Supporting high-quality placements in the community services sector

The work of Victoria’s community services sector is central to the state’s wellbeing, its economic growth and its prosperity.

It is a key enabler of the Victorian Government’s flagship social reforms.

Currently, the healthcare and social assistance sector (which community services is a part of) is the state’s largest industry based on employment and Victorian Government modelling projects that Victoria will need 83,324 new workers in the healthcare and social assistance workforce by 2026.

To meet the required growth in community services – and ensure that Victoria is able to deliver on its reform agenda – State and Commonwealth governments, education providers and the community services sector need to ensure that there is a supply of high-quality student placements.

Student placements are a mandatory component of accredited social work and community services qualifications.

Placements are important because they help students build workplace skills, connect theoretical knowledge to real-life problems, and transition to employment.

Placements are also essential to successful outcomes for the higher education and the vocational education and training sectors. Evidence demonstrates that lack of access to high-quality placements has an impact on completion rates, further impacting supply. For example, in higher education, the Australian Council of Heads of Social Work Education submission to the Australian Universities Accord, cites that 62 per cent of domestic students complete bachelor degrees within six years of commencing studies, with 9 per cent not returning after the first year. In comparison, less than half (48.3 per cent) of social work students complete bachelor degrees within six years, and 14.5 per cent do not return after their first year of studies. While the reasons for non-completion are varied, the research in this paper supports other evidence showing that challenges in students placements contribute substantially to low rates of completion.

Currently, the student placement/new worker pipeline is not working optimally:

• Community sector organisations are not supplying enough high-quality placements to meet demand from education providers and students because of resource constraints. This supply challenge is impeding coursework completion, talent acquisition, and industry growth and development.
• The quality of placements is variable because the sector is struggling to resource consistent and high-quality supervision in the face of workforce shortages and other resource challenges.
• Placement poverty is also impacting on quality – students are experiencing hunger, stress and exhaustion while in the field, making it difficult to concentrate and learn, and giving rise to a myriad of risks on the job. Some are dropping out of courses; others are completing but moving into other industries following a difficult placement experience.

The Insights Paper shares expert knowledge from peak and professional bodies, community sector organisations, education providers and students about structural-level reforms that are needed to improve supply and quality.

Please also see the VCOSS resource Hosting student placements: Best practice guidelines for Victorian community sector organisations.