Agnieszka, a Deakin social work undergraduate is currently finishing her final year in social work and completed her international placement in Gdynia Poland.
International Placement
About the placement
Agnieszka undertook her field education placement at a local social welfare organisation in Gdynia Poland called Zespol Opiekunczy. The city of Gdynia, near the Baltic Sea, is part of the so-called three cities that consists of Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia. The placement provided Agnieszka with the opportunity to learn about the Polish welfare system and the role of social workers in Poland.
The Organisation
Zespol Opiekunczy is funded by the Municipal Social Welfare Centre (Miejski Osrodek Pomocy Spolecznej/MOPS in Polish). This agency is a budgetary organisational unit set up by Gdynia City council in order to carry out its own tasks as well as to financially support other welfare organisations. MOPS is a statutory organisation which aims to enable people and families to address difficult welfare situations. The organisation where Agnieszka was placed provided the following services to residents of Gdynia that included:
- Day House of Social Assistance
The Day House of Social Assistance offers 30 places and provides a range of services to senior citizens of Gdynia who might be single, disabled and/or on a low income.
- Single Mothers House
Singe Mothers House offers 19 places to mothers and their children and pregnant women who have found themselves in a difficult situation. Women and their children receive the accommodation and other relevant services for up to twelve months.
- Homeless Women’s House
Homeless Women’s House offers 22 places to women who have found themselves in a situation of homelessness.
Australia and Poland
The placement offered Agnieszka many opportunities to discover that even though Australia and Poland are so far away from each other, they share similar social problems. Homelessness, domestic violence and unemployment are also issues in Poland and many organisations are attempting to address these problems. At Zespol Opiekunczy, the social worker is guided by a code of ethics, provides emotional support and advocacy on behalf of clients. The worker also makes referrals to a psychologist for ongoing counselling as well as legal services and any other services if required.
Rewards
During her placement at the organisation, Agnieszka was able to work directly with clients, take part in a research project regarding homelessness and learn about social work at an international level. She also had the opportunity to attend a European conference for social workers where she was able to exchange knowledge and experiences.
Another highlight for Agnieszka was being part of an international multidisciplinary team that consisted of a Swedish delegate of nurses and therapists who visited Poland as a part of a project aiming to exchange knowledge in order to provide better services to those in need.
Highlights
The placement provided Agnieszka with the opportunity to visit many different organisations working with women and homelessness as well as writing about her experiences in Poland to a local sociologist magazine. Agnieszka comments “the placement in Poland was very rewarding and provided me with the opportunity to learn about social work in not only Poland but also in Europe.”
