Help and Support
Staff and links to Bio’s
Frequently Asked Questions
Placement Checklists for Hosts
Further Resources
Q. Will the student be covered by Deakin insurance policy while they are on placement?
Students are covered under Deakin’s insurance policies while on placement given the placement is approved by Deakin and is a requirement of their studies. If a student and the host organisation agree for the student to continue in a volunteer capacity past the formal placement period, the organisation must provide their own insurance cover for the student.
Any accidents, injuries or incidents must be reported immediately to the Health WIL team, who will follow university procedures.
Q. What are the placement structure and attendance requirements for students?
Depending on the unit the student is enrolled in, students are required to complete a set number of hours work (excluding lunch breaks) under the guidance of a supervisor assigned by your organisation or the University. Please see below requirements:
- Undergraduate and post graduate Health Practicum unit (Health Promotions. Health Science and Public Health) – 120 hours
- Undergraduate Psychology at work unit – 140 hours
Depending on the program offering, placements can be undertaken by students in the following trimesters:
Trimester 1 (March – May)
Trimester 2 (July – September)
Trimester 3 (November – January)
Placement hours can be completed part-time, 2-3 days per week over the 11- week trimester, or as a full-time block for 3-4 weeks. The specific days and times of attendance are negotiated between the host supervisor and student before commencement. This may depend on the student’s availability, the supervisor’s days of work and available desk space at the organisation.
Q. What is the placement application process?
Q. What are the requirements for host supervisors?
We highly recommend that placement supervisors for the Public Health and Health Promotion students possess a minimum of approximately 3 years of experience in their fields. This ensures that they bring a wealth of knowledge and practical insights to guide and mentor our students effectively. However, we understand that individual circumstances may vary, and we encourage potential supervisors who may not meet this specific requirement to engage in discussions with our Health WIL Team. We believe in flexibility and are open to considering alternative qualifications or experiences that could contribute to the enriching mentorship of our students.
With regards to the Psychology placements, we ask that Placement Supervisors have a minimum of two years’ experience in the organisation or role associated with the placement, so that they can provides students with appropriate guidance and feedback. However, they don’t have to be registered psychologists.
Q. What is Deakin’s Procedure regarding student placement?
Please visit the Deakin Student Placement Procedure for full details.
Q. What documentation does Deakin require hosts to complete?
- Placement Proposal Form: Once you have selected a student, they will be required to complete a Placement Proposal Form. Part A of the document is required to be completed and signed by the student, and Part B is required to be completed and signed by your organisation. This document will be sent to you via Docusign. Once you have completed the host section, the student will upload the completed document to our placement system for approval before they can officially commence placement.
For Health Practicum:
- Timesheet: Sign off on the student’s work at the end of their placement. This can be done virtually or electronically.
- Supervisor Report:Complete this report to reflect on the student’s strengths and contributions, and areas for future development. Provide mid and end of placement feedback in real time, so the student can discuss and clarify as needed.
For Psychology at Work (Internship)
- Log Book: Sign off on the student’s work at the end of each working day. This can be done virtually or electronically.
- Mid Placement Review Report: Complete this report with the student to offer formative and developmental feedback to them on what is working well, and areas for focus in the second half of the placement.
- Supervisor Report: Complete this report at the end of the placement to reflect on the student’s strengths and contributions, and areas for future development. Provide mid and end of placement feedback in real time, so the student can discuss and clarify as needed.
- Supervisor-Rated Competency Assessment: At the beginning of the placement, the student completes a Competency Self-Assessment which they may choose to share with you to guide discussion about their strengths and development needs and goals. At the end of their placement, they repeat this self-assessment, and you will be asked to complete a Supervisor-Rated Competency Assessment. This process helps students understand the key competencies in the unit and reflect on their progress toward becoming work-ready within the context of their psychology degree.
Q. What is the placement application process?
Once a placement is approved by the Faculty, the Health WIL Team will advertise it to students enrolled in the unit.
Students will then apply for the placement directly to the Health WIL team who will then send a list of students and their applications to you for consideration. You may wish to interview all students or conduct further shortlisting. Once your selection decision is made, simply inform both successful and unsuccessful students, and notify the Health WIL Team.
Q. What are the privacy and confidentiality requirements for students on placement?
Privacy and confidentiality are an important part of any placement experience. Our students have been provided guidelines and training on the importance of privacy and confidentiality, and how to protect confidential information while on placement. The University is bound by privacy principles established in privacy legislation such as the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). If your organisation requires a NDA to be signed, please feel free to contact us to discuss.
My organisation requires students have a police check, Working with Children’s Check, or immunisations? How does the Health WIL Team support this process?
When completing the placement brief you will be asked to list all relevant placement requirements such as the above. These requirements are then clearly stated in the placement advertisement. The Health WIL Team will provide students with information on how to obtain these documents.
Please ensure that the student meets your requirements before they commence their placement.
