Help and Support

Depending on the program offering, placements can be undertaken by students in the following trimesters:

Trimester 1 (March – June)
Trimester 2 (July – October)
Trimester 3 (November – February)

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 actual days and times of attendance are negotiated between the host supervisor and student before commencement. This may depend on the student’s availability around other university or work commitments, the supervisor’s days of work and available desk space at the organisation.

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. 

Please visit the Deakin Student Placement Procedure for full details.

Once a placement is approved by the Faculty, the Health WIL Team will advertise it to students enrolled in this unit. They will apply to the host organisations directly, who will select the student that best fits their project, culture and organisation.

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).

When asked to put forward a placement brief, the Health WIL Team will ask for the Host Organisation to list placement requirements such as the above. We will then advertise the role to students with these requirements clearly stated. Once a student has been successful, they can provide you with the police check and WWCC, or they can provide it to us, and we can confirm the receipt of these documents.

Regarding immunisations, we do ask that you assess the need for students to have immunisations as this is a non-clinical placement experience. However, we do 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 provided in the above step and then the Health WIL Team will liaise with the student to obtain proof of vaccinations. We can then confirm for you that these requirements have been fulfilled.

If you use Placeright to handle this process, please confirm this with the Health WIL Team and we can organise to request a placement and provide documentation through Placeright.

Depending on the unit, there may be two forms of supervision for the students during the placement. One is the academic supervision provided by the Unit Chair or Lecturers and the second is the on-site supervision provided by you as the host supervisor. The academic supervisor guides the student in terms of the theory and evidence required for project planning and implementation. Also, the academic supervisor assesses the written assessment submissions.

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 exception to this is if the student needs 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 or fails the unit.

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).

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.

In cases where students will be absent from placement, students 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.

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.