Community Caring Council is one of Missouri’s 21 partnerships dedicated to measurably improving the condition of Missouri’s families, children, individuals and communities. The Caring Council currently has approximately 100 members representing more than 70 agencies. The Council provides the following services:

• A public forum for discussion of community issues
• Working committees and issue councils
• An umbrella organization for the “incubation” of programs and services
• Community planning and development
• Fiscal agent services
• Community assessment

THE FIELD EXPERIENCE FOR THE BSW CANDIDATE:  The student will be exposed to and/or involved in the following agency activities:

• Community facilitation and support of Priority Issues Councils
• Supportive housing program - housing deposits and homeless assistance
• Case management of HUD clients in supportive housing program
• First Call for Help program – providing information and referral, and community case management including crisis intervention and ongoing case management
• Meeting with working committees and issue councils in a community liaison role to avoid service duplication and to identify gaps in services
• Family Transition Team – staffing team for unmet needs in the community
• Exposure to fiscal agent service provision for several non-profit agencies and grants

WHAT STUDENTS SAY:
“The field education at Community Caring Council (CCC) is mainly a macro-field education. It involves about 20 percent micro practice, which is working with First Call for Help -- an information/referral agency in the same building. This involves working with one or two clients who First Call has assisted and who need follow-up.  Also, it involves answering and assisting with help calls from individuals to First Call, linking them up with agencies who can assist them and logging the information into the computer. 

The biggest part, about 80 percent, of the field education is macro. This mainly involves having an entire community as a client instead of a particular individual. There are a great deal of meetings to attend because CCC collaborates with many different agencies and they meet to assure that no services are getting duplicated and there are no gaps in services. The Cape Area Family Resource Center is an agency that I worked closely with but the intern’s agency involvement could change from field education to field education. It mainly involves bringing individuals together to determine the needs of the community. That is the job of the social work intern. 

"This field education takes initiative on the part of the student. You are the one responsible for making things happen and contacting people with whom you will be involved. It is a challenging field education but one that introduces you to the community. You come to learn and become aware of the many different agencies in the area, and it also gives the student exposure to different individuals at agencies during the meetings you attend. It is an interesting field education because it is something different that you are doing every day!”

“This placement is very fast-paced and challenging, but the staff is very helpful and will ease the student into everything required. Supervision starts out close and becomes more loose and on an as-needed basis. The internship provides a learning experience on both the micro- and community-levels. There is plenty for the student to do and some flexibility in choosing which experiences to take part in.”

"My overall experience at the CCC was terrific. I was surrounded by confident professionals who tok real pride in their work. My field supervisors were always willing to sit down and process with me about a client.  As a student I experienced a good mix of micro and macro and even some mezzo. I was given leadership opportunities as well as opportunities to shadow other workers. I was involved in every aspect of the office anything they did, I did too. I was treated like a member of the team. My experience at CCC allowed me to take everything that I have learned over the past four years and apply it to real clients. It was gratifying to see all of the pieces come together into an overall understanding of 'the big picture'. Using the systems approach I now understand all of the different parts that make up this profession and the world we work in. I feel that I am now ready to enter into my first real  social wok job!"                                                                                               

"Community Caring Council is a great macro practice environment. Howver, the field instructors provide the students with many opportunities at the micro level.  It is great agency for individuals who are entering the social work profession to gain knowledge of the many services and resources offered to clients in the community.  In addition, students can gain and/or improve his or her networking skills during the committee neetings when representatives from other agencies are in attendance. The field instructors and staff are very supportive and caring. They strive to create an environment where both the student and field instructor have reciprocal relationships for learning and professional growth."

"My experience at CCC could not have been more poistive. Through my field placement I was provided with significant experience at every level of practice. The wide variety of tasks at the Council may be challanging but the field instructors provide ample support and direction to empower the student to meet challanges."

                                                                                         
"Overall CCC is a great field placement! My field instructor is knowlegable in social work practice as well as many other things such as resources in the Cape Girardeau area. The CCC staff is a friendly group of people that welcome social work students. While working at CCC I felt comfortable asking questions to not only my supervisor but to the other staff as well. CCC provides a safe, friendly environment in which to learn and grow as a social work intern."

"This is the perfect placement to receive experience in all three levels of practice - micro, mezzo and macro. The entire staff is quite helpful and welcoming and the Field Instructor makes herself available at all times. There is never a dull moment here. Each client brings a unique opportunity to get lots and lots of great practice experience!"

For more information about Community Caring Council, visit their Web site at:  http://www.communitycaringcouncil.org/

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