Is there a future for the use of non-traditional placement settings for final year social work students?

This paper describes the development of a particular type of nontraditional placement setting for final year social work students: a 100 day, last practice placement based within Police Public Protection Investigation Units (PPIUs) through collaboration between the Police and Manchester Metropolitan University. It will evaluate the degree of progress made since these placements began in 2007 and consider some of the strengths and difficulties encountered in providing consistently good quality practice learning experiences for final year students within PPIU settings. The paper will summarise the learning gained from a recent evaluation of these placements and will describe some of the developments that have resulted from this evaluation. This paper will also consider whether such non-traditional placement settings can continue to provide suitable practice learning opportunities for final year social work students in the light of the newly proposed placement criteria for final placements (TCSW, 2012a) and in the increasingly challenging climate for practice learning reflected in the continuing decreased availability of ‘statutory’ placements.