Placement profile: Working with Children, Young People and Families

Hear stories of Raihana, Isaac and Ariba, who are all currently on placement and in their second year of our BA (Hons) Working with Children, Young People and Families course.

Raihana

I was set on undertaking a placement in a school, and after talking with my peers, I realised a teaching agency was the way to obtain this, and I found my agency through a recommendation.

I specifically chose to work with children with special educational needs (SEN) as a one-on-one teaching support as I’d learnt about the specialism on my course and wanted to put it into real life practice on a deeper level.

Day to day, my placement was incredibly varied. This is due to every child’s needs needing to be specifically tailored. Every child is different and it’s important to have a grasp on their individual needs.

One of my favourite memories of placement is when I was working with a child with some behavioural difficulties. They were stubborn and it was challenging for me, but I quickly learnt that the child needed consistency and patience. They would often test me, but I realised that staying calm and setting out clear boundaries around what were doing was the way to stay in control of the situation. It was satisfying to discover what techniques worked to manage his behaviour in a positive way.

I chose to study the Working with Children, Young People and Families course because I liked how broad it is, allowing you to learn about different sectors and how they interact. It never gets boring as there’s so much to learn! I’m not quite sure what I want to do once I finish my degree, but I would like to work in the social care sector. My placement has also been an enjoyable experience and I have kept it as my part-time job.

Isaac

My placement was with West Smethwick Enterprise who oversee a number of preschools with additional family and community support. I ended up at their Little Wonders Preschool. The staff at University sent me suggestions of a few places they thought might suit me and West Smethwick Enterprise was the one I reached out to. I did a block of placement with them and now I’m continuing one day a week just to develop my experience further.  

On my placement, my main duties include playing and interacting with the children, this could be through roleplay, sensory play, motor skills development and reading. I’ll also conduct activities with the children to test how certain skills are coming along.

Being on placement has really helped me to see how some of the theories and models we learn about in university play out in a practice setting. You read it in class but then to see it applied in real life makes it easier to understand.

It’s been nice to realise I know a lot of the practical and theoretical elements already, which being on the course has taught me. Similarly, when working with SEN children, it’s been refreshing to take an inclusive practice approach and make them feel part of the group the same as everyone else rather than separating them. Those children might need more supervision than others, but I really value being able to make them feel part of the majority.

When we returned after the most recent school holidays, the children came running up to me to welcome me back. It was nice to know that I'm a friendly face that they want to come to, and it’s nice to know I’m a trusted figure to them.

The staff at the placement have been very supportive. They asked me what I wanted to get out of the placement and what kind of direction I want to go in to give me advice on what career paths I can take.

I think this course is giving me the opportunity to help others, which is something I have a passion for, so I’m happy to be going in this direction and having my career options open.

Ariba 

My placement was at Calthorpe School, which is a school for children with special educational needs (SEN). I worked with children aged between two and eight years old, supporting them and carrying out their daily routine, which included taking them outside to play regularly to allow them to move, as it helps with some of their needs. Otherwise, I supported class activities such as phonics, singing sessions, or helping them to read a book. Messy play as well of course!

While on placement, I got to see some of the key frameworks and legislation we’d learnt about in class actually put into practice in the setting, for example, safeguarding. If we hadn’t covered that in class, I wouldn’t have known how to deal with certain situations.

Working with children with SEN made me realise how grateful I am in life to not have certain barriers to overcome, and how privileged I am to have so many opportunities. It’s also shown me how important it is to have the specialist provision and support for children with SEN to help them achieve their goals, even if it takes longer than a child in mainstream education. These settings also support the children’s health and their parents’ wellbeing too. 

Initially, the children wouldn’t come over to me because, of course, they didn’t know me – I wasn’t a familiar face. However, it only took about two weeks before the children were coming to me naturally. This was special for me, to feel that we’d built a bond and attachment in such a short space of time. Then, at the end of my placement, all the kids made a surprise card for me and a party for my last day, which was really lovely.

I chose this course because I have always wanted to help others. I wanted to do something different to being a teacher; I want to work closely with children and young people to help them with issues beyond education. When you're working closely with the child, you're exploring more concepts, not just teaching them.

I’m not fixed on one career path after graduation just yet, but I have considered becoming a support worker for children with learning difficulties.