chairs have historically directed NANFED. A permanent Steering Committee of field educators conducts the work of NANFED. This work has included supporting the Field Symposium, encouraging the submission of abstracts, identifying issues to be addressed at the Symposium, supporting the development of local consortia, mentoring new field directors, addressing issues related to standards and EPAS, submitting Faculty Development Institutes, running and funding the reception, conducting the business meeting, cooperating with the Field Commission, funding the Heart of Social Work Awards, maintaining the directory of field educators, (through Regina Thomas at UCLA), and collecting dues. Marsha Martin and Priscilla Riley succeeded the founders as chairs.

During the late 1980's Joe Nunn and Mitchell Maki of UCLA, and Janet Black of U. Cal. Long Beach, launched the Heart of Social Work Awards to honor and celebrate field instructors. The process was formalized and schools are invited to submit nominees for these awards. Recipient schools are urged to cover expenses to APM for honorees. Awards are presented annually at the Field Educators' Reception. Expenses for plaques are incurred by NANFED. Steven Clark at UCLA is currently responsible for this undertaking.

Field Works, Inc. was incorporated in Wisconsin in 1990 as a non profit corporation by Schneck, Grossman, and Glassman, who still serve as the officers. Betty Zeps, now retired from the Field Office at University of Wisconsin continues as the keeper of the account and signator of the checks. One of its original purposes was to support the publications. All proceeds from the sale of the two volumes was turned back to Field Works, Inc.

The Steering Committee was persistent in lobbying for the development of a Field Work Commission within CSWE. This was accomplished after huge effort and we are largely indebted to Dean Schneck for this endeavor. In 2003, when the Field Commission was disbanded, another effort was required to insure the representation of Field Education within the Council. Currently, the chair of the Field Work Council sits on COCEI (Commission on Curriculum and Educational Innovation).

Through personal contributions, profits from the sale of the books, and some help from institutions, the Field Work Reception continues and the Heart of Social Work Awards are presented. However, to insure our vitality and future growth, NANFED needs all participant field educators to become members.

We must be mindful that it is the Field Work Symposium - now being called the Field Work Track -- with its scholarly juried papers, and enthusiastic and dedicated participation that gives field work its legitimacy at the CSWE, and which ultimately underpins NANFED's legitimacy. It is the production of scholarly works that provides field educators with the voice necessary to insure that field education remains central in the social work curriculum.

Post Script: You have undoubtedly seen the EPAS guidelines which were recently circulated by CSWE. And, you have noted the new conceptualization of Field Work as the Signature Pedagogy of Social Work. This has been a long time in coming, and this forward thinking view emanates from an understanding of the literature on professional education and the recognition of key conceptual underpinnings guiding all professions in their use of signature pedagogies to educate their practitioners. You have also seen that competencies have centrality in the new accreditation standards. Field educators will be important contributors to their institutions as standards will require curricula to focus on integration of learning, especially with regard to knowledge, values, and action.

Ronnie Glassman
Ginger Robbins
Co-Chairs, NANFED