Employee Spotlight: From student placement to part time employee

In March this year, we met the wonderful Shay. Shay had completed a Cert IV and Diploma in Community Services and was our first placement student from the University of Newcastle. As part of completing the third year of her Social Work degree, she was required to complete a total of a 500hrs of placement.

Over a 14 week Period, Shay successfully completed 200 hours working with us as part of her total hours of community placement. During these hours Shay experienced serving the community on the coalface with our team, intentionally reaching out to the people within Newcastle affected by family violence, mental health issues, disabilities, substance abuse and low income who are engaged in our programs.

Shay has such a positive presence and warming smile, and anyone attending our programs instantly felt comfortable with her.

Shay was eager to be a part of everything she could be and during her time with us she gained experience doing doorstep deliveries of essential goods, doorstep wellbeing check ins, connecting with the community at our Cafe Estate Breakfast program on a Tuesday morning, Smile and Thrive dental program, joined our Inspire Women’s group each week, including for a excursion beach outing with them. Shay also joined appointments with legal aid, worked through domestic violence safety issues for clients, supported people through grief, homelessness, crisis, mandatory reporting and connected them to services.

Watch below to find out what Shay thought of her placement experience:

At the end of May, our team and our clients were sad to see Shay go! But an opportunity opened up for a Wellbeing Worker in our Smile & Thrive Dental program and Brighter Beginnings Bus program. Shay now works two days a week with us within these programs.

We love having work placement students join us at LIVEfree Project. If you're studying Community Services, Youth Work, Chaplaincy, Social Work, Social Sciences, Psychology or a related discipline and are interested in doing work experience with us, please contact us today!