Student placements in schools

If your school is interested in having a student on placement, then the Practice Education Manager from the UWL Social Work team will meet you to discuss your requirements and to undertake an audit of your school to ensure that the UWL student/s are able to meet their competences.

We have been working with a few local secondary schools for a number of years and have had very positive outcomes.

If the audit is successful, students complete an application form highlighting their details, previous work/voluntary experience and skills. This will tell you why they are interested in a placement working with children/young people.

If you think the student seems suitable on paper, an interview will be arranged for you to meet with them. If you are happy to take the student, a start date can be agreed which is normally in January (70 day placement) and October (100 day placement) of each year.

The student must be supervised by a registered qualified social worker (RQSW) with the practice education training award (PEP’s).

Your school would be expected to set the student/s work to do during the summer period and/or link the student into summer play schemes or equivalent wherever possible. The student must complete 70 full days or 100 full days.

The most important thing is that the students have plenty of work to do with pupils that allow for engagement, building a trusting relationship, setting boundaries, working with statutory colleagues when the pupil is a looked after child or a child in need. 

If your school does not have a RQSW, UWL can provide one of our approved practice educators (PE).

The practice educator would visit the student each fortnight for in-depth supervision as well as undertaking a placement agreement meeting, a midway meeting and two/three direct observations.

The student would need to be further supervised by a member of the school team and offered alternate fortnightly supervision. Both the school supervisor and the practice educator work as closely together as required, depending on the calibre of the student. 

Placements consist of a first placement of 70 days, attending placement 3-4 days per week over the duration. The second and final placement is 100 days, attending 4-5 days per week over the duration.

Students are required to work individually and collectively with a case load of pupils undertaking a variety of tasks. Our students have been involved in direct work with looked after children, safeguarding, risk assessments, eating disorders, self-harm, family relationships, loss, bereavement and similar cases. 

There is a very stringent criteria that students need to follow in order to successfully complete their 70 or 100 days placement. They must pass both placements and all academic work to qualify for the degree in social work.