Social Work Field Placements

Field Education is a core component of the Bachelor of Social Work and the Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying).

Students are allocated to placements in a range of human service agencies where they can be supervised by qualified social workers.

Student Compliance Documents

Students must achieve compliance through NSW Health to be eligible to proceed to placement. Download the Student Compliance Information below:

Student Placement Package for NSW Health Compliance

All students are required to complete 1000 hours of field placement. This is separated into two separate field placement units.

Field Placement 1

Field Placement 2

Requirements for Field Education

Police Certificate (criminal record clearance): All students will be required to have a Australian National Police Certificate in order to attend placement. Students are required to apply for this certificate in the year prior to their first field placement (or in the first week of trimester for fulltime Master of Social Work students). International students are also required to provide a Police Check from their home country, or any countty that they have resided in since turning 18 years of age.

Working With Children/Vulnerable Persons Check: All students will be required to hold a current Working With Children/Vulnerable Persons check prior to placement from the State or Territory in which they plan to undertake placement. Students are required to apply for this check in the year prior to their first field placement (or in the first week of trimester for fulltime Master of Social Work students).

Vaccinations: The NSW Ministry of Health currently have the most rigorous compliance checking process for student placements and all students are required to meet these requirements. Students who meet NSW Health vaccination requirements will be well prepared for placement in any state or territory, in both government and non-government organisations.

For further information regarding vaccination requirements, please contact the Social Work Field Education Office on 02 6773 3722 or AskUNE.

Pre-Requisite Units: Before you can enrol in a Field Education Unit, there are pre-requisite units that must be completed. For detailed information regarding pre-requisite units, please refer to the UNE Course Handbook.

FAQ’s

Can I complete my field placement units part time?

It is possible to undertake your field placement on a part-time basis, however you must attend placement at least three days per week. In addition to this, you must complete two weeks of the placement on a full time basis as required by the AASW.

Can I receive credit for field education hours if I am already employed in the human services field?

If you have experience in the field related to social work practice, you can apply for Advanced Standing for the first field education placement based on non-formal learning. See the section about “Advanced Standing towards Social Work Courses including Field Education Units" in the Student Services's information about Advanced Standing.