Students come on placement to the building at 437 Hunter Street, rather than one agency. In-house partners are invited to be part of our centrally coordinated Student Placement Program at 437 Hunter Street.
Students get to experience a co-located and integrated practice model by working with at least two in-house partners and learning about more than one arena of practice.
Our placements are an opportunity for students to rethink conventional ways of working and to challenge stereotypical views about their disciplines. This includes considering notions that their work is only with individuals rather than the broader community and systems that affect people’s experiences.
In addition to the usual day-to-day activities in practice, examples of student projects include developing and co-facilitating information sessions and workshops, creating educational information sheets and brief videos, doing literature reviews for evidence-based programming, creating, facilitating and attending community events.
We would like to acknowledge the role and contribution made to this program by the following organisations:
Student placements are a critical way to practise and show reciprocity in service arrangements and provision. We learn from students, and they learn from us.
A student placement program is central to creating and sustaining a learning culture at 437 Hunter Street. They always prompt workers, volunteers, and managers to (re)think about their work which can improve outcomes.
Students help us in our purpose to strengthen the not-for-profit sector in the Hunter. They are future workers and will make an important contribution to changing the experiences of vulnerable people.
Students come from universities and colleges in Newcastle and beyond. They are mostly studying social work, social science, and human services. We plan to expand to other disciplines in 2025.
Guests, volunteers, and workers at 437 Hunter Street support students and provide them with an array of learning opportunities and things to think about.
In-house partners provide daily mentoring and supervision when students are on rotation with their organisation. An external supervisor provides sessions for students who require professional practice supervision.
The in-house partner group that offers placements meets before, during and after each placement period. They determine projects for students and collaborate on review and report requirements for students.
We have learned that we can make a significant impact on students’ views of vulnerable people and how they might challenge community misconceptions about other citizens.
We’ve noticed how students change in their understanding of the purpose, processes, and activities of their disciplines in the practice world. They have developed a broader sense of community and how vulnerabilities could be addressed at community and system levels.
We also noticed that students manage the change in placement location within the building very well. This is an important part of preparing for the busyness and constant changes within many contemporary human services.
A big question is around how helpful it is for student learning to be in a changing environment with variable practices. We’ve thought about how students would respond to moving between organisations during placement. So far, all students have described this as beneficial for their learning and that the supportive processes that are in place have provided stability.
Because student placements are a learning process, we will always have questions about how we are doing and how we are creating the best possible experience for students and the people they are working alongside.
We will keep going with our program and review it each semester. We will look at expanding to include students from other disciplines. The expansion will focus on strengthening not-for-profits, not just the services and programs they provide but also activities that support service provision, access, and fundraising.
