Placement Handbook for BSc Health and Social Care Students

Faculty of Education and Society
BSc. Health and Social Care
Practical Application
SSC310
Placement Handbook
Information for students and Placement Provider
2020

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Contents
Page
1. Introduction 3
2. University Staff Contact Details 3
3. Learning Outcomes 4
4. General Information 4
5. Planning and Preparation 5
6. Supervision 6
7. Assessment of the placement 7
8. Roles and responsibilities of student, 9
placement supervisor and university staff
9. Appendices including all appropriate placement 11
documentation

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Introduction,
Dear Student and Placement Provider,
Welcome to the placement element of the University of Sunderland in London
BSc Health and Social Care programme. The placement is undertaken by
final year students and forms the basis for the module SSC310 Practical
Application. This 20 credit module will enable the student to undertake work
based practice in an organisational setting of their choice and to utilise this
experience to develop and reflect upon a range of generic, subject and
programme specific skills which are likely to be required in any future
career/area of employment.
The aim of this handbook is to provide information to support both the student
and the placement provider in the planning and delivery of the placement
experience. Should either of you require additional information or support then
please feel free to contact me or my colleague Ruphine Obare, Placement

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Learning Outcomes from the Placement
The purpose of the placement is to help the student improve their own
learning and performance whilst relating subject specific knowledge within the
'work' environment.
Specifically the learning outcomes for the module are as follows:
Knowledge:
K1. Demonstrate clear knowledge of the relevance which
subject specific study has within a particular area of work
environment
K2. An awareness of analysis, organising material and writing skills
Skills:
S1. The ability to carry out a small-scale organisational evaluation and
or research
S2. Identified and evaluated those transferable skills you would like to
develop

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The 'practice' may be undertaken in a private, statutory or voluntary agency
where you are already employed/working as a volunteer or in a different
organisation. The period of 'contact' within your chosen setting may also be
negotiated with your pathway tutor, provided that the assessment criteria can
be met. Whatever the setting this module will enable the student to:
 Extend and evaluate your understanding of their chosen
programme pathway
 Broaden their awareness of organisational processes and
policies
 Enhance analytic and written communication skills
 Identify those transferable skills which they would like to develop
 Evaluate their competence in these skills
Review understanding of research methods
General Information:
Who is responsible for organizing the Placement?
The student is responsible for identifying and contacting a potential placement
opportunity. However both the Placement Tutor and the Academic Team may
be able to help with suggestions and possible initial contacts where possible.
Once the student has identified a potential placement, and before they start,
they need to complete all appropriate documentation – see below. The
student will not officially be considered as being on placement until this
documentation has been completed and returned to the Placement Tutor for
approval.
Length and Timing of the Placement
The placement lasts for 60 hours with the timing and structure being
negotiated between the student and placement provider. It will take place
between June 2020 and Sepetember 2020.
Planning and Preparation for the Placement
The placement should be negotiated by the student and approved by the
module leader. For the purposes of the module, the placement activity will be
undertaken for, or through, an agency or organisation whose aim it is to
support people within a health and social care context. The placement will
normally be around London and the South East of England.
Each student should consider their personal skills and interests when

