Policy Field Unit

Social workers see the effects of public policy on people’s lives every day, often in ways that can be challenging both for those in need and those trying to help. Through the new Policy Field Unit practicum, IU School of Social Work students learned what it takes to move from recognizing the effects to making a positive impact. Launched in fall 2019, the unique practicum enabled students to gain real-world experience and practical knowledge in understanding how policymaking works and the ways advocacy and coalition building contribute to constructive policy creation.

“While more social work students are becoming interested in policy in light of our current political climate, practicum opportunities focused on policy are limited,” said Stephanie Boys, MSW, Ph.D., J.D., associate professor and practicum director. “This field unit fills a gap in the traditional curriculum for students who have that desire, allowing them to get the knowledge and practical experience they need to work in the policy field.”

Five students—three master’s-level students and two undergraduates—took part in the yearlong practicum. Unlike most other practicum experiences, the “beauty” of the Policy Field Unit, Dr. Boys said, is that it’s almost entirely student driven. Students applied and were selected based on their interest in public policy and its intersection with social work. During the first semester, each student chose a policy area to research and wrote a policy brief. They selected a field experience for the second semester and throughout the entire practicum participated in weekly roundtable discussions of current events influenced by legislative policy.

The Policy Field Unit presenting a poster at the E.C. Moore Symposium at IUPUI on March 6, 2020. Left to right: Rachel Walters, Julianne Miller, Samrawit Shreves, Aimee Patras, Asia Gibson, and Stephanie Boys.
The Policy Field Unit presenting a poster at the E.C. Moore Symposium at IUPUI on March 6, 2020.
Left to right: Rachel Walters, Julianne Miller, Samrawit Shreves, Aimee Patras, Asia Gibson, and Stephanie Boys.
To view the poster visit go.iu.edu/2Sg6

Rachel Walters, who graduated from the MSW program in May, viewed the Policy Field Unit as a way to think more critically about the factors that make it hard for people to thrive in society. For her field experience, she became involved in advocating against Senate Bill 449, failed legislation that would have allowed children as young as 12 years old to be tried as adults in criminal court. Supported by juvenile justice research she conducted during the practicum, Walters testified during the committee hearing on the bill.

“I became really passionate about the harm this bill could cause and wanted to be in involved in opposing it,” said Walters, who is set to start law school this fall. “I really learned how crucial policy is and that we need people advocating, amplifying voices and identifying where policy is or is not working.”

The Policy Field Unit offered the opportunity for Aimee Patras to increase her understanding of housing history and policy in Indiana. Also, a May 2020 MSW graduate, Patras completed her Policy Field Unit requirement as an intern working at three Indianapolis community development corporations through the Sagamore Institute Fellows program.

“I’m very thankful for my time in the Policy Field Unit,” said Patras, who works in a civil legal aid organization. “The most enjoyable part was the collegiality of the placement—while working independently on multiple passion projects, I also learned and worked with four other policy-focused students.”

For Julianne Miller, who became more politically involved during the 2016 election, the Policy Field Unit provided valuable foundational knowledge that proved useful in her legislative internship with the Indiana Senate Democrats. Miller, who completed her BSW degree in May, said her practicum experiences revealed the value social workers can bring to policymaking.

“As social work students, we study empathy and the human experience in all its forms and to have that in policymaking would be incredible right now,” Miller said. “To have social workers who are working with people and not above people, who understand the challenges because they’ve seen them and not just heard about them—having that kind of empathy and understanding at the federal and state level to influence policy would change the game.”