MSW Student Guide
Section 3.02.06: Vehicle Insurance: Use of Student-Owned Vehicles for Field Site Business
Please be aware that neither the university, nor the U-M social work program provides automobile insurance coverage (including but not limited to liability and collision coverage) even for field-related activities. Insuring adequate coverage and proper registration is the responsibility of the student and/or vehicle owner. The U-M social work program and the university does not encourage the transportation of clients, or other agency related persons, in students’ personal vehicles. Some agencies however, do require students to transport clients as part of the practicum activities, as this may be a common expectation of some social work roles in certain practice settings. Students should inquire and it is the field site's responsibility to inform the student of this at the time of interview. The student should contact their field faculty and/or the director for field education via email at the time they are informed of this expectation. The field faculty will contact the field site and discuss the program and university’s policy on this matter. If all liability concerns are addressed between the school, the student, and the field site, these activities will be approved.
The field site is expected to compensate the student for field related travel activities. The U-M SSW does not reimburse for travel mileage to students or agencies for field-related activities. If a student is to utilize their personally owned vehicle for field placement activities it is the field placement's responsibility to inform the student of these expectations prior to acceptance into the placement and also to evaluate the student's ability to perform the required tasks. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring that the student's vehicle is in good, safe, working condition.
Students should check with their insurance carrier relative to these and other contingencies before using their personally owned vehicle to carry out field-related business. The student should ask whether or not the field site has a vehicle or vehicle insurance to cover these activities. Again, we expect the field sites to reimburse the student for related field activities, such as travel costs.
The field site is expected to compensate the student for field related travel activities. The U-M SSW does not reimburse for travel mileage to students or agencies for field-related activities. If a student is to utilize their personally owned vehicle for field placement activities it is the field placement's responsibility to inform the student of these expectations prior to acceptance into the placement and also to evaluate the student's ability to perform the required tasks. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring that the student's vehicle is in good, safe, working condition.
Students should check with their insurance carrier relative to these and other contingencies before using their personally owned vehicle to carry out field-related business. The student should ask whether or not the field site has a vehicle or vehicle insurance to cover these activities. Again, we expect the field sites to reimburse the student for related field activities, such as travel costs.