SWB321 Placement 1

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

Social work students are required to demonstrate proficiency in applying knowledge and skills in complex real-world situations. To integrate the theoretical knowledge obtained in the course, students are required to successfully complete two field education placements of 500 hours each. This first 500 hour placement provides the opportunity to develop and demonstrate critical knowledge, skills, and professional attributes for critically oriented, safe, high quality and ethical practice in accordance with the ASWEAS (2020), AASW Practice Standards (2013) and Code of Ethics (2010). The unit provides students with real world opportunities to critically apply emerging knowledge and skills gained through the course. This designated unit provides a professionally supervised social work experience. Placement tasks and responsibilities are completed under the guidance and direction of a qualified field educator.

This is a designated unit which is essential to your course progression. Designated units include professional experience units, units requiring the development of particular skills, and units requiring demonstration of certain personal qualities. If you fail to achieve a satisfactory level of performance in a designated unit, you may be excluded from enrolment or will be put on academic probation. If you fail a designated unit twice within your course, you may be excluded. Supplementary assessment is not available on designated units.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate application of professional ethics and values and professional integrity in accordance with the AASW Code of Ethics (2010) and AASW Practice Standards (2013)
2. Understand and apply critical theory and reflective thinking skills to inform professional judgement and practice, considering the different service and policy contexts
3. Apply knowledge and skills to respond to injustice and the needs of clients and communities, in accordance with empowerment, anti-oppressive, culturally responsive and human rights perspectives and strive to promote the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures
4. Demonstrate the ability to link theory and practice to ensure a critically oriented, accountable, ethical and purposeful practice within a practice context, evidenced through articulation of the student's professional practice framework
5. Display effective professional communication and interpersonal skills in engaging with service users, colleagues, other professionals and communities, in a socially just, ethical and culturally appropriate and professional manner

Content

Learning Approaches

You are required to undertake 500 hours of real-world practice experience within an appropriate agency as identified by the Field Education Unit, involving regular social work supervision. You should complete the first placement four days per week although a minimum of three days per week will be considered. You and your supervisor/s are supported on placement by a QUT Liaison Visitor. You will engage in peer support and can take advantage of the optional workshop activities. To achieve greater connections and peer support development this unit fully utilises Canvas capabilities and provides access to key reading and support materials.

Pre-placement planning: You must enrol in the unit approximately five months prior to the commencement of placement. You will also be required to submit placement planning documents through WILS and to attend a three-hour planning/preparation workshop, which comprises information preparing you for placement. These requirements enable the placement matching process to occur. Placement commences in either pre-O week or O week. You will receive email correspondence from the WILS team and unless you meet all of the above requirements, a placement will not be offered.

Workshops during placement: In addition to the pre-placement workshop, there are two workshops you attend. These three hour workshops occur mid-placement and at the end of placement, providing you with critical reflection opportunities.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will gain feedback in this unit during key periods in the placement experience. Feedback on the early design and mid placement of the student learning plan assessment will be provided by your agency supervisor, the QUT Liaison Visitor and the Unit Coordinator. Feedback will directly relate to and inform your first placement experience. You will receive regular feedback on your performance during the placement via discussions with your supervisor which will include your progress in relation to the AASW Practice Standards (2013) and Code of Ethics (2010), and your Learning Plan and Assessment Report (LP&AR).

Assessment

Overview

Assessment in this unit is based on your performance during field placement, drawing upon the LP&AR.reports. Performance in the unit will be graded as Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U).

In this unit, for you to be eligible to receive a passing grade, threshold assessment conditions apply. You are required to achieve a satisfactory result in all items of assessment to receive a Satisfactory (S) result in the unit. See individual assessment items below for more detail.

Unit Grading Scheme

S (Satisfactory) / U (Unsatisfactory)

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Placement Performance

During the field placement you will be required to demonstrate a range of knowledge, skills and values that are commensurate with the unit learning outcomes. Assessment is through mid (250 hours) and end of placement assessment of competent performance and learning as evidenced in Learning Plan and Assessment Reports [LP&AR]. If necessary, assessment of performance will be informed by external supervisors and liaison visitor reports.

The LP&AR is the central placement document. Students must complete this plan in consultation with placement supervisor and liaison staff. Six [6] examples of evidence of competence that align with the six AASW Standards for Practice. Each example of evidence should be between 200-250 words each.

You must also satisfy the 100% attendance requirement for this field placement.

Only the submission of documentation (LP&AR, timesheets and evidences) is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Weight: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Threshold Assessment:

For the purposes of professional accreditation and demonstration of capabilities/competencies, you must achieve a satisfactory level of performance in both the theoretical and practical elements of the unit to achieve a passing grade. If you do not receive a satisfactory result you will need to consult the unit coordinator to negotiate an appropriate approach.

Assessment: Placement Performance Presentation

Articulating a framework for social work practice is imperative for all social workers. This assessment piece offers emerging practitioners the opportunity to verbally present their developing framework for practice in a 10-minute presentation during the final placement workshop.  You are required to develop, verbally articulate and justify to your peers, a professional practice framework which integrates and builds on your placement practice and theoretical units.

