Edith Cowan UniversityStrategic and Governance Services Centre

External Placement Provider Standard Checklist

This checklist contains necessary considerations when selecting appropriate Placement Providers for ECU students completing their required work integrated learning activity.

It is not the responsibility of ECU to develop a process on behalf of the Placement Provider, however it is our responsibility to ensure the environments to which we send our students has an effective process for ensuring their safety.

It is part of our duty of care to provide students with a safe learning environment where both emotional and physical risks have been considered and either eliminated or minimised.

Ongoing communication is required between ECU and the Placement Provider to ensure that there is a clear understanding between all parties on the following important items:

Who has management responsibility for the process;

Hazards and risks associated with student placements activities;

Who will take action and be responsible to eliminate or minimise the level of risk;

How activities may affect the health or safety of others or may support or compromise the risk controls that are put in place;

What ECU and the Placement Provider need to do to support the health and safety measures of others; and

How best to co-ordinate activities to ensure that we all work together effectively.

The Higher Education Standard Framework (Threshold Standards) 2015 contemplate that each WIL placement is well-conceived and educationally sound. The WIL Placement should be linked to clear learning outcomes. ECU must be satisfied that all proposed WIL placements will provide the student with the opportunity to achieve the applicable learning outcomes before proceeding.

The following checklists are to assist the Placement Coordinator to evaluate the suitability of a new prospective Placement Provider who will provide a learning environment for our students. Please ensure that all items have been considered prior to the commencement of any placement arrangements. Not all of the matters on the checklists below will be applicable to the relevant placements being contemplated.

If you have answered ‘no’ to some of the risk management items below or are unsure if some of the items are applicable to your proposed WIL activity, please contact Darryl Welsby (University Risk Manager, Risk and Assurance) on ex 2426 to further discuss the proposed new placement arrangements.

External Placement Provider Standard Checklist

Name of Placement Provider:

ABN or ACN:

Placement Provider Address:

Placement Provider Contact Person:

Email:

Phone:

Tick the appropriate box

Checklist Yes No N/A

General

Does the Placement Provider have:

A standard operating procedure which refers to risk and OSH related processes?

A Certificate of Currency for public liability insurance that they can provide to ECU?

A Certificate of Currency for professional indemnity insurance that they can provide to ECU?

A procedure for the monitoring and reporting of accidents/incidents/ill health?

Where applicable and required, accreditation by the appropriate governing body?

Supervision

Will students be supervised by accredited (if applicable) staff (whether ECU or Placement Provider based) during the placement?

Site Inspection

Where applicable, has a site inspection been conducted in order to assess/identify risks and to ensure that there are accessible work instructions to minimise these?

Occupational Health and Safety

Will the Placement Provider give students appropriate information about hazards, risks and precautions which includes an induction/training on content that relates to:

Emergency procedures; Risk management; Reporting hazards and incidents; Hazardous manual tasks; First aid; and Safety issue resolution.

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Checklist Yes No N/A

Does the Placement Provider a procedure for the monitoring and reporting of accidents/incidents/ill health?

Personal Safety

Does the Placement Provider provide training in the areas of personal safety and handling difficult situations with patients/clients?

Does the Placement Provider have procedures in place for personal safety and freedom from harassment and bullying?

Immunisation - where applicable

Will the Placement Provider request confirmation that the relevant students have been vaccinated appropriately?

Does the Placement Coordinator maintain records of student vaccinations?

Learning Outcomes and Assessment

Is the Placement Provider:

Willing to facilitate the assessment requirements for the relevant unit(s) (eg the use of work examples produced by the student whilst on placement for assessment or the Placement Provider staff completing assessment forms)?

able to provide the kind of WIL experience required by the learning outcomes of the relevant unit(s) the placement relate to?

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Placement Provider Check – Home Visits

Where a placement involves visits to the home of patients/clients, some additional considerations unique to the home care environment are necessary to ensure the safety of patients/clients, students and staff. Staff and students undertaking home visits whilst on placement may be exposed to both physical (eg manual handling, hazardous substances, and moving or falling objects) and emotional (eg harassment and bullying) risks. It is important to ensure that the Placement Provider has appropriate risk management measures in place to minimise the risks associated with home visits as far as reasonably practicable.

In the event that your School proceeds with placements that occur in patient/client homes, it may be necessary to update your School’s operational risk register. Please contact please contact Darryl Welsby (University Risk Manager, Risk and Assurance) on ex 2426, if you have any questions regarding the matters outlined in the checklist below or updating your School’s risk register.

Tick the appropriate box

Check Yes No N/A

Has the Placement Provider provided some form of documentation that evidences a safety practice and risk assessment practice are in place?

Does the Placement Provider provide a process of orientation/induction? Examples include:

Where to park their car to allow for easy access/exit; Safe/alternative routes in and out of the area in the case of a

natural hazard; Carrying a fully charged and contactable mobile phone; Where to sit/position themselves in the home and maintaining

appropriate boundaries; Potential hazards of entering the home (i.e. unfriendly pet); Awareness of exit and access points; Ensuring their own safety in a home and know to contact their

Coordinator in the event of any changes in the environment.

Does the Placement Provider assess safety risks in the home environment?

Are there systems in place to identify potentially aggressive clients by the Placement Provider?

Does the Placement Provider have:

Adequate communication protocols in place regarding potential aggressive risks?

Clearly identified contact people in conflict resolution/mediation roles?

Is there a process in place which ensures the Placement Provider

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Check Yes No N/A

has all the required information on the home including:

Name, address and telephone number of each patient; Expected time of appointment/visit; Expected time of return or completion of each scheduled visit; Student contact mobile number, general movements and

location.

Has the Placement Provider ensured that clients/patients have received verbal or written information outlining their responsibility to cooperate with and ensure the safety of students assisting them in their home?

Does the Placement Provider have a procedure for students in the event of:

Inclement weather; Natural disasters; Vehicle breakdown; Unpredictable people in or near the home; Returning late from or not attending scheduled appointments:

and Danger in the building or property.

Where applicable, will students be provided with appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) if required by the Placement Provider?

Does the Placement Provider ensure the student is made aware of their right to refuse to service a client due to safety issues in the home environment?

In the event of any traumatic incident experience, has the student has been made aware of the support and counselling services available.

Placement Coordinator

Name: _________________________________________

Signature: _________________________________________ ____________

Date

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