Placement in the BA programme in Social Services

In the BA programme in Social Services, the total credit load of work placements is 43 ECTS credits.

Work placements are supervised and goal-oriented practical learning, and they are assessed in the same way as other modules. They include both active work and observing tasks.

During the work placement, you will be supported by the supervising teacher and a workplace supervisor. The teacher provides information about the contents, goals and methods of work placements.

The workplace supervisor works with the student on the specific aims of the work placement, supports your professional growth and organises weekly review discussions.

You will also receive feedback from your supervisor and colleagues in your daily tasks.

Work placements are usually unpaid, unless you complete your work placement under an employment contract.

Do notice that placements in health care services might require the students to make sure they have certain vaccinations and adequate protection against infectious diseases before starting the placement. Read the instructions for social and health care students concerning infectious diseases and vaccinations on the FSHS website.

1 ECTS in placement is 26,7h of work. If you do your placement with children under the age of eighteen you must apply for a Finnish Criminal Records Extract.

Schedule	Bachelor of Social Services 210 ECTS	210 ECTS
2nd semester (in Finland)	PRA1007B20S PRACTICE IN FINNISH WORKING LIFE 7 ECTS Placement is completed in appropriate social and community work settings, where the student works with service users and as a member of a work community. Detailed placement aims are described in the implementation plan. One of the learning aims in PRA1 is to support Finnish language skills for students. If a student must study Fin 1B, student has to make PRA1 placement in a Finnish speaking environment. Suitable placement environments, for example: youth work, work with older people, playgrounds, daycare, low threshold places offered by public, private and NGO sectors. You plan the work hours together with your work-life supervisor. Make sure that you complete the total placement hours for PRA1, which is 187 hours. The orientation session, individual supervision, learning assignment and the final reflective workshop are included in the 187 hours, which means that you should include these hours in your placement timesheet. It is recommended that you agree with your work-life supervisor a time schedule that will work best for you. Remote work: You should follow the placement organization’s guidelines for working remotely. A written plan about remote work should be drafted with the work life supervisor in the beginning of the placement. The plan should be sent to the teacher supervisor for future reference.	7 ECTS = 187h 38h per week = approx. 5 weeks including placement orientation, reflective workshop, assignment and professional reflection. If the student carries out the placement outside the given placement schedule (e.g. in the summer), s/he needs to compensate the reflective workshop by a written reflective assignment.
4th semester (in Finland/in international exchange)	PRA2018B20S PRACTICE WITH DIVERSE SERVICE USER GROUPS 16 ECTS + 2 ECTS PRA2116B20S PRACTICE WITH DIVERSE SERVICE USER GROUPS 16 ECTS Placement PRA2202B20S REFLECTIVE WORKSHOPS 2 ECTS Reflective workshops and professional reflection Placement takes place in appropriate social and community work settings, where the student works with service users and as a member of a work community. Detailed placement aims are described in the implementation plan. The focus of PRA2 is client work and supporting service users. Students will apply participatory, social and community work methods with different service users in the placement context, understand the importance of documentation in client work and understand the value of working in a multi-professional team and the importance of professional networking. Suitable placement environments, for example: child welfare, family work, mental health, substance abuse, rehabilitative social work, adult social work, disability, youth work, work with older people, community work. Completion of PRA1 is a prerequisite for PRA2 and PRA3. The following study modules should be completed before PRA2: DEV, WYO, EXO, DIS, CHF, MEN and SUB. For non-Finnish speaking students, it is recommended to include improving your Finnish language skills in your placement objectives. This will ensure that you will get the necessary vocabulary needed in the social services field. (If possible, some of the supervision sessions with the work-life supervisor can be held in Finnish.) You plan the work hours together with your work-life supervisor. Make sure that you complete the total placement hours for PRA2, which is 480 hours. The orientation session, individual supervision, reflective workshops, professional reflection during the placement and the final reflective workshop are included in the 480 hours. You should include these hours in your placement timesheet. It is recommended that you agree with your work-life supervisor a time schedule that will work best for you. Remote work: You should follow the placement organization’s guidelines for working remotely. A written plan about remote work should be drafted with the work life supervisor in the beginning of the placement. The plan should be sent to the teacher supervisor for future reference.	16 ECTS + 2 ECTS = 427h + 53h = 480h 38h per week = approx. 13 weeks including placement orientation, reflective workshops and professional reflection. If the student carries out the placement outside the given placement schedule (e.g. in the summer), it is approx. 12 weeks of work (480h of work in total). Also, student completes an assignment (2 ECTS) as instructed instead of participating in reflective workshops during the placement period. If the student carries out the placement in the same organization as PRA1, the context and tasks of the student should be different from the preceding placement. It should meet the goals and objectives of PRA2.
5th semester (in Finland/in international exchange)	PRA3018B20S PRACTICE IN DIVERSE SETTINGS 16 ECTS + 2 ECTS PRA3116B20S PRACTICE IN DIVERSE SETTINGS 16 ECTS Placement PRA3202B20S REFLECTIVE WORKSHOP 2 ECTS Reflective workshops and professional reflection The objective of PRA3 placement is to deepen the student’s professional development and to strengthen professional skills and competencies in the chosen work setting. Detailed placement aims are described in the implementation plan. Placement takes place in appropriate social sector or community work setting. PRA3 placement allows diverse work environments including project work. PRA3 placement does not require direct work with service users. Completion of PRA1 is a prerequisite for PRA2 and PRA3. For non-Finnish speaking students, it is recommended to include improving your Finnish language skills in your placement objectives. This will ensure that you will get the necessary vocabulary needed in the social services field. (If possible, some of the supervision sessions with the work-life supervisor can be held in Finnish.) You plan the work hours together with your work-life supervisor. Make sure that you complete the total placement hours for PRA2, which is 480 hours. The orientation session, individual supervision, reflective workshops, professional reflection during the placement and the final reflective workshop are included in the 480 hours. You should include these hours in your placement timesheet. It is recommended that you agree with your work-life supervisor a time schedule that will work best for you. Remote work: You should follow the placement organization’s guidelines for working remotely. A written plan about remote work should be drafted with the work life supervisor in the beginning of the placement. The plan should be sent to the teacher supervisor for future reference.	16 ECTS + 2 ECTS = 427h + 53h = 480h Approx. 40h per week = approx. 12 weeks including placement orientation, reflective workshops and professional reflection. If the student carries out the placement outside the given placement schedule (e.g. in the summer), it is approx. 12 weeks of work (480h of work in total). Also, student completes an assignment (2 ECTS) as instructed instead of participating to reflective workshops during the placement period. If the student carries out the placement in the same organization as PRA1 or PRA2, the context and tasks of the student should be different from the preceding placement. It should meet the goals and objectives of PRA3.
Placements in total	The total amount of placements´ credits in DSS Programme. Semesters apply to those students who follow the regular study path of DSS Curriculum.	7 ECTS 18 ECTS 18 ECTS
Diak´s Degree Regulations on placement matters	20§ Students who fail to complete their practical training cannot begin the next practical training without special permission. Respectively, students who fail to complete the studies required for the previous semester can be denied the right to participate in the next practical training. Practical training may be conducted when school is out of session, provided this is specified in the student’s personal study plan and follows Diak’s practical training guidelines. 27§ The practical training of students studying in accordance with the English-language curriculum approved in 2020 is assessed as pass/fail.