Weight: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Threshold Assessment:

For the purposes of professional accreditation and demonstration of capabilities/competencies, you must achieve a satisfactory level of performance in both the theoretical and practical elements of the unit to achieve a passing grade. If you do not receive a satisfactory grade for the placement performance presentation one resubmission may be negotiated.  

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

Students are required to receive orientation to the agency workplace health and safety policies, and any specific risks and hazards associated with the particular agency setting.

Many organisations now require students to possess a National Criminal History Check, as this can take up to 6 weeks to process, students are encouraged to apply for this in the semester prior to undertaking their placement. For more information please review the Health WILs Canvas site.

Any placement in a health setting requires students to have completed their Hepatitis B immunisation, along with other vaccinations. Review the Faculty of Health WILS Canvas site to clarify what immunisations are required.

Blue Card

A blue card is required to complete this unit. A blue card confirms that you have passed a screening of your criminal history (the Working with Children Check) and have been approved to work with children and young people. For more information on the blue card and how to apply please visit the QUT website.

Costs

See above requirements which may carry additional costs. All information required can be viewed in the Faculty of Health WILS Canvas site.

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Cleak, H., & Wilson, J. (2019). Making the most of field placement (4th ed.). South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.

Recommended text(s)

Morley, C., Ablett, P., & Macfarlane, S., (2019). Engaging with social work: A critical introduction (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Risk Assessment Statement

You are also encouraged to have your Hepatitis B vaccinations completed prior to your placements. Any placement in a health setting requires you to have completed their Hep B immunisation, along with other vaccinations. You are encouraged to liaise with the Faculty of Health WILS team to clarify what immunisations are required at health.wils@qut.edu.au.
 
You are required to participate in a total of 500 hours of off-campus work integrated learning practice – the placement experience. When undertaking field education placements, you are automatically subject to the Workplace Health and Safety Policies, Procedures and Regulations operating within these particular agencies and also QUT WHS requirements. You are required by law to comply with these policies and procedures at all times. Measures undertaken to minimise risks encountered during the off-campus field education placement include:

You are required to receive orientation to the agency workplace health and safety policies, and any specific risks and hazards associated with the particular agency setting.

The placement experience can result in some students experiencing emotional or psychological reactions to particular situations to do with the agency or relate to personal issues experienced by the student. It is essential that you disclose any information that may predispose you to such reactions and potential distress. Should this occur, you are strongly encouraged to advise your agency supervisor and Field Educator to ensure support is able to be provided.

 Information regarding insurance cover for students undertaking university-approved activities within Australia is available at http://www.frp.qut.edu.au/services/insurance/student_accident.jsp

Course Learning Outcomes

SW04 Bachelor of Social Work

1. Critique and apply coherent theoretical, practical and contextually relevant social work knowledge, skills and values, and cultivate a commitment toward meeting diverse clients and community needs. [Knowledge, Practice, Values and Disposition]
   Relates to: Placement Performance, Placement Performance Presentation
2. Construct and implement strategies for engaging in critical thinking and decision-making, utilising advanced research knowledge and skills to inform culturally safe practice, and promote social justice from diverse perspectives. [Practice, Knowledge, Values and Disposition]
   Relates to: Placement Performance, Placement Performance Presentation
3. Access, evaluate, and utilise relevant social work information that informs and assists in intra- and inter-professional communication in a range of contexts, through effective oral, written and digital interactions. [Practice, Knowledge]
   Relates to: Placement Performance, Placement Performance Presentation
4. Design a plan of action for working within socially progressive, anti-oppressive, culturally safe and ethical practice, that embody an autonomous and collaborative evidence-based orientation to social work, integral to the standards of professional social work practice. [Values and Disposition, Practice]
   Relates to: Placement Performance, Placement Performance Presentation
5. Critically examine tenets of diversity and diverse perspectives in social work, and advocate for a socially just society and the promotion of human dignity that reflect different social, political, cultural and historical circumstances, on the beliefs, values and aspirations of various groups, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. [Values and Disposition, Knowledge, Practice]
   Relates to: Placement Performance, Placement Performance Presentation

SW05 Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)

1. Critically evaluate theoretical, practical and contextually relevant social work knowledge, skills and values and, as a change facilitator, meet diverse client and community needs that promote social justice
   Relates to: Placement Performance, Placement Performance Presentation
2. Formulate and implement strategies using advanced knowledge and research skills to analyse, consolidate and synthesise social and practice evidence to generate solutions and to inform professional practice and decision-making
   Relates to: Placement Performance, Placement Performance Presentation
3. Develop advanced knowledge, skills and values, to inform culturally safe communication and effective intra- and inter-professional collaboration and with a wide range of audiences and contexts, including accessing, evaluating and utlising digital health information.
   Relates to: Placement Performance, Placement Performance Presentation
4. Construct and implement strategies for practising collaboratively and independently, focused on socially progressive, anti-oppressive, culturally safe and ethical practice, integral to the standards of professional social work practice
   Relates to: Placement Performance, Placement Performance Presentation
5. Access, evaluate and utilise social work information to advocate for a socially just society and the promotion of human dignity and worth that reflect different social, political, cultural and historical circumstances, on the beliefs, values and aspirations of various groups, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations
   Relates to: Placement Performance, Placement Performance Presentation