Placement Induction Seminar

Placement components  Finding a fieldwork placement  Getting Garda Clearance  Negotiating learning objectives, roles and responsibilities  Undertaking a minimum of 150 hours fieldwork experience  Continuous recording of placement experiences in log-book/fieldwork diary.  Submission of fieldwork registration form  Writing up a fieldwork placement report

Finding a fieldwork placement  Choose a location for your fieldwork This can be in your local area or abroad.  Local area: Consider personal contacts Do research on local organisations and agencies – online, on the phone or on foot.  Overseas: Do research online before you go – e.g. students on J1 visa could browse organisations online prior to travel Consider structured placement with volunteer abroad organisations (e.g. Hope Foundation, i-to-i, EIL).  Choose an area of work in which you are genuinely interested. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself!

Getting Garda Clearance  The agency may require that you undergo a Garda Vetting process (see ‘Garda vetting is conducted in respect of personnel working in a full-time, part-time, and voluntary or student placement capacity in a position in a registered organisation, through which they have unsupervised access to children and/or vulnerable adults. Garda Vetting is conducted only on behalf of registered organisations and is not conducted for individual persons on a personal basis. The agency will need to organise a form for you to submit to the Garda Vetting Unit. Within current disclosure policy, details of all convictions and/or prosecutions, successful or not, pending or completed, in the State or elsewhere as the case may be are disclosed to the authorised liaison person in the registered organisation.

The Garda vetting procedure is as follows  Personnel who are subject to Garda Vetting will receive a Garda Vetting Application Form from the registered organisation where they are seeking a position.  The applicant completes the application form and returns it to the Organisation. He or she must sign the form, thereby providing authorisation for the Garda Vetting process.  An authorised liaison person in the registered organisation sends the form on to the Garda Central Vetting Unit.  Garda Vetting checks on the applicant are carried out following receipt of the application form at the Garda Central Vetting Unit.  As a result of these checks a Garda Vetting disclosure is issued directly to the authorised liaison person in the registered organisation.  An individual vetting subject may obtain a copy of their Garda vetting disclosure from the authorised liaison person in the registered organisation to whom it was issued.  Garda Vetting will only be conducted, and relevant disclosure will only be issued to an authorised liaison person within a registered organisation for Garda Vetting, predicated on the written authorisation of an individual vetting subject to do so in a Garda Vetting application form.  Contact details: Garda Central Vetting Unit/Garda Criminal Records Office Racecourse Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary Tel: Lo-Call / Office Hours: 9am-5pm Monday – Friday

Garda Vetting Unit Contact details:  Garda Central Vetting Unit/Garda Criminal Records Office Racecourse Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary Tel: Lo-Call / Office Hours: 9am-5pm Monday – Friday

Insurance  The agency may require that you are covered by insurance other than their own.  As the placement is part of your coursework, you are insured by UCC.  Insurance forms are available from me. There are three types – one insurance indemnity covers students working in HSE agencies, one for students working with Cork City Council and the other is a general insurance form. These are available online.

Negotiating learning objectives  The formal learning outcomes for this module are outlined below. In negotiating learning outcomes, you should seek to identify learning objectives which meet these criteria.  ‘On successful completion of the module students should be able to: Evaluate personal skills such as problem solving, decision making and engagement skills. Identify strengths and weaknesses of their work practice. Connect academic and practical aspects of social policy. Assess the impact of relevant social policies in the work environment’.

Negotiating learning objectives  What do you want from this fieldwork placement?  What kind of skills do you wish to develop?  What contribution does the agency/supervisor want from you?  How can you reconcile both your needs and the needs of the agency?

Record of fieldwork placement  The fieldwork placement must be a minimum of 150 hours, signed off by the supervisor (It is at the student's discretion whether to complete more than 150 hours and this will not impact upon his/her assessment).  You are required to keep a log-book of your fieldwork over the duration of the placement.  In this log-book you should record practice issues which emerged for you. Through reflective practice, you should note particular incidents which occurred or issues which emerged while on placement and consider their importance.  N.B. You will be required to submit six log entries from this log-book with your placement report, on which you will be assessed.

The role of the fieldwork placement student  When on placement, you need to consider your role in your own personal and professional development. Your supervisor, in the placement evaluation form, will be asked to assess you on the basis of: AttendanceSkills development Willingness to learn Ability to seek help Organisational skills Initiative Team-workCommunication skills Verbal and written expression ProfessionalismCapacity to work with service users Overall contribution

Ethics  The Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) offers a useful statement of values and principles in practice which can be applied to a range of social science-related fieldwork settings.  The student should consider these in practice and in evaluating their work on placement in the final report.

Values and Ethics: Adapted from IASW Code of Ethics (  That every person is unique and has an intrinsic worth;  That every person and every group in society, with due regard to the rights of others, is entitled to their own beliefs, to freedom of expression and action irrespective of nationality, ethnic background, social and economic status, ability, health, gender, sexual orientation, age, or contribution to society;  That truly valued, fully human life is generally realised by individuals living and acting interdependently in communities;  That society has an obligation to pursue justice, in all its forms, on behalf of every person including the assertion and protection of their human rights.  Constraints such as poverty, inequality or discrimination may constrain service user’s ability to fulfil their needs. These constraints cannot always be resolved at the level of the individual.

Ethics and Confidentiality  A key obligation of social services staff is to respect the privacy of service users, to protect their dignity and to protect them from harm.  Service users have a right to confidentiality.  Service users’ personal lives should never be discussed by a student outside of the professional concerns of the agency.  However, in the workplace, some information may need to be disclosed to other colleagues on a ‘need-to-know’ basis.  The disclosure of information against a service user’s wishes will occur in clearly defined circumstances such as those required by law, or for the protection of a service user or for the protection of a third party.  You must always seek supervisor support with regard to issues of confidentiality and perceived danger, risk or harm.

Queries  Please direct any queries to me via at If you wish to speak with me on the phone please with your phone contact