Planning
Professional Liability Insurance
If your prospective agency/placement requires you to carry professional liability insurance, it is available through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and requires you to join NASW before you are eligible to purchase liability coverage. The link below will directly connect you to the Student Professional Liability Insurance information. Please note: you may want to consider purchasing a policy even if your agency does not require it. Students may or may not be covered by the agency’s professional liability insurance.
Health Checks including TB Tests and Immunizations
Many agencies require you to verify current immunizations against infectious diseases and document a negative result from a recent TB (tuberculosis) test. If your agency requires a TB test or any other health assessment, contact your primary health care provider or review the information about services available through the following links:
Criminal Background Checks and Drug Testing
If a background check or drug testing is required by your practicum agency, please ask the agency contact person about the process for meeting this requirement. Many agencies process background checks or drug testing for students by using the same procedures used for their employees. Some organizations require a background check or drug testing, however they may ask you, the student, to pay for the procedure. Some organizations may require a background check or drug testing however, do not conduct it themselves, in this case, please contact the field education office at fieldeducation@ku.edu for assistance with this agency requirement.
