Switching courses from social work mid placement

I have a friend currently studying social work in year two and on placement. Three weeks into the placement, they had two incidents: a service user being aggressive and another user blowing smoke into their face. The first incident was discussed with their on-site supervisor, who assured them they would speak to the service user and always come to them if anything like that happened again. The second incident was witnessed by a member of staff who quickly talked to the service user and told them it was wrong of them to do that. My friend thought that was the end and did not report the second incident to their on-site supervisor, as the placement policy was that any staff member could handle any incident.
Then on Friday, the on-site supervisor called my friend aside and informed them that they wanted to send an email to the practice educator regarding the incidents and see if they could change placements for my friend. The on-site supervisor said they felt my friend was minimising risk. At the centre, it would be better to change placements. Still, my friend found all these bizarre and sudden as nothing indicated that my friend was uncomfortable, and my friend thought the situation was handled. Now, to change placements, a formal concern meeting will have to be held, which could lead to possibly changing placements and starting all over again. This was what my friend wanted to avoid in the first place. Now, it is like my friend is being punished for not reacting, and if they reacted the way they felt, it would have been considered rude or unprofessional.
Long story short, all this has been taken too far when everything was handled appropriately, and there have been worse incidents that happened at the placement and nothing like this was done about it.
I just want to ask if there are other course options to switch to at this point and what would be the best line of action. My friend's tutor has been informed of the incident too.

Reply 1

~ Purple Rose ~

PS Reviewer

Your friend should see someone in student services or the student union. I've been in a situation with a placement where things were decided without my knowledge or input and the support I had from other parts of the uni was invaluable.
It sounds like the concern meeting is inevitable, but maybe the risk factors on placement need to be re-established, for example, rather than changing the placement. Different people view different incidents differently and it might be that she just didn't realise the importance of the second incident.

If she is going to change placement, the earlier it is the better. I ended up about six weeks behind with a placement after the first one broke down on Day 3 (superviser jumping to conclusions about my mental health) and I had to use days everyone else had off to catch up.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 2

Naskas

I am currently experiencing a situation similar to what you described. An individual reported an incident in which I was accused of using inappropriate language, despite my strong conviction that I did not engage in such behavior. Regrettably, no formal investigation was conducted to ascertain the accuracy of these claims. Consequently, I received a failing grade and am now facing the consequences of this incident. The aftermath has proven challenging, as I find myself unable to secure another placement and have encountered difficulties in securing new employment opportunities. This difficult period has persisted for four months, and I am actively seeking resolution and guidance to overcome these obstacles.