28/12/2025
Welcoming a Student to Let's Play SA!
Did you know that to qualify as a social worker in Australia, students are required to complete 1,000 hours of supervised, face to face placement across their degree?
These placements are closely monitored, ethically governed, and form a vital foundation for safe, compassionate practice.
As part of this process, I am so excited to introduce Mikayla, a social worker student from the University of Canberra, who will be completing 500 of those hours with me.
I was fortunate in my own training to be given placement opportunities within adult mental health services and the education system. Those experiences deeply supported and shaped the social worker I became. We all have to learn somewhere, and I value the rigorous requirements of the AASW in becoming accredited, as well as the responsibility we hold in ensuring today's students have the strongest possible foundation to support their clients in the future.
Mikayla will be learning within a trauma-informed, child-led, person-centred framework and will be supported through regular supervision and guidance throughout her placement. She does not work independently of oversight from either myself or her university and is bound by professional and ethical standards, including confidentiality.
For families, involvement of a student is always optional. Privacy, consent and choice are central to my work here. Mikayla will only be present in sessions with clear consent, and children and young people are also supported to have a say in who is involved in their sessions - not just the parents or caregivers. Families are welcome to ask questions or decline student involvement at any time.
Supporting social work students is an important part of strengthening our profession, and I am really looking forward to walking alongside Mikayla as she grows into her social work practice.
Please join me in welcoming her, you will start to see her around from the 19th of January.