Field Placement- week 4

It is four weeks into my internship at Phillips Programs in the foster care section, and I have officially done 3 field experience related tasks. I have been having issues with my supervisor, as it seems she did not plan ahead for me to be here. She has given me three client names, but I have yet to meet any of them. I have gone to two home studies, which are interviews with potential foster parents. After approval, the information gained in these studies allows us to correctly match the foster parents with a child that will be able to excel in their home. I merely shadowed these interviews and did not have any direct involvement with the process, but it was beneficial for me to at least see how the process works. I have also attended one therapy meeting. The meeting involved a current set of adoptive parents in our program who are now going through a divorce. The therapist discussed with them ways to tell the children and help them through the painful process. Again, I had no direct involvement with this meeting other than sitting in on it. Other than these three events, I have basically sat around and read files or done homework during my time at my internship, because my supervisor simply does not have anything for me to work on. This placement has been difficult for me to enjoy or learn from, as it is not the type of center where clients come. I am in an office setting and all of our client related activity takes place outside of the office. This means that in order to go out on home visits, etc, I have to be able to match up my schedule with the schedules of other case workers. This has proven difficult having class 2-3 days a week, because most home visits take place after children get out of school (which is when I have to be in class). I am very disappointed in how my internship is going so far, and I am really hoping it will pick up soon. As of now, I have 2 court hearings scheduled to shadow and one more home visit, but those are not until mid-October. In the mean time, I suppose I will just be given office work to do from time to time. I am so eager to get out of this place and actually experience what a social worker does!