• Time Expectations
• Absences, Illnesses and Critical Events
• Student Professional Behaviour concerns
• Termination of Placement
• Expenses and Remuneration
• Vulnerable Persons/Criminal Records Check
• Additional Agency Requirements
• Worker's Compensation Coverage
• Liability Insurance

Hours (Placement hours do not include breaks):

Students in their first practicum (part-time and full-time) are required to complete 28 hours of placement per week, Tuesday to Friday in the Winter Term, and 21 hours of placement per week Wednesday to Friday in the Spring Term (574 hours over 82 days).

Students in their second practicum (part-time and full-time) are required to complete 28 hours of placement per week Tuesday to Friday in the Fall Term (420 hours over 60 days).

Full-time and part-time Advanced Standing students are required to complete 21 hours per week, Wednesday to Friday in the Fall & Winter terms (609 hours over 87 days).

Part-time students attend placement 2 days/week or 4 days/week. Students inform the practicum office of their choice and are placed with an agency that can accommodate a 2 day/week placement or 4 days/week placement. Students are required to attend placement for a minimum of 14 hours of placement time each week and must be spread over a 2 day period. 

Evening hours are required by some practicum agencies.

Weekend hours cannot be expected unless the Instructor is available to supervise the student, and the agency is open and functional during weekend hours. This option is only available for part-time students and must be vetted by the practicum office.

Summer placements during July and August cannot be negotiated.

Public holidays cannot be counted towards a placement. The practicum office plans start and end dates for placement around public holidays.

Students interested in joining Faculty Committees should refer to the policy Principles and Guidelines with Respect to Student Time for Participation in Faculty of Social Work for details about practicum time commitments.

Overtime:

Overtime required in connection with intern practice should follow the usual policy of the agency, but may not accumulate beyond a one month period. The Practicum Instructor should arrange for compensatory time to be taken within four weeks following the accrual of substantial amounts of overtime. Overtime should not be used to shorten the span of the placement.

Reading Week
Please be advised that as per a policy decision at the Faculty of Social Work Divisional Council meeting on November 20, 1991, MSW students in practicum placement during winter term will be allowed to take Laurier’s reading week, or its equivalent, off placement. The following conditions or considerations apply:
•    school board students take March break off instead of not in addition to.
•    agencies and students may negotiate 4 days off at other times throughout placement as it suits the needs of all concerned.
•    students may not take the 4 day period at the end of placement as the intention is to maintain the current length of the placement period.

Please note:
•    Last day of Practicum for each cohort is outlined in the Placement dates by student’s program (unless a student needs to make-up any missed hours/days).
•    There is no break in students’ practicum between the Winter and Spring terms.
•    Students cannot complete practicum until they have completed all the required hours and days and are expected to make-up any missed practicum hours or days.
•    Students cannot change their days in placement without a formal request and approval from the Practicum Office. Request for changes to the practicum schedule after the start of a placement may not be considered.

Meeting Deadlines
If you are unable to meet any of the mid-term or final evaluation deadlines, please advise the practicum office prior to the due date. Delayed submissions impact the grade entry for students and their ability to register for courses in a timely manner.

Absence from Practicum: Interns are required to contact their Practicum Instructor immediately to report illness or any other situation requiring absence from placement. The Practicum Instructor will inform the Practicum Coordinator of any absences exceeding three consecutive days. Interns DO NOT attend practicum during Reading Week (four days). Should they wish to attend that week they may negotiate with their Instructor to take other days away.

Illness and Critical Events (serious family difficulties, bereavement):  Interns may be away from placement due to illness, bereavement or critical events for a specified number of days (see below) without being required to make up lost placement time.

If the intern is away or is planning to be away from the placement for a week or more, the Practicum Instructor, Field Advisor and the Practicum Coordinator must be notified, by the intern, as soon as possible. These four people will consult and decide upon a plan suitable to the circumstances. Normally, an intern will make up any time off over and above time off allowed critical or health related situations. Overtime accrued before the situation occurred will serve as make-up time.

Other absences:  Absence for religious holidays and formal spiritual observances do not require make-up time. Interns who are away from placement for Faculty events such as specialized learning modules or approved conferences, including Faculty Committee work up to 5 hours a month, are not required to make up time in placement. Interns wishing to attend a workshop during practicum time will negotiate that with the Practicum Instructor. Normally, if the event is related to the practicum cases or projects, the intern is not required to make up the time. In other situations negotiation will occur with consideration given to learning and client/community responsibilities. Make-up time will be required as a condition for approval of a request for special leave.