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choosing a placement, which could be in a wide variety of agencies. Any
activity may be considered, if it enables them to meet the learning objectives
and other requirements of the module. Whilst the Tutor may offer support, it
is the responsibility of the student to make any contact with an organization.
The placement should be negotiated with a Practice Supervisor and should
provide the opportunity to observe and become involved in normal
organisational activities relevant to the student’s interests, knowledge, skills
and abilities. The exact nature of the placement will vary and be unique to
each student. It is important to identify a practice supervisor who agrees to
provide on-going support and guidance in the placement.
The placement should be for a total of 60 hours, the duties and times being
negotiated between the student and the practice supervisor when agreeing
the Learning Contract (see below). The placement may commence with an
on-site induction and students may, if appropriate, be required to undergo
training. These requirements will be included in the Learning Contract and
will be included in your required 60 hours of placement.
Preparing a CV: Some organisations will ask for a CV. The student is
therefore encouraged to either initiate or update their CV prior to approaching
an organization. Advice and guidance on this is available from the University
Careers and Employability Service.
Completion of Appropriate Documentation Prior to Placement
Once the student has identified a potential placement opportunity the
following documents must be completed and returned to the Placement Tutor.
1. Initial Interest Form
2. Placement Form
3. Learning Contract
4. Confidentiality Form
5. Risk Assessment Form
Once these are returned and the placement approved the student can
commence the placement.
Copies of these forms and guidance notes on their completion are
included as appendices in this Handbook. If further help is required prior
to their completion please contact the Placement Tutor.
Completion of other documentation during and at the end of placement
It is expected that the student keep a record of the hours completed on
placement using the Record of Hours form (copy in appendices). On
completion of the placement confirmation of the 60 hours achieved together
with a brief supervisors report confirming that the student has successfully
completed the placement learning outcomes should be completed and signed
by the supervisor. N.B. The placement and hence the module cannot be
passed without this document.

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Supervision
It is expected that the student is allocated a named supervisor for the
duration of their placement. Due to the varied and broad occupational
contexts in which the student may be working within it is not possible to
stipulate any specific level of qualification which the supervisor may have.
However it is hoped they have a level of experience appropriate to their role.
Similarly it is unrealistic to stipulate the number and duration of supervisory
sessions that take place over the course of the placement. However it is
hoped that time is scheduled to allow the student to discuss and review their
progress in achieving the learning outcomes. Should any supervisor have any
queries about this then please contact the Placement Tutor. See also section
on roles and responsibilities on page 9.
Teaching input to support the placement
There are a number of taught sessions that support the placement which
include identification of learning needs, evaluation, reflective and professional
practice and how to make the most of the placement. These are planned
formal teaching sessions which take place at the start of the module. Later,
more informal sessions are delivered to respond to individual needs of the
student and which reflect the student placement experience. All teaching
materials are available on Canvas and relevant texts are available on My
Module Resources. However the primary source of learning for the student is
via experiential learning meaning that the student learns by actively
participating in the placement.
On-going review
Your personal review of the experience will be a continuous process recorded
in your reflective placement journal/diary and is part of your assessment and
portfolio.
You must establish contact with the module leader immediately if you
experience any problems or difficulties, or if there are any changes proposed
to the agreed terms of reference in the Learning Contract.

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Telephone contact between the module leader and the practice supervisor will
be made within the first half of your placement, in time to discuss your
progress to date. This will include consideration of your personal attributes, for
example: punctuality, time keeping, adaptability, attitude to work, etc.
How is the Student Assessed?
The student must present at the end of the placement a portfolio of evidence.
This includes the following:
 The learning contract drawn up between student and
placement provider
 A Reflective Personal Profile/Placement Journal/Diary (Approx. 1,500
words on the profile plus additional material in support)
 A written Placement Evaluation or a Research project (Approx. 2,000
words)
 Additional information on the organization including for example
any materials produced, work placement records, case study notes,
bibliography of material consulted etc.
n.b. the student must achieve a pass in each of the above elements.
These assessments will measure how the student has RECORDED and
EVALUATED their placement and to what extent they have achieved the
essential learning outcomes and those any additional ones identified in the
Learning Contract. This takes into account the varied nature of placements
so that the quality of placement does not become a predictor of the quality of
the assessed work. Students are NOT assessed on placement performance,
however, the practice supervisor will be asked to complete an evaluation to
assess whether or not they have achieved the tasks agreed in the Learning
Contract and if not, the reasons why not.
The module leader will provide additional guidance to help students achieve
the Learning Outcomes at appropriate times throughout the placement. This
will include suggestions on how to build the portfolio, suggestions for projects
to form the basis of your written report and will discuss the suggested content
of the reflective placement journal / diary.
NB. A comprehensive check of list of what needs to be included in the
portfolio is provided in appendix 5.
100% of total marks testing the learning outcomes K1 and K2 and S1 and S2
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: PORTFOLIO