Before and during placement: a learner, not unpaid staff
Plan at least a semester ahead. The earlier you raise your circumstances, the more options your uni has.
Seven steps to plan early
- Check your Prac Payment eligibility nowUse the government's eligibility checker, then find your uni's application dates. See claiming what you're owed.
- Sort out Centrelink earlyYou can claim Austudy up to 13 weeks before full-time study starts. Claims take time.
- Tell your field education team about your lifeCaring duties, a job you can't lose, disability, health, cultural obligations, no car or no licence are all reasons to ask about location, days and hours. Already work in the sector? Ask about a work-based placement. Need part-time? Check first: the Prac Payment needs an average of 30 hours a week.
- Work out the real costAdd up fuel, parking, transport, childcare, clothing, required checks and lost wages, then build a week-by-week budget with our budget planner.
- Talk to your employer earlyAsk in writing about reduced hours, leave or flexible shifts, and get any agreement to restore your hours afterwards in writing too.
- Find out what your uni offersAsk student support about placement grants, hardship funds and emergency loans.
- Line up your support peopleTell a friend, family member or peer what's coming, and plan how you'll rest.
The minimum you're owed
Placement is for learning. You should be supervised, supported and gradually given responsibility, not handed a caseload on day two. These are the AASW education standards (ASWEAS 2024). Your uni's field education manual has the detail, so read it before you start.
of formal supervision for every 35 hours of placement.
Your field educator must be a qualified social worker with at least two years' post-qualifying experience, eligible for AASW membership.
Source: AASW education standards (ASWEAS 2024), as set out in ECU's Supervisor Field Education Manual 2025–2026.
Signs something isn't right
- You're working alone with clients you haven't been prepared for.
- Supervision keeps getting cancelled, or turns into a quick chat in the corridor.
- You're covering staff shortages or filling a rostered role.
- You're asked to work well beyond your agreed hours.
- You feel unsafe, or you're experiencing racism, bullying or harassment.
Look after yourself
Keep a simple log of your hours, supervision sessions and tasks. Use supervision to talk about how the work is affecting you, not only about cases. Placement can be emotionally heavy, so use your uni's counselling service early rather than waiting for a crisis.
Raising a concern is good practice.
It's not being difficult. It's the same advocacy you'll one day do for clients.
Your field educator
Start here if you can.
University liaison
If you can't raise it with your educator, or nothing changes.
Uni complaints process
If the placement issue still isn't fixed.
Student union or advocate
Independent support through the process.
Checked 25 September 2026. General information, not legal or financial advice. Your university's field education manual and policies take priority.