Thesis Students:  Students who are approved to complete a thesis attend 64 days of placement rather than 82 during their first placement.  Students, who decide not to complete a thesis after having reduced their placement time, will be required to add 18 placement days to the second placement for two year program students, 44 days for advanced standing students, or make other arrangements to complete the total hours required for a non-thesis student

Should the student or practicum instructor have any difficulty they should do as follows:

Where a learning difficulty is identified by the student or the practicum instructor, the practicum instructor and the student are encouraged to refer back to the Learning Plan which was developed within the first 3 weeks of placement. The Field Advisor may be involved to clarify any student or instructor concerns.

When the concern is around a student's professional behaviour and/or learning, a meeting is facilitated by the Field Advisor with the student and the practicum instructor(s). The Field Advisor initiates an intern-in-difficulty procedure which involves a discussion of the concerns and developiong a concrete plan to address the concerns.

Practicum Coordinators are involved in the event these concerns persist and the student's placement is at jeapordy. A review of professional behaviour procedure may be initiated by the practicum coordinators at this point. This process also occurs when placements are terminated by instructors due to learning/behaviour concerns, and if a student fails their practicum.

Under unique, and rare situations, a student's placement may be terminated by the Practicum Instructor. In the event this is related to the circumstances of the agency (e.g. change in staffing, or program), and the student has adequately performed in their placement and there are no concerns around their learning or attendance, the placement hours the student has put towards their placement will be accounted for. 

In the event that the termination occurs prior to the mid-term evaluation, and is a result of the student not meeting the learning requirements, the student's hours/days in placement do not carry over. The grade provided is an Incomplete.

Unsatisfactory Evaluation
An 'Unsatisfactory' mid-term or final-evaluation is considered a fail. In this event, the student has the opportunity to appeal the practicum course grade.  This is treated as a case-by-case basis and the practicum office and MSW Associate Dean work with the student to facilitate this process.

Expenses incurred by the intern in the placement agency will ordinarily be met by the practicum centre. Normally the intern’s gas costs for agency business are covered by the practicum centre.  Parking costs are not covered.  Costs for workshops, police record checks, and immunizations (where required) may or may not be covered by the practicum centre.  If not, costs are covered by the intern.  The cost of attending other meetings or conferences called by the Faculty will be borne by the Faculty.

Remuneration: Full-time interns do not receive payment during their practicum and may not charge clients fees other than those that may be usual for the agency to charge.  Part-time interns completing placement in their workplace may negotiate payment with their employer distinct from the Faculty of Social Work.

Most agencies require police record checks, including vulnerable sector checks. There is a cost associated with these checks which is the responsibility of the student to cover. The process can take between 6-10 weeks. All students are highly encouraged to apply for their police check at least 10-12 weeks prior to the start of placements. The Practicum Office cannot confirm whether your placement will require a Vulnerable Sector Police Check. The Practicum Office will send a memo to all students regarding police checks at least three months prior to the start of placement.

Some agencies may require additional requirements such as: agency applications, orientation, updated immunizations and records.  These requirements must be met by the intern before the start of practicum. These requirements are normally stated on the portal for each placement opportunity, and agencies also inform students of these requirements prior to or during the interview.

By law, Wilfrid Laurier University is responsible for registered interns in the event of an unpaid workplace injury. All social work interns in this program who are involved in an unpaid practicum and are placed in a setting registered with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board are covered by that Act. In the event of placement related injury or illness interns may be eligible for benefits related to uninsured health costs and in some cases lost pay. Interns who are in settings not registered with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board are covered by an insurance plan paid for by the Province of Ontario.

In the event of a placement related injury or illness, or the possibility of a placement related injury or illness, interns and Practicum Instructors are advised to consult with the Practicum Coordinator. The time frame for claims is very short and stringent so immediate action is required.

This benefit to interns is at no cost to agencies and will not impact on their risk assessments with WSIB.

Wilfrid Laurier University provides general liability coverage for interns on practicum assignment. This policy covers bodily injury, property damage and malpractice liability.