WorkShadowing/Work Experience/Internships/StudentSocial Work Placements – how do they differ?

Typically elements of the various schemes should follow on chronologically.

Work Experience

Ideally we might first come into contact with an individual at school age)– we may place them in a work experience placement; which may then lead them to consider Adult Social Care as a career choice(The process is Managed within the Workforce Development Team, by Leadership & Management). To apply for work experience click here.

Shadowing

Shadowing may be appropriate for those looking for a taster or overview of the industry and may also be a consideration for individuals desirous of changing careers. Contact the Professional Development Team direct to organise.

Internships

Internships Plus which is a specially supported apprenticeship aimed principally at 16 - 18 year old care leavers who are likely to find themselves NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training).

Student Social WorkPlacements

Typically undertaken as part of an accredited programme of study towards a social work degree.

Student Placement Statement

Hampshire County Council is committed to providing meaningful work placement opportunities to individuals from local universities.

Our provision

  • Sufficient Safeguarding measures will be put into place to safeguard both the student in placement and the service user.
  • Accordingly, each placement has a nominated Practise Supervisor to oversee them, who has completed a Criminal Records Bureau check.
  • The safety and learning environment of the placement is paramount. Supervisors are responsible for carrying out a risk assessment of the area where the work placement will be undertaken to ensure that it is safe.
  • Hampshire County Council aims to structure a meaningfulstudent work placement to suit the individual’s requirements.

Our expectations

  • Commitment and enthusiasm
  • Students must adhere to the Council’s policies, in particular those pertaining to health & safety and confidentiality.
  • For reasons of health and safety, and in order for us to make any necessary adjustments, we expect to be informed if astudent has an illness, disability or specific individual needs.
  • The student is expected to notify theirPractise Supervisor, Practice Educatorand/or their Team Managerin the event of any unplanned absence.

Guidelines for StudentPlacements

Hampshire County Council welcomes requests for student placements and will make every effort to accommodate requests received.

However, acceptance will be dependent on a number of things, including and not limited to:

  • sufficient staffing
  • resource limitations within the placement area
  • demand for shadowing placements at any given time and allocations agreed with certain universities.

Hampshire County Council chiefly provide placements to our four partner Universities in Hampshire :

  • Southampton
  • Solent
  • Winchester
  • Portsmouth

Hampshire County Council will provide (approximately) 30 placements each Jan and September.

Employment Based Social Work Training Programme students funded by Hampshire County Council to attend the Open University will receive priority over placements in January and will be included in the 30 placements.

Studentsmust not work with close family or friends as this will not provide them with a realistic placement experience.

We do not encourage universities to approach Hampshire County Council teams directly, however, if this does occur the Professional DevelopmentTeam should be contacted, to allow the process to be co-ordinated centrally.

University’s Responsibilities

Universities are required to respond to the Professional Development team with names of students, once placements have been identified, within a certain timeframe – the failure to do so could result in the placement being allocated elsewhere.

  • Placements starting in January: deadline for universities to respond is the end of November.
  • Placements starting in September: deadline for universities to respond is the end of June.

The University:

  • will need to make contact with each team where they have been allocated a placement and inform them of the process that the university follows (once a student has been matched with a placement).
  • will need to provide both the Professional Development Team and the team in which the placement is located with the university timetable and all the relevant dates during the placement.
  • will need to inform the team the name of the student and provide them with a student profile.
  • confirmation of placement will only be made after a successful pre-placement visit. If the student fails to make contact with the team within a reasonable timeframe could result in them losing their placement.
  • if a practice educator is needed for a placement and is not being provided by Hampshire County Council, the university will need to provide one that is registered and has all their up to date accreditation and CRB checks.

The Student’s Responsibilities

  • The student will need to make contact with the team and arrange an introductory meeting with the team and their allotted supervisor.
  • The placement will only be confirmedafter a satisfactory pre placement visit to the host team. If the student fails to make contact with the team within a reasonable timeframe, they risk forfeiting their placement.

Placement Suitability

  • Once the on site Practice Educator and/or Practice Supervisor has met with the student at the pre placement meeting,the students’ suitability should be discussed with their team manager.
  • If there are any concerns about the suitability of the student, they need to contact the Professional Development Team and appropriate university.

Support for Students on Placement

  • Each student on a placement has a Practice Supervisor and anon site or off site Practice Educator. The on site Practice Educator can act as both supervisor and educator.
  • Hampshire County Council always provides a Practice Supervisor. This individual will be present in the team in which the student is working and will supervise the student on a day to day basis.
  • All students will be allocated a Practice Educator (PE), but this individual will not always be provided by Hampshire County Council. If Hampshire County Council cannot provide a PE then the university is responsible for providing an off site Practice Educator

Training

  • The Professional Development Team will take responsibility for the initial training pathway of students- IT and systems training.
  • All IT and system related training will be organised by the Professional Development Team soon after the placement has been confirmed.
  • Training dates will be confirmed with Practice Educators/Practice Supervisors and Students in the Student Information Pack (sent via email).

