Engagement Australia is not the only one singing the praises of a ground-breaking UNE initiative. NSW schools are just as vocal in their support of UNE's Social Workers in Schools (SWiS) program, following one of the most challenging years on record.
School closures during COVID lockdowns have caused major disruptions to student learning, wellbeing and community cohesion. But, through it all, Social Work students from UNE have been able to offer vital support and even introduce measures that will see the schools well into the future.
Making a lasting difference
At The Entrance Public School, UNE Master of Social Work student Megan Ham is one who has risen to the challenge. She hadn’t stepped foot in the Central Coast schoolyard to begin her SWiS placement, which sees UNE Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work students undertake supervised work within primary or high schools, when the school was closed.
Engaging with the complex social and emotional needs of students is difficult enough in person, but Megan soon found herself only able to communicate with school staff via Zoom. However, when she learned that Year 6 students were struggling with the frustrations and disappointments of a final year that hasn’t exactly gone to plan, she came up with an idea.
“With the support of the school executive, I developed a survey for Year 6 teachers and students,” Megan says. “We used the data to understand what the kids were worried about and how they were feeling, especially around missing major milestones before transitioning to high school and making new friends.
“On the basis of their responses, 19 students were identified as getting some benefit from an intensive social and emotional learning program when they could return to school. So I designed six weeks of wellbeing activities around their core priorities, which we’ve now introduced.”
Like most SWiS students, Megan relished “forging a role for herself” and tailoring her contributions to the school’s pressing needs. Whether group sessions, online chatrooms, wellbeing packs, one-on-one counselling, or conversations with parents, UNE students have added an important layer of support to school communities this year.
It’s been a wonderful team effort, collaborating with the school staff to provide wrap-around holistic support for students and their families, which will help to develop important life skills.
“It’s been a wonderful team effort, collaborating with the school staff to provide wrap-around holistic support for students and their families, which will help to develop important life skills,” Megan says.
Filling the gap between schools, families and communities
The Entrance Public School Deputy Principal Matthew Browning says Megan has filled an important gap between the school’s counsellor and Family and Community Liaison Officer.
“Once Megan was able to be onsite, she worked with our learning support team and children in the classrooms, got to know them and created strong bonds,” Matthew says. “We already have a transition program here for Year 6s, but ours has focused more on the logistics of enrolling and preparing the students academically as a group. Megan has looked at supporting them as individuals. It’s been absolutely wonderful.”
A previous SWiS student, Martin Rayner, has been working casually at the school since his placement earlier this year. “We soon saw the skills and benefits that Martin brought and, now with Megan, the SWiS program has made a massive difference to our school,” Matthew says. “They are part of the network of valuable services we provide to our community.”
SWiS coordinator Carrie Maclure says 21 UNE students have been working in schools throughout NSW this year.
What has impressed us most is how they have adapted to the changing circumstances and worked to support individual students, families and teachers.
“What has impressed us most is how they have adapted to the changing circumstances and worked to support individual students, families and teachers,” Carrie says. “Some started their 500-hour placements in lockdown, and experienced periods of quarantine themselves, yet produced wellbeing resources that were engaging and helpful, maintaining the relationships and emotional support that students needed to transition back to school when the lockdowns ended.
“Especially in areas with higher COVID numbers and school closures, our SWiS students have been able to assist school students and their families experiencing high levels of anxiety. They prepared wellbeing resources and care packs, maintained social connections and introduced new measures like mindfulness practices, tailoring their evidence-based information and response to the specific needs. Many of these resources will be of enduring benefit to the schools.
“The UNE team of supervising staff have provided wonderful support for SWiS students in the changing COVID landscape and the students have implemented some wonderful programs. SWiS students have discovered skills they didn’t realise they had and developed new skills – perseverance, creativity and problem-solving – that they will be able to draw on throughout their careers. And the feedback from our schools has been overwhelmingly positive.”
