Internships that put MSW students in the field, not the office.
A structured field programme for Master of Social Work students. Each intern works through a Reflect-Plan-Act-Observe cycle that ends with real families enrolled in government welfare schemes they were entitled to but not receiving.
Books are not enough. Neither are case studies.
Students pursuing degrees in social work are some of the most committed people we meet. The field they're going into rewards practical experience disproportionately, and undergraduate course work often does not provide enough of it.
This programme places interns in front of the families they're studying. By the end of the placement, they have helped real households enrol in government welfare schemes they were always entitled to. The intern leaves with field experience, the family leaves with benefits.
100 interns trained, 2,000 people enrolled in welfare schemes.
An average of 20 interns per year, each helping around 20 families enrol. We currently host two interns at a time, with no stipend yet. Funding lets us expand both numbers.
Reflect, Plan, Act, Observe.
Each placement runs the cycle once, end to end. The student is supervised throughout; the family is treated as a partner, not a subject.
- R Reflect
Spend time with families in the community. Assess their socio-economic conditions firsthand, not from a desk.
- P Plan
Identify the government welfare schemes the family is eligible for but not enrolled in. Prepare the documents needed.
- A Act
Help the family enrol. Walk through the application, accompany them to the office where useful, follow up.
- O Observe
Track whether the enrolment converted into actual benefit. Note where it didn't, and why, so the next cohort does it better.
Current capacity
Two interns at a time, no stipend. We are upfront about this. Funding lets us host more interns and pay them, which is the right way to run a programme like this.