Practice Supervisor’s Responsibilities

  • The Supervisor will oversee the placement and provide guidance and advice to the student during the course of their placement.
  • It is the Supervisor’s(or on site Practice Educator’s) responsibility to conduct athorough induction or nominate a member of the team to conduct this in their absence.
  • The student’s induction is the responsibility of the team as a whole; the student should receive an all round induction and be able to shadow different members of the team.

CRB & Risk Assessments

  • The safety and learning environment of the placement is paramount.
  • It is expected that students will have a CRB as part of their course of study.

Employer’s Liability

  • Hampshire County Council’s insurance arrangements extend to provide cover for students on work experience or on work placements(Contact Jeanette Buckman).

Placement Duration

  • Placement duration will be governed by the course of study on which they are enrolled (typically 100 days).
  • Opportunities will be governed by the circumstances of the individual concerned and the council reserve the right to time limit and prioritiseplacements according to demand.
  • Hampshire County Council are able to offer placements only according to availability and priority is given to those students who are funded by Hampshire County Council on an OU course.

Car Insurance for Students on Placement

WinchesterUniversity

it is the expectation students will have business insurance and the placement in this sense is considered as work . It is on the learning agreement contract - in my experience there is no additional cost to the student . Maybe we need to ask for proof of this to protect not only the student but anybody who travels with them for business purposes .

SolentUniversity

Solent do notify their students of the need for business insurance for the use of their cars and it is one of the questions that we highlight when interviewing students ahead of placement allocation. Interestingly, whilst the profile on LeaRNS has space for students to confirm the availability of a car for transport to and from and on placement - it doesn't have the specific question re: business insurance. I will copy this to Heather Callaway as the regional project lead for LeaRNS so that she can feed this request back to the relevant people.

We would expect the student to be able to claim mileage from the placement agency for visits etc... undertaken in the pursuit of agency business - but travel to and from placement is (in principle) "covered" by the Practice Learning element of the Bursary.

We use our own Profile form which asks the students explicitly if they have business insurance. The students are advised that if they use their car to travel to and from the placement then they do not need business insurance but if they are using it whilst on placement, e.g. for visits etc then they need to be insured for business use.

PortsmouthUniversity

The forms we use are done through 'Survey Monkey', we let the students know that these forms will then be sent to the placements and the information on them will be used to decide if they are suitable for a placement.

SouthamptonUniversity

SouthamptonUniversity expects all students to have business insurance if they are using their car on placement. It is also on our profile for them to indicate whether or not they have it, and we expect agencies quite rightly to see evidence that they are covered

1

Prof Dev Student Placements Protocol (v2)_(HF000003070028_003)

Sept / Oct / Nov / Dec / Jan / Feb / Mar / Apr / May / Jun / July / Aug
Collate details of students requiring placements.
Contact SW teams and ascertain if they are able to host a placement from Jan.
By end of month Unis to have confirmed which students will take which place. / Liaise with universities to obtaining placement info: start/end date, no. of days placement, dates student is @ uni. For each student create a calendar to highlight these dates so you can forward to supervisors and IT. Add details to IT spreadsheet.
Contact supervisors informing we will be organising the IDs and all of the training.
Send out placement packs to students / Placements begin / Email teams to check on number of days. Send pre-invoice reminder to universities to let them know what we expect to invoice them for. / Send invoice
Student Info Day
Placements begin / Email teams to check on number of days. Send pre-invoice reminder to universities to let them know what we expect to invoice them for. / Send invoice / Collate details of students requiring placements.
Contact SW teams and ascertain if they are able to host a placement from Jan.
By end of month Unis to have confirmed which students will take which place. / Liaise with universities to obtaining placement info: start/end date, no. of days placement, dates student is @ uni. For each student create a calendar to highlight these dates so you can forward to supervisors and IT. Add details to IT spreadsheet.
Contact supervisors informing we will be organising the IDs and all of the training.
Send out placement packs to students before hols.

Student Placement Process Flowchart/Calendar

Placements begin in January and in September. As part of social work degrees, students undertake two placements – the first of these usually begins in a September, the second in a January.

January and September placements are delineated on the calendar by colour.

1

Prof Dev Student Placements Protocol (v2)_(HF000003070028_003)

Placement Packs

These packs are sent out to each cohort ahead of the placement that has been organised on their behalf.

They consist of:

-Covering letter/email text explaining the contents of the pack.

-A list of all the training dates the student is required to attend.

-A letter detailing student mileage claims and how to go about claiming.

-A student travel claim form.

-Maps and travel information on each training venue.

-Student ID Card

These will be sent out via email. The ID card will be posted.

Student Information Day

  • The student information day tends to happen once a year during the September placements.
  • Placement packs will detail the date of the information day.

Practice Educators and Practice Supervisors

TheProfessional Development Team maintain a list of Practice Educators and Practice Supervisors within the organisation. Initial contact with the teams in based on this list.

Placement Evaluation

An evaluation survey will be forwarded to both the supervisor and the student to help maintain quality assurance and to shape further placements.

