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Rural and Interstate Placement Information

Placements in regional Victoria and interstate are encouraged for all students in the social work course.

Finding and confirming placements – the steps

Where to look for placements

Information sheet for supervisors

Insurance information

Student units rural and interstate – listing link to Police check

Working With Children Checks – Victorian placements only - and how to apply for them

Finding and confirming placements – the steps

This sheet is offered as a guide to finding placements, you may carry out the steps in a different order.  It is essential that you take note of what information needs to be sighted by the Department and what paperwork needs to be completed BEFORE any placement commences.

  1. Request a national police check
  2. Identify agencies that provide Social Work services or utilise Social Workers  - see Where To Look 
  3. Read the information sheet for supervisors, and the relevant section of the fieldwork manual.  This outlines the requirements of students and supervisors in a placement
  4. Contact the agency and ask to speak to a Social worker; if there is agreement to potentially offer a placement - make a time to meet to discuss the placement, complete the pre placement form (the Social work supervisor needs to sign this) and leave the information sheet and a copy of the field work CD.
  5. Return the preplacement sheet and the consent form to the fieldwork coordinator for rural and interstate placements.
  6. Apply for a working with children check IF your placement is at an organisation that deals with children AND the state that your placement agency is in has the check available to students. Link to WWCC information
  7. Send the original Police check and verification form and the original working with children check card and letter and verification form to the coordinator for rural and interstate placements.

Prior to the commencement of placement, the Department must receive

  • A Current National Police Check and Verification Form
  • Working with Children check card and letter and verification form (as above)
  • Pre placement Form, signed by you and your supervisor
  • Signed consent form
  • Once the paperwork is received, the field work coordinator will contact the supervisor to confirm the placement requirements. 

An email will be sent to the student and the supervisor to confirm that placement may commence.  Placements must not begin before the confirmation email is received.

Where to look

If you have local knowledge or contacts, this is a great starting point.  If you are looking in an unfamiliar area, or do not have any contacts, the following guide may help you begin your search:

  • local government resource guides
  • state government department websites
  • Better health channel (Vic)
  • This website for student units in rural Vic and interstate (link)
  • Contact the rural and interstate Coordinator
  • Helpful sites (please contact the DE Admin officer with any further suggestions)

Canberra
http://www.ourcanberra.com/Canberra-Community.html

Victoria
http://humanservicesdirectory.vic.gov.au/Search.aspx

 

Information sheet for supervisors

For fieldwork placements, the AASW requirements form the minimum standard for Monash University student placements, these are:

  • Placement needs to be continuous - that is students cannot take breaks or leave.  There is an allowance of 3 days sick leave and whatever public holidays fall within the placement, as being a part of the 70 days.  Sick leave arrangements should be consistent with that expected in the work environment and will be monitored by the supervisor
  • must be at least two days per week.  Monash recommends no less than three days per week.  If the placement is two days per week, two blocks of five consecutive days must be included.
  • an orientation period is necessary and acceptable, but the placement cannot be observational
  • there needs to be at least 2 hours (1 formal ; 1 informal is fine) of supervision per five days of placement - this can be group or individual.
  • Supervision needs to be provided by a Social Worker of at least 2 years experience.  This person may be external to the organisation of placement, but this is not the preferred option.

The university requirements are that students submit a:

  • Learning agreement at day 15;
  • mid placement review at day 35;
  • Liaison visit time to be arranged by the supervisor and the student soon at the mid placement point – the university will confirm a liaison visitor.
  • Case study; critical review and final assessment are all due within the one week after the completion of placement, although the case study and critical review may be submitted at any time during the placement.

A CD outlining the fieldwork requirements, providing copies of paperwork and forms and readings for the student during placement accompanies this sheet.

Student units rural and interstate – listing