ISBN: 978-1-73845-453-2

An essential guide for social care students, placement supervisors/educators and lecturers engaged in practice placement; from initial preparation through to engagement in learning from practice.

• Examines placements from the perspective of all stakeholders and discusses key student concerns and challenges with essential information on how to navigate them.

• Clearly illustrates how to develop evidence of learning, using tools such as case examples, checklists and guides to track progress on achieving standards of proficiency through placement.

• Explains how placement supervision can be a valuable learning tool used to achieve goals, increase professional confidence and ensure a rich placement experience.

• Considers the application of learned concepts, values, policies, and theories in everyday pra tice and the critical skills needed to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

• Presents reflective and evidence-informed practice as essential skills that hold the balance between professional autonomy, accountability, and responsibility.

• Explores the key principles of social justice and the application of a human rights-based approach in social care, with examples to promote this core principle of the profession.

• Explores professional relationships within social care practice, using case illustrations concerning person-centred care, therapeutic relationships, and continuity of care.

• A useful resource for placement agencies and placement supervisors whose work with students on placement is an essential part of professional education and training.

THE AUTHORS:

Áine de Róiste (PhD) is a senior lecturer in social care in MTU (Cork). She has co-authored academic texts, including Young People in Contemporary Ireland and Social Care Practice in Ireland: An Integrated Perspective, as well as research in the fields of social care and psychology in Ireland.

John McHugh (PhD) is Programme Director of Professional Social Care programmes at Carlow College, St Patrick’s. He has researched and published in the areas of professional identity, learning in practice and social care professional development.

Aoife Prendergast currently leads the Careers & Employability Department at TUS and is responsible for increasing work placement and pathways into graduate employment at TUS. She is actively involved in European professional associations and has also held positions as a Lecturer in Social Care in both TUS and TU Dublin.