As these placements are non-clinical experiences, we ask that you assess the need for students to have immunisations. However, we understand that there are circumstances where immunisations are required (policy, contact with social groups where this may be a requirement). In these cases, please ensure you provide a detailed list of what is required in the placement brief to ensure students are fully aware prior to applying for the opportunity. If you use Placeright to handle this process, please specify this in the placement brief, and we can organise to request a placement and provide documentation through Placeright.
Q. What are the requirements for students regarding professional expectations?
The compulsory Pre-Placement Modules for our students have outlined the importance of professional behaviours expectations such as work ethics, dress codes, effective communication, and networking. They are also advised to comply with host policies in relation to professional conduct. During placements, students are required to comply with relevant policies and procedures of the University, including the Student Code of Conduct and Student Placement Procedure, as well as external regulatory requirements. They are also advised they are required to comply with relevant host policies.
Q. How will the student placement be assessed?
Students will be required to complete assessment tasks as part of their WIL unit, however, they are to be completed by the student in their own time and will be assessed by the Unit Chair. The student may need to consult with their host supervisor to obtain information required to complete the assessment tasks.
Supervisors are required to complete a Supervisor Report prior to the student’s last day of placement, to allow time to discuss the results. You will be provided the link to the report once the placement has been confirmed. If you want to access the report prior to that, please contact the Health WIL team . There are further evaluation questions and resources provided on this training website.
The Unit Chair will make the final decision as to whether a student passes the unit.
Q. Do hosts need to make payment to students for their Health WIL placement?
As per the Fair Work Act (2009), students undertaking a ‘Vocational Placement’ do not need to be paid for the placement or normal travel costs between home and the host organisation.
If you would like to pay students a small allowance to help cover the costs of attending placement, this is done at your discretion.
If a student works extra hours on top of their total placement hours, you may be liable to pay the student the appropriate wage if an ‘employment relationship’ is found to exist under the Fair Work Act (2009).
Q. What are Deakin’s rules about vehicle Use?
Students may use cars owned by the host organisation (‘fleet cars’) as required (e.g., to attend off-site meetings or conduct community consultations), however Deakin is unable to provide insurance for the vehicles. This also applies to the use of personal vehicles for placement purposes. Students must ensure that they have their own comprehensive insurance in place. If a student uses their own car to conduct business whilst on placement, they need to be reimbursed by the host organisation for the kilometres travelled. This does not include commuting to and from placement.
Q. How to mitigate health and safety risks during student placement?
Any organised placement experience undertaken as part of the University course requirements recognises the Work Health and Safety ACT 2011 (Cth) and any relevant state/territory legislation such as the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic). As students participate in the Placement program, it is essential that they are aware of the hazards that could occur while on placement. Students and host organisations have an obligation to protect and minimise any potential incident from an identified hazard. Students must participate in an occupational health and safety (OH&S) induction as provided by the host organisation. If at any time on placement the student feels unsafe or not comfortable with a potential or actual risk, they must notify their placement supervisor and/or the Health WIL team or Unit Chair. Please refer to Deakin’s Health, Wellbeing and Safety Policy.
Q. What happens if there are changes to placement dates?
If changes are required to placement start and end dates, after the placement has been approved, please provide written confirmation of the new dates to Health WIL Team.
Q. What to do if students are absent from their placement?
In cases where students will be absent from their placement, they must notify their host supervisor immediately. In situations where the student misses two or more days consecutively due to sickness, a medical certificate must be provided, and the Health WIL Team notified via health-wil@deakin.edu.au. Students will need to make up any missed days to ensure that the placement hour attendance requirement is fulfilled. If there are ongoing issues with student’s attendance, please contact the Health WIL Team to discuss.
Q. What happens if there is a conflict of interest?
Students are not permitted to complete their placement at an existing place of employment/volunteer work, or with a family member/friend, unless pre-approved by the Health WIL team and Unit Chair/Course Director. Placements cannot be approved retrospectively.
Q. How to support students with any disability or health condition/s?
Supporting students with disabilities is crucial to ensuring an inclusive learning environment and equal access to education. Host organisations can take various steps to support students with disabilities, such as through establishing clear procedures for requesting and implementing accommodations, and creating a non-discriminatory environment that encourages disclosure of disabilities. Please visit Disability Support for information on how Deakin support students with a disability.
Students are required to disclose any disability or health condition that will prevent them from meeting the requirements specified for the placement or where there is an increased occupational health and safety (OH&S) risk. Where a disability or health condition does not preclude participation in a specific placement but may affect a student’s ability to succeed (such as late-stage pregnancy), the student is strongly encouraged to disclose any needs before the placement commences. The Health WIL team will inform the host organisation if a student has a disability or health condition and agrees to disclose their condition.
Some students may be reluctant to disclose their disability due to discrimination concerns. We recommend discussing any reasonable adjustments the student may need before they commence their placement. There are multiple ways to have this discussion, such as informing them clearly about support services available, and how to disclose their disability at any stage of engagement. You may share any policies with them and ask if they have any questions. Alternatively, you may ask the student: Do you have any reasonable adjustments that may be required to help you complete your placement? Opening the discussion promotes and normalises inclusion and makes it safer for students to disclose.