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HSW3399 Professional Placement B

Semester 2, 2020 External
Short Description: Professional Placement B
Units : 1
Faculty or Section : Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences
School or Department : School of Health and Wellbeing
Student contribution band : Band 1
ASCED code : 090599 - Human Welfare Studies and Serv
Grading basis : Pass/Not Pass

Staffing

Examiner:

Requisites

Pre-requisite: HSW2299

Other requisites

This course is comprises 210 placement hours in the human services, health, community, disability and aged care sectors. It is possible to undertake a placement outside of Australia subject to approval of a proposal and the obtaining of a qualified overseas supervisor. Students will require access to e-mail and have internet access to UConnect for this course. Outcomes of student and supervisor negotiations must have the approval of the Course Examiner. Students must enrol in this course in their selected semester and complete all course requirements within the term enrolled unless alternative arrangements have been made and approved by the course examiner.

IMPORTANT NOTES: Working with Children: State law in Queensland requires that all adults (including university students in industry placement) working with children under the age of 18, in the State of Queensland*, obtain approval before commencing such work. This course includes a practical component (professional experience, project work, research, assessment etc.) that may require engagement with children under the age of 18. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess a current suitability card (Blue Card) before commencing any practical components of this course. *If you are undertaking practical experience outside the State of Queensland, Australia you should check local requirements.

Rationale

This course offers students the opportunity to undertake fieldwork placement within the human services sector. Building on the knowledge acquired in the program and the previous placement course, this course focusses on integrating theory with practice through further development and refinement of skills such as client services, critical analysis and evaluation.

Synopsis

The course provides opportunities for students to refine and apply professional attributes and skills in areas such as case work, client and stakeholder communication, analytical thinking, teamwork and organisational management. The field experience and assessment will also enable implementation of theoretical frameworks and techniques available to human service practitioners.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Students are not to commence work in the host organisation without authorisation from the assigned USQ staff member. The USQ staff member will need to approve the suitability of the host organisation, the work plan, and the supervisor, prior to starting the placement. Failure to receive prior approval before commencing will be working outside the parameters of the course and will not be recognised or supported by USQ or its insurance coverage. Additional information about professional placements can be found on the Bachelor of Human Services ¾«¶«´«Ã½appdesk site, located on the main ¾«¶«´«Ã½appdesk page for Human Services students.

Objectives

On completion of this course students should be able to:

  1. Display an integrated academic and practice base for human services including the capacity to adapt professional practices to changing circumstances;
  2. Review, synthesise and apply relevant ethical, knowledge and skills frameworks with a view to facilitate analytical thinking and critical reflective practice;
  3. Demonstrate a comprehensive awareness and critically evaluated application of ethical and professional standards and boundaries to practice in all forms of verbal and written communication;
  4. Demonstrate proficient written communication skills appropriate to the profession by documenting, analysing and reporting on a human services practical project of substance;
  5. Reflect on and refine role-congruent practical community welfare and development-based techniques, including problem-solving, team work and time/task management;
  6. Develop and maintain constructive and purposeful relationships with all relevant stakeholders including supervisors, staff, and clients to set and achieve pre-determined goals.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Details regarding the learning attributes will be provided to students within the fieldwork placement handbook and the course ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Desk. 100.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=02&subject1=HSW3399)

Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)

There are no texts or materials required for this course.

Reference materials

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
Corey, MS & Corey, G 2015, Becoming a Helper, 7th edn, Brooks Cole, Pacific Grove, CA.

Student workload expectations

Activity Hours
Practical Experience 210.00

Assessment details

Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due Date Notes
Final Report 1 50 15 Jul 2020 (see note 1)
Interim Report 1 49 15 Jul 2020 (see note 2)
Learning Agreement 1 1 15 Jul 2020 (see note 3)

Notes
  1. The Interim and Final Reports will be due in the last week of the student's placement. All assignment documentation should be submitted electronically.
  2. The Interim and Final Reports will be due in the last week of the student's placement. All assignment documentation should be submitted electronically.
  3. The Learning Agreement will be due by 30 hours of the student's placement. All assignment documentation should be submitted electronically.

Important assessment information

  1. Attendance requirements:
    Students must attend 210 hrs of professional placement and participate appropriately in all activities. Should a student be absent from their placement agency, they must inform the agency supervisor, placement officer and fieldwork supervisor. Absence due to illness requires furnishing of a medical certificate which details the reasons for the absence. It is the students’ responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.

  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    To satisfactorily complete the final report, students must achieve 100% of the total weighted mark.
    To satisfactorily complete the Interim report and Learning Agreement students must submit each assessment item and achieve 50% of the total weighted marks.

  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)

  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle), and have satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Proficiency), i.e. the Final Report by achieving 100% of the marks available for that assessment item.

  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    As P is the only passing grade available for this course, all students who are qualified for a passing grade will be given a grade of P. Other students will be given either an incomplete grade or a Failing grade

  6. Examination information:
    NO EXAM: There is no examination in this course.

  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    NO EXAM: There is no examination in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations.

  8. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Student Policies:
    Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .

Assessment notes

  1. Referencing in assignments must comply with the APA referencing system. This system should be used by students to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The APA style to be used is defined by the USQ library's referencing guide. This guide can be found at

Other requirements

  1. Students need to be conversant with and will require access to e-mail and internet access to UConnect for this course.

  2. Students must submit the required mandatory documents to the Placement Office using INPLACE. Details regarding the documents and due dates are available in the fieldwork placement handbook ( and course ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Desk.

  3. Students will not be awarded an exemption or advance standing for Fieldwork Placement B.

Date printed 6 November 2020