Dr. Carmel Halton:

When a student receives and accepts a place on a social work programme, they are required to provide a Garda clearance certificate and a fitness to practise certificate before they can enter the programme. On entry to the programme, all the universities employ placement co-ordinators whose job is to seek suitable placements for our students. Students are then invited to express their needs. Although we may not always be able to respond to their needs, those needs may be around location because many of our students have family commitments. They may come from other regions and establish themselves in Cork. We cannot really require them to dislocate their children and family again to go to another placement in another region. They tell us what their requirements are and we attempt to respond as best we can to their needs, such as financial or location needs. We try to allocate one of the two placements within a statutory agency because that makes them more employable when they go into the workforce. The other placement will be with a voluntary agency.

They are interviewed for the placement. They engage with the practice educators. We then take responsibility for contracting with the supervisor and developing learning contracts with the students. As tutors, we ensure the students’ needs are protected on placement and that they are known to their supervisors. We are educating the practice teachers, as well as ensuring the students’ interests are served as well. They are not actually replacing staff on site but are there to learn. Accordingly, they must be protected there.