Student social worker Becky Salter reveals how her prison placement opened her eyes to what’s possible.
INTIMIDATED CLAUSTROPH & OUT OF MY P
reparing for my final placement last November, I found myself reflecting on my second-year practice learning opportunity with the charity P.A.C.T, who support families within Her Majesty’s Prison service.
After undertaking the necessary home office checks, interview, and key training, I walked onto a busy prison wing that first day, and the enormity of my placement hit me. I was intimidated, claustrophobic, and out of my depth. THOSE FIRST WEEKS, MY EYES WERE OPENED TO A WHOLE AREA OF SOCIAL WORK THAT I WASN’T AWARE EXISTED, IN A SETTING I HADN’T EVEN
CONTEMPLATED WHEN APPLYING FOR THE SOCIAL WORK DEGREE.
Like all social work students, I’d worked on my communication skills and learnt how to build mutual trust through common ground, but the way in which information is exchanged in such a setting is different. When you are supporting men that have been convicted of committing sexual offences, you are extremely aware of the content of your conversation. This is where the support and guidance of your practice educator is priceless. I was in a supervision,
