NURS8823 Clinical Practice for Child and Family Health Nursing

Pre-requisites for placement

Child and Family Health Nursing pre-placement compliance checklist

Flinders University have pre-placement requirements that you must meet before you will be able to engage with your placements.

Compliance documents are uploaded into the student placement system InPlace.

Please note that all the requirements must be demonstrated and must remain valid for the duration of your placement to undertake your placement.

Venue specific pre-placement compliance requirements

In addition to the Flinders compliance requirements, many venues have their own requirements. These are often required to be demonstrated as a student, even if you are completing part of your placement at your place of work.

It is your responsibility to ensure you have understood and met what is required for each venue that you will be engaging with.

Compliance requirements for placement eligibility

Activity	What you need to do	Form / more information	Submit to
Fitness for placement declaration	Declare your fitness for placement by reading and acknowledging the Fitness for Placement statement on InPlace. Let the University know if you have an access plan.	N/