Training in the Social Services Industry
Internships in the social services industry provide international Interns/Trainees with excellent insight into American business and human services practices as well as exposure to the policies that drive the American social services industry.
Training Plan Guidelines
Social Services training tasks that CIEE can accept:
- Social work research and policy (unpublished)
- Volunteer management (observation-based only; direct management is prohibited)
- Community outreach
- Social and human services that help social workers, healthcare workers, and other professionals providing services to people
- Social work administration and operations (must be limited to no more than 10% unskilled tasks, including filing, answering phones, data entry, etc. and only permitted when essential for higher level training)
Sales training tasks that CIEE cannot accept for any period of time:
- Child care workers
- Residential support services
- Residential direct care workers
- Autism case specialists
- Host parent in therapeutic group homes and foster care
- Patient or client contact
- Conducting physical and therapeutic intervention
- Restraining or monitoring clients/patients
- Counseling or therapy
- Assisting clients with meals, housekeeping, transportation or hygiene
- Performing unskilled social service labor
- Administration of medication
- Any activities in which Interns/Trainees may find themselves in situations where they must deliver clinical and/or therapeutic services or perform unskilled labor
Prohibited Sites of Activity
Interns/Trainees are prohibited from training in social services facilities such as those listed below, regardless of the nature of training:
- Juvenile justice facilities
- Residential facilities for children and adults with developmental disabilities and emotional disorders
- Residential therapeutic facilities
- Nursing homes
- Homeless shelters
- Crisis facilities
If the Host Organization would like to move forward with training after agreeing to the limitations, CIEE may ask the Host Organization supervisor to sign a waiver indicating the Host Organization’s understanding of program regulations before CIEE can approve the application.