Support Worker Review

I was offered a variety of activities I got involved in and I was offered the opportunity to develop many skills, such as leadership by being in charge of small groups of the service users. The work placement was a great change from the usual revising and essay writing that came with other University modules I did. I was also given the option to volunteer after the conclusion of the placement.

Most of the other support workers (my placement was as a support worker) made me feel very welcome within the team and helped me develop during my time as a placement student there. After I became more experienced and confident, colleagues treated me as a regular member of staff by trusting me with responsibilities and asking me to help with skilled tasks.

The manager was very helpful and offered to advise me with assignments and was very supportive concerning flexibility around my other commitments. I was offered opportunities to develop new skills and to hone existing skills during skills and also offered an additional course to supplement my experience and skills in the area of learning disabilities and mental health.

Initially I was given lots of guidance on what was expected and tasks and activities I was welcome to get involved in. As I became more experienced I was encouraged to take the initiative and become involved in other tasks that I would be interested in and wished to pursue. This meant I had plenty of tasks to keep me busy every shift.

I was given a lot of guidance and supervision when I first began the placement due to my lack of experience however when I became more confident and experienced I was given more responsibility for example the responsibility to lead small groups of service users with different activities. This allowed me to develop lots of skills.

The skills I developed enabled me to get a paid job as a support worker and this experience also allowed to get a paid position supporting children with learning disabilities in a school. This has allowed me to build the experience necessary to apply to postgraduate degrees such as educational psychology.

The atmosphere was very professional which did seem not overly friendly at times which did make me feel unsure sometimes. However, the professionalism in the office place did make me more aware of the expectations of an office environment and a professional organisation. When I spoke to people directly they were friendly and helpful though.

The initial set up was fairly uncertain as I did not know I had secured the placement until shortly before I was expected to begin, this also meant that training provided by the placement provider was organised with me at fairly short notice. Luckily I had plenty of spare time so this was not an issue for me however may not suit someone else.

I was offered a Level One Mental Health certificate to complete and I was given training in Safeguarding, the Mental Capacity Act, and other relevant training to do with autism spectrum disorder and other learning disabilities. I was also given training on communication tools, support strategies for children with autism spectrum disorder, and other relevant skills.

I got a job with the organisation and got lots of experience and gained plenty of relevant skills. When a position came up for a higher role, I applied and got the job of the higher role because of the experience and skills I had gained during the placement and the job I gained after the placement.

Among fellow placement students there was a positive social scene, we were all friendly with each other and encouraged each to support each other in our professional and academic development. Colleagues were encouraged to go to social events every few months such as bowling or meals to create a good team relationship.

I lived and socialised in Newcastle upon Tyne which has a fantastic social life available, all of which is affordable for students. The cost of living is low, especially for a city and especially if you live with other students and don't live right in the city centre. There's lots of metro stations and bus routes so even if you get a place a long walk away there's lots of public transport.

In Newcastle upon Tyne there are so many clubs and bars available for everyone. There's a reason so many hen and stag dos come to Newcastle! There is plenty of choice for peoples' different preferences such as music tastes and choices of venue, for example there are rock bars and karaoke places or just pubs where you can sit and have a chat with your friends.

There was not a lot of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. I am not sure what sort of activities this question means however there were occasionally staff dos such as bowling and meals but nothing else. Sometimes there were additional training sessions available however these were not very often and didn't always fit everyone's availability.