Professional Practice in Social ReadaptationSciences
This website provides students and internship mentors with tools at the OPO Professional Practice in the curriculum of Social Readaptation Sciences (SRW): children, young people and welfare. The professional practice learning track is a mix of internship, practicals and assignments and is an essential part of the training.
On the one hand, the OPO offers students the opportunity to use knowledge, skills and attitudes in the professional field. Already in the first phase, they get a taste of what the professional field can be through an engagement, visits to and stories from alumni. In the following phases, the internship is central and students are actively involved in the daily work of a professional under the expert guidance of an internship mentor. In this way, the students can make maximum use of the learning opportunities offered in practice in order to grow into a good workforce.
On the other hand, the OPO offers training and professionals the opportunity to develop a sustainable and constructive cooperation. Representatives from the professional field are the pre-eminent guarantee of a practical approach and content. This is precisely the strength of a professional bachelor's degree.
We believe in the enthusiasm and commitment of all involved to bring this learning process to a successful conclusion and we are looking forward to an instructive collaboration!
Leen Van Den Broeck and Sven Van der Aa (training managers)
Inge Bijnens, Mark Bex and An Beghin (Coordinators BPI, BPII and BPIII)
All professors professional practice
note: in the texts we use 'she' because the majority of our students are female, but we always mean 'he/she/that'.
Situation in the programme: from vision to curriculum
SRW's training vision comprises four pillars:
- The youth professional works child, young person and context-oriented. She has an eye for the child, the young person, the family and the broader context and is also sensitive to the diversity in society. The youth professional is creative and she can work innovatively and without a previously known outcome. She works in an emancipatory way, makes use of the strengths of all the actors involved and is guided by (scientific) theories and evidence-based practices. The youth professional works methodically. It does this by analyzing situations, setting adequate goals, choosing appropriate methods or methods, evaluating and adjusting. The youth professional is committed. She presents herself as a global citizen against human injustice and for human and children's rights.
Based on these four pillars, supplemented with the educational vision, the training arrives at the objectives for the professional attitude and competences of an SRW employee. This enables the graduates to meet the challenges in the professional field.
More info? : 'Professional attitude' and 'Evaluation criteria per quadrant and per training phase'.
Learning path professional practice
Professional practice takes up a significant part of the credits in the professional bachelor's program (red). The number of credits increases per training phase: from 8 in the 1st, to 12 in the 2nd, to 24 in the 3rd training phase.
After the BP III internship in semester five, the student anchors the experiences from practice in a number of OPOs. More information can be found under the buttons:
Throughout the professional practice learning track, students are given the opportunity to deepen and broaden their practical experiences with fellow students and a lecturer from the training institution. In the first training phase this takes place during weekly lessons in class groups and in assignments. In the second and third training phase, the program organizes practicals and students are given assignments.
In BP I, students become acquainted with the profession and the field of work of the SRW employee through a low-threshold practical experience, a visit to an organization in the field and meetings with trainees/youth professionals from the field.
From BP II, an internship within the professional practice learning track is central. During the internship, students are actively involved in the daily work of a professional under the expert guidance of an internship mentor, an experienced professional at the internship.
In BP III, the students gradually become a full member of the team and prove that they can be a novice colleague. After a familiarization period, the internship mentor increasingly gives them the opportunity to participate in all the tasks that a youth professional takes on.
