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Social Work

Gain hands-on experience through supervised placements in real-world community, health and social service settings

Social Work Field Education

Social Work field education placements are where you learn by doing—working alongside practitioners, communities, and services to build practical skills, professional judgement, and reflective practice. These placements help you grow as a change agent, applying your learning across diverse issues, people, and settings.

What you’ll do

  • Complete two supervised placements (minimum 500 hours each, totalling 1000 hours)
  • Develop skills in communication, assessment and professional decision making
  • Contribute to service delivery and project work, including policy, research, or evaluation activities
  • Build knowledge in supervision, ethics, confidentiality, and workplace expectations
Social Work Field Education Manual PDF 3.9 MB
 
 

Getting ready for placement

To commence Social Work placement, you must:
  • Have completed and passed all HGW coded prerequisite units
  • Meet the Inherent Requirements for Social Work
  • Complete all required compliance tasks by the specified deadlines

What are compliance tasks?

Compliance tasks are checks and requirements that help keep clients, colleagues and you safe, and are required before your placement can be confirmed.

What you need to complete

InPlace is the system used to manage placement requirements. Check it regularly to upload documents, stay compliant, and view your placement details Log into InPlace

Start compliance applications in the first two weeks of Semester 1 to allow time for processing and uploading to InPlace. Due dates will be confirmed after orientation and in preparation sessions.

Your safety on placement

Reusable content – Work Health & Safety standard text for all disciplines

Your safety matters. While on placement, you must follow the host organisation’s workplace health and safety policies.

If an incident, accident, or injury happens:

  • Follow the workplace’s reporting process immediately
  • Notify your Placement Coordinator and Unit Coordinator as soon as possible
  • Submit a University of Tasmania Online Incident Notification
  • For help, email health.safety@utas.edu.au

Note: Workers Compensation does not apply to students on placement.

Vist the Safety and Wellbeing page for more information

Placement resources

Field education is grounded in the standards and guidance documents of the AASW, ensuring that learning and practice align with the professional expectations of the Social Work profession.

Key contacts

Compliance and InPlace

All College of Health and Medicine students need to complete

Information on how to log in and upload your compliance documents

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We acknowledge the Palawa and Gadigal people, the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which we live and work. We honour their enduring culture and knowledges as vital to the self-determination, wellbeing and resilience of their communities.

Authorised by Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Health. © 17 February 2026 University of Tasmania, Australia. ABN 30 764 374 782. CRICOS Provider Code 00586B