My Placement: Vanessa Honeyghan, final year student, social work degree, University of Birmingham

27 May 2011 1 min read Careers Courses and training Social Care

I was placed in a primary school in a town near Birmingham between September 2008 and February 2009. I was the first student social worker that they'd had.

My first day there was wonderful. The teaching staff took me around the classrooms and introduced me to the children, who went home and told their parents that a social worker was at school. Some parents got a bit worried. So I arranged a coffee morning for parents and did a presentation about why I was there.

My supervisor was very supportive. She said I was the type of person who was self-motivated. I used to work as a personal assistant, so I'm good at networking and organising.

In at the deep end

I did the playground round in the morning, which helped me get to know parents dropping off their children. Some of them shared issues with me about their children, which they asked for my help with.

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