Who Are We?

Our work stems from the long-term relationships between RMIT social work and the field through field education and beyond. These relationships underpin the viability of social work education. Field education is integral to the delivery of social work programs and is identified by students as their most significant learning experience. Alongside this is the need to ensure the supply of quality field education placements. So, it is in this context we choose to honour and celebrate our ongoing commitment to the collaborations with the field historically, currently and those anticipated in the future (Egan, 2018, 3).

What Do We Do?

The future of social work field education lies in closer relationships between universities and the field and the RMIT Social Work partnership model provide some insights into the operationalisation of this. It works towards confronting the crisis in finding enough social work placements and producing quality and transformative learning experiences for our students. It offers agencies ways of addressing their workforce development challenges through the employment of work ready and orientated graduates. Further the innovations evident across the partnerships address real world problems confronted by human services working with some of the most disadvantaged communities, whilst challenging the structural inequalities facing them. Student effort and enthusiasm is harnessed via partnered projects tackling domestic and family violence, poverty, homelessness, mental health, incarceration, aged care, culturally diverse communities, marginalisation, disability and access to education.

The RMIT Social Work partnership strategy has gone well beyond just the education and training of students through increasing placement numbers. The strategy has demonstrated how universities engage with the field and create sustainable and collaborative relationships that set the stage for deeper and more meaningful relationships between communities and universities (Egan, 2018, 9).