Flexible Childcare Services Dundee, the only nursery setting in Scotland to offer a fully flexible childcare model, is working with Robert Gordon’s University (RGU) to give social work students direct work experience with children and families.
Leila Brannon and Amy McIntyre started their placements in September providing children and families who use the Dundee setting with targeted, individualistic support that’s tailored to their specific needs.
The social work students will support the team at the service with referrals from Dundee Council’s Social Work team developing relationships with families and providing a range of support including helping with the registration process, organising and attending settling in sessions as a starting point.
According to Leila,
“We are both happy at to be on placement at Flexible Childcare Services Scotland and are excited to for the months to come. We hope to build meaningful relationships with the children and their families as well as making a positive impact along with all the staff at the Dundee Nursery. Gaining experience at FCSS will set us both in good stead for future learning at university as well as applying our new gained experience when we are qualified social workers.”
Amy said,
“I am happy to be gaining valuable experience working with children and their families whilst placed at FCSS. This has been very beneficial as we are getting a well-rounded experience working alongside staff and other relevant professionals. I hope to achieve positive working relationships with staff, children and their families and maintain these relationships throughout the duration of the placement. This will be good for our course as we will be able to apply knowledge from our previous modules to this setting as well as apply what we have learnt in this setting to future modules. As well as this, this placement will be good for our course as hopefully it can be used again in the future, giving other RGU students the same positive opportunities as us at FCSS.”
Lesley Tait, Flexible Childcare Services Manager Dundee, believes this will a great support to children and families using the service but also to the students on placement,
“This is great opportunity for our service, not only will children and families get increased support but we will be able to offer the students a very real and rewarding experience, giving the students a great insight in how to support children and, at times, their families.”
This is a new partnership between Flexible Service Scotland (FCSS) and RGU and the placements with provide a unique experience for students to support children and families holistically.
Janine Bolger, Head of Social Work at RGU said,
“On behalf of RGU I would want to say how pleased we are to have two students on placement with FCSS and involved in very relevant work with families and with a multidisciplinary focus. The learning opportunities being afforded to our students are very exciting and will prepare them well for practice. We look forward to continuing our partnership with FCSS.”
