Building your agency and advocacy presentation
A clear flow from your field agency to a real advocacy plan
- Your agencyMission, services, funding and structure.
- The populationWho the agency serves and the barriers they face.
- The advocacy issueOne specific policy, practice or access problem.
- The evidenceCurrent research and data on the issue.
- The strategyStakeholders, actions and measurable goals.
- Ethics and justiceLink to the NASW Code of Ethics and social justice.
SOCW 6520 is a key milestone in Walden University's Master of Social Work program. It's where classroom learning meets real advocacy in your field placement. One of the assignments students often search for help with is the agency and advocacy presentation. This guide reviews the course, explains how to approach the presentation and shares practical tips for success.
Please note: assignment requirements change between terms and instructors. Always follow your current syllabus, assignment instructions and rubric.
Course Description
SOCW 6520 is Walden's Social Work Field Education III, the third course in the field practicum sequence. It's an advanced, 3-credit course in which students complete 250 hours (about 20 to 24 hours per week) at an approved social services agency, supervised by a professional social worker.
The course focuses on agencies serving diverse populations and marginalized or oppressed groups. Students concentrate on clinical social work practice and on negotiating and advocating with and for client systems to improve well-being and advance social and economic justice. Students also critically examine research on interventions, select an appropriate intervention and follow through on implementing it. A seminar component helps students integrate classroom knowledge with professional practice skills.
Understanding the Agency and Advocacy Presentation
Advocacy is a core social work competency. An agency and advocacy presentation typically asks you to show that you understand your field agency, the population it serves and a specific issue affecting that population, then propose realistic steps to create change.
A strong presentation usually covers:
- Agency overview: mission, services, funding sources, organisational structure and place in the community.
- Population served: demographics, needs, strengths and barriers to services.
- An advocacy issue: a specific policy, practice or access gap that affects clients.
- Evidence: current research, data and relevant policies.
- Advocacy strategy: the level of change (micro, mezzo or macro), key stakeholders, specific actions and how you'd measure success.
- Ethical and justice considerations: links to the NASW Code of Ethics and social, economic and environmental justice.
How to Succeed in SOCW 6520
1. Get to know your agency deeply
Talk to your field instructor and staff about the agency's history, funding and challenges. Review annual reports, websites and internal policies you're permitted to access.
2. Choose a focused, realistic advocacy issue
Pick one issue you've observed in your placement, such as transportation barriers, language access, waitlists or a policy that limits eligibility. A narrow issue leads to a more convincing, practical advocacy plan.
3. Ground everything in evidence
Support your points with recent peer-reviewed research and credible data sources. Our guide to finding reliable academic sources can help.
4. Protect client confidentiality
Never include names, identifying details or photos of clients. Follow your agency's policies and the NASW Code of Ethics on privacy and confidentiality.
5. Design a clear, professional presentation
- Keep slides concise, with one main idea per slide.
- Put detailed explanation in the speaker notes if required.
- Use APA format for in-text citations and a reference slide.
- Practise your narration if you're recording audio or video.
6. Connect to competencies
Show how your work demonstrates social work competencies such as advancing human rights and social justice, engaging in policy practice and ethical professional behaviour.
7. Manage your field hours carefully
With 250 hours required, plan your weekly schedule early, log hours accurately and keep in regular contact with your field instructor.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Describing the agency without identifying a clear advocacy issue.
- Choosing an issue too broad to address, like "poverty".
- Proposing strategies without identifying stakeholders or measurable goals.
- Using outdated or non-scholarly sources.
- Including identifying client information.
- Overloading slides with text.
How Collepals Can Support You
Field education courses are demanding, and balancing practicum hours with coursework is tough. Collepals offers human support to help you produce your best work:
- Academic writing guidance: help structuring your presentation and advocacy plan.
- Research guidance: support finding current social work research and policy data.
- Editing and proofreading: polish your slides, speaker notes and papers.
- APA formatting: accurate citations and references.
- 24/7 human support: real people ready to help.
Always follow Walden University's academic integrity policy and your instructor's guidelines. Explore Collepals services.