Benefits of student Placements

Social Workers willing to supervise students are in high demand. Although an unpaid service to the university and social work profession, multiple rewards in kind - personally, professionally and organisationally - are associated with this significant adult educator role. Students are a valuable resource in various aspects of the agency's function whether it be through service delivery, project work and team participation. Insights gained into the current profile of the social work student population and student's perception of the agency and environment provides a fresh perspective on our own understanding of the organisational and the society context within which we are working.

Field Educator briefings, University seminars, the Combined Schools workshops and other academic events enable you as a supervisor to access the latest social work frameworks and texts being written and taught in social work education, providing the opportunity to reflect on your own practice and link it to recently developed theories.

The increasing emphasis by universities on community linkages regarding research provides you with opportunities, individually and organisationally, to negotiate partnerships of mutual benefit. Partnerships develop in many different forms. Undertaking individual post graduate study, consultation and training of staff provided by an academic with expertise in the area your organisation is researching and the placement of students to assist in carrying out the research under your supervision are a few ways in which mutual benefits to all parties may be demonstrated through the supervision of social work students.