Ready, prep, go!

Exploring what goes into preparing to host a student on placement

There’s a lot of work that goes into preparing to host a social work student on placement in a third sector organisation, from communicating with universities, meeting with students and their tutors, to ensuring students have access to the IT systems they need when they start. Third Sector Organisations (TSOs) are busy preparing before a student arrives. 

We also know that there’s preparatory work that goes on among all the partners involved in student placements; tutors, link workers, practise educators - students themselves. As we go through this project, it’s ever clearer how all partners have a key role in ensuring a positive placement experience for students. We want to acknowledge this integrated landscape; although for now, we continue to focus on third sector organisations, aiming to more deeply understand their experiences of hosting placements. 

So, what goes into preparing? 


Students knowing what to expect 

Echoing our last session, how clear the value of a third sector placement is to a student, was raised as being a facilitator to a positive placement experience. TSOs feel confident that they can support students to find the social work role within the services they provide; but they shared that it would be easier to hit the ground running, if students are already clear on where TSO placements fit within their social work qualification, and in the social work landscape more widely. Receiving the students profile from the HEI in good time can support with this, as some TSOs explained that they are able to get in touch with students promptly, to give information about the service they provide and set expectations for the placement early. We’ve also heard throughout this project about the work that goes into introducing students to TSO placements. HEI’s are inviting third sector organisations to talk to students, to share directly what they can expect, and what they can gain from placements in these organisations. 

Preparation Time 

There will be no surprises that TSOs shared that they need time, and enough of it, to prepare to have students on placement. Placement arrangements can at times be made very late, which impacts preparation time and some TSOs shared that they had stepped in to offer a placement to a student whose previous placement had broken down, or been unable to go ahead. This means that TSOs don’t always have the time needed 

This time to prepare is always important but it can be particularly so when students have particular support or learning needs to be considered; whether that be specific skills or knowledge that they would like to develop, or additional support needs to enable their full participation in the placement. Some TSOs shared that they had experienced needing to quite significantly adapt placements which they could do, with sufficient preparation time and understanding of what would work best. One colleague spoke about having the opportunity to have a number of pre-meetings to understand how to best a deaf student and this planning model would be helpful to expand to ensure there’s an opportunity to understand any type of additional supports a student would benefit from ahead of time and discuss what is possible, or not, within that setting. It was a shared experience that student support needs are not always communicated well to placement providers. 

TSOs are keen that the experience they provide students are meaningful and valuable, and so early notice of particular needs for students best places them to achieve this. 

Paperwork and Processes

There are different set ups between universities and third sector placements across Scotland, and so the communication and paperwork pre-placement is not the same in all areas. Some universities and TSOs have developed streamlined communication methods with one another, and they are familiar with the paperwork and processes expected. But for some TSOs the variance in paperwork between HEIs can be a challenge, and a change in personnel can also disrupt well cultivated relationships. 

Teamwork 

Throughout this project, we’ve heard about the importance of teamwork to successful placements; within a TSO staff team as well as excellent working relationships that some TSOs and HEIs have with one another. We’ve also heard that teamwork is a key part of a  successful placements. Beyond link workers and practise educators, the wider team plays a part in offering a supportive environment, and some TSOs shared that they have established buddy systems, and we’ve heard about linking in with statutory teams in the area to ensure that students can experience social work tasks or observe statutory colleagues at work. 

We can’t predict the unpredictable, but we can do things to smooth the path

We know that coordinating placements and making placements successful will always be a dynamic thing, because it involves people! Exploring what makes placements work, and understanding where there are risk points along the way, shows us where we can focus on strengthening what already works well.  In the second part of this project we’re zooming in on making a practical resource for TSOs, students and those who support them, about what makes a third sector placement successful - focusing on experiences and examples of what works. We’re taking this knowledge from a range of TSOs, people who have recently been students, practice educators and universities.  It won’t be an A-Z but it aims to reflect commonalities across Scotland of third sector social work placements.

Get involved! 

Workshop

Join us to help shape the resource at our next online third sector workshop on Thurs 7th November 1.00-2.15pm. Find out more and sign up here -  we’ll send you the Teams link.

https://forms.office.com/e/KaujBT6yvD

NQSW focus group 

If you’re a Newly Qualified Social Worker we really want to hear from you so we can understand placements from your perspective - share your student placement experiences and how these prepared you for practice as a social worker. Join our online focus group on Tuesday October 29th 1-2pm. Find out more and sign up here - we’ll send you the Teams link. https://forms.office.com/e/jMAz9fZvtb