Social Work Education Anti-Racism (SWEAR) Scale

ABSTRACT

Social work education programs in the U.S. are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Amendments made to the 2022 competencies reflect antiracism language, which requires assessment opportunities in the classroom moving forward. An assessment tool that assesses efficacy across the four domains, specifically related to antiracism, is essential for practice readiness, assessment, and accountability for future professional social workers. This article presents the Social Work Education Anti-Racism Scale to help programs assess their progress toward preparing social work students to become practitioners who embrace antiracism. The final scale included 30 items on five subscales related to antiracism: knowledge, values, skills, cognitive and affective processes, and professional responsibility. Applications for accredited social work programs are discussed.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

April L. Murphy

April L. Murphy is an Associate Professor at Western Kentucky University.

Laneshia R. Conner

Laneshia R. Conner is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky.

Austin Weiler

Austin Weiler is a Master of Social Work student at Western Kentucky University.

Becky Anthony

Becky Anthony is an Associate Professor at Salisbury University.

Jennifer R. Jewell

Jennifer R. Jewell is Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences at Columbia College.

Victoria Venable

Victoria Venable is an Associate Professor at Salisbury University.