National award for UNE student engagement

Published 30 November 2021

UNE’s Social Workers in Schools (SWiS) team has taken out Engagement Australia’s 2021 Award for Excellence in Student Engagement.

Formerly the Business-Higher Education Round Table (BHERT) Awards, the Engagement Australia awards this year attracted a record 124 submissions from 35 universities across Australia and New Zealand. UNE’s Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre was also a finalist in the Excellence in Industry Engagement category, for its revolutionary crop monitoring and forecasting collaborations.

The Award for Excellence in Student Engagement recognises the success of the pioneering SWiS program, which sees UNE Bachelor and Masters of Social Work students undertake placements of up to 500 hours within primary or high schools, supervised by a qualified social worker. From an initial six pilot sites in 2010, the program has grown to involve more than 35 NSW schools, many of which are disadvantaged or have limited access to social services.

Invaluable experience and expertise

SWiS founder, Professor Myfanwy Maple, says SWiS has continued to have a powerful impact on UNE students and the schools in which they work.

“Embedded in the schools during their social work studies, our students receive invaluable real-world experience, gain skills and specialist expertise within school wellbeing teams,” Professor Maple says. “The relationships they forge enable them to help address complex social issues, improve educational engagement, and contribute to broader health outcomes for individuals and families. This whole-of-community approach has been especially effective during the past two challenging years.”

In often resource-poor rural and regional communities, SWiS students have helped to support socially isolated students, along with those with learning difficulties, mental ill-health or physical limitations that can put them at risk. Achieving successful outcomes has, in turn, boosted the personal confidence and capabilities of the SWiS students to work cooperatively in a school setting and elsewhere.

The NSW Department of Education consulted Professor Maple during the development of the Student Support Officer (SSO) roles now being rolled out across NSW. Some 20 former SWiS students have since been employed in these roles.

SWiS program coordinators Carrie Maclure and Ally Drinkwater say UNE students have responded thoughtfully and creatively to the needs of school communities during COVID lockdowns and school closures.

What has impressed us most is how they have adapted to the changing circumstances.

“What has impressed us most is how they have adapted to the changing circumstances,” Carrie says. “Some SWiS students started their placements in lockdown without ever having stepped foot in their school, yet have managed to provide the emotional support that students, families and teachers needed.

“Especially in areas with higher COVID numbers, our SWiS students have assisted school students and their families experiencing high levels of anxiety. They have prepared engaging wellbeing resources and care packs, maintained social connections and introduced mindfulness practices, providing an evidence-based response to specific needs. Many of these resources will be of enduring benefit to the schools.”

Vital support (and care packs)

Supporting SWiS students while they are undertaking their school placements is vital. Weekly Zoom meetings hosted by UNE staff have given SWiS students an important space for sharing information and learning materials during the pandemic. Additional online learning modules and mini workshops have further complemented the assistance SWiS students have received from their supervisors.

“We have supported SWiS students to grow through this difficult time,” Carrie says. “Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) funding allowed us to put all students through training in a trauma-informed approach to education, and this professional development will be helpful throughout their career. It also funded care packs for every SWiS student, acknowledging the importance of looking after themselves while they were busy looking after their school communities.”

At The Entrance Public School, SWiS student Megan Ham took the initiative to survey Year 6 students and their teachers, and then developed a six-week program to support anxious students transitioning to high school in 2022. Deputy Principal Matthew Browning says she has filled an important gap between the school’s counsellor and Family and Community Liaison Officer.

Megan has created strong bonds with our students and worked with the learning support team to identify those needing extra assistance. This has been absolutely wonderful.

“Megan has created strong bonds with our students and worked with the learning support team to identify those needing extra assistance,” he says. “This has been absolutely wonderful.”

Megan, who is completing her Masters in Social Work at UNE, says the survey identified those who might benefit from an intensive social and emotional learning program, which she has since introduced. “The SWiS program is fantastic because you can tailor support to the immediate needs of the school and its students,” she says. “With the school executive’s endorsement, we can work with individual students and parents in a crisis or in a planned, strategic way by offering group activities that develop important life skills.”

And the learning goes both ways.

“We are constantly looking at how our SWiS students can be engaged in additional learning to support schools,” Carrie says. “Many have commented this year on the new skills they have personally developed – the perseverance, creativity, and problem-solving they will be able to draw on throughout their careers. Everyone has risen to the challenge.”

Engagement Australia Chair and President, Professor Jim Nyland, said the awards celebrate the transformative engagement activities undertaken by universities that demonstrate far-reaching impact and innovation.

“There has never been a more important time for Australian universities to become deeply engaged with their communities, and to align these transformational operations with their strategic priorities – from research and industry engagement to the health and well-being of the communities in which they serve,” Professor Nyland said.

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