Forms

Practice Supervisor’s Checklist

First Day Induction

This needn’t take up too much time, but please make sure you go through the following at the start of the day:

  • Your name and role within the County Council and Adult Services Department
/ 
  • A brief description of what your department does and it’s role within the County as a whole
/ 
  • The programme of activities for the placement
/ 
  • Where all the essential facilities are, such as toilets, canteen and newsagent
/ 
  • Where belongings such as coats or bags may be kept safely
/ 
  • What to do in case of an emergency or accident, and the nearest fire exit route
/ 
  • Whether there is any equipment or machinery which they should not use, or can only use with supervision
/ 
  • The requirement to be supervised at all times where service users are present
/ 
  • How to report absence and who to call
/ 
  • The County’s policies on:
  • Confidentiality and data protection regulations (if applicable)
  • Smoking
  • Equal opportunities
  • Health and safety
/ 

Name:

Signed: / Date:
Name:
Signed: / Date:

Return to Professional Development Team Courier: CA02

To be completed by practise supervisor

Health and Safety Checklist

Fire procedures and evacuation understood? / 
First aid procedures understood? / 
Is a VDU workstation assessment required? / 
Are there any issues arising from assessments, i.e.: chairs, foot rest, wrist rest and eye test? / 
Is manual handling part of the job? / 
Are handling aids available, truck, steps, etc? / 
Any substances used which are controlled under COSHH? / 
Have risk assessments been carried out and recorded? / 
Is any personal protective clothing/equipment required? / 
Are any machines involved in the tasks? / 
Has competence to use been checked? / 
Does the individual have any special needs as part of a disability i.e. movement, eyesight, hearing? / 
Has the individualbeen shown the location of Safety and Health Manual? / 
Is training required for any of the above? / 

Name:

Signed: / Date:
Name:
Signed: / Date:

Return to Professional Development Team Courier: CA02

1

Prof Dev Student Placements Protocol (v2)_(HF000003070028_003)

O

RISK ASSESSMENT RECORD

NAME OF EMPLOYEE:

WORK ACTIVITY

  • WHERE POSSIBLE AVOID THE RISK
  • OBSERVE THE WORK ACTIVITY
  • DISCUSS WITH EMPLOYEES / HEALTH & SAFETY REPRESENTATIVES
  • TAKE ACCOUNT OF CURRENT CONTROL MEASURES
  • CHECK INCIDENT / ACCIDENT AND VIOLENCE REPORT FORMS

PROCEDURE

  1. IDENTIFY THE HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS
  2. IDENTIFY AND RECORD THE RISKS TO EMPLOYEES
  3. IDENTIFY EXISTING CONTROL MEASURES
  4. ASSESS THE LEVEL OF RISK
  5. RECORD INFORMATION
  6. DETAIL ACTION REQUIRED WHAT/WHEN/WHO
  7. MONITOR AND REVIEW

Factors to be considered when assessing tasks and the environment. Identify hazards which you could reasonable expect to result in significant harm under the conditions in your workplace.

Tick those statements that apply or specify others and consider them in the risk assessment.

THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT(S) – are there: / PEOPLE – are there:
Slipping / tripping hazards (eg poorly maintained floors or stairs)
Fire (eg from flammable materials)
Chemicals (eg Photocopier toner)
Moving parts of machinery (eg Blades)
Work at height (eg from mezzanine floors)
Pressure systems (eg steam boilers)
Vehicles
Electricity (eg poor wiring)
Trailing electricity cables
Dust (eg from grinding)
Fumes
Noise
Poor lighting
Low temperature / Staff with disabilities
Access by visitors
Inexperienced staff
Lone workers
Volunteers / casual staff
Access by service users
Contractors
Outside agencies

1

Source: SSD.598(5/97)

EMPLOYEE: / WORK ACTIVITY:
POST:
WORKBASE:
LIST THE HAZARDS / LIST RISKS TO EMPLOYEES AND / OR OTHERS / LEVEL OF RISK
please indicate / EXISTING CONTROL MEASURES / ACTION REQUIRED:
WHAT / WHEN / WHO
High / Medium / Low
LIST THE HAZARDS / LIST RISKS TO EMPLOYEES AND / OR OTHERS / LEVEL OF RISK
please indicate / EXISTING CONTROL MEASURES / ACTION REQUIRED:
WHAT / WHEN / WHO
High / Medium / Low
REVIEW DATE: / ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
(Consider changes – eg maternity)
NAME OF ASSESSOR(S):
DESIGNATION (please print)

Useful Contacts

University / Contact Name / Email
WinchesterUniversity / Liz Ellis /
WinchesterUniversity / Alma Jones /
SouthamptonUniversity / June Tilling /
SolentUniversity / Colin Bright /
PortsmouthUniversity / Jenny Peddar /
PortsmouthUniversity / Sci Placements (General Inbox) /

IT Contacts

Name / Role / Email
Leanne Clifft / Information Services Officer - Training /
Kym Harvey / Team Manager – IS Training /
ISO Induction / General IT Inbox /
Jan Veitch / Student Log on and IDs /

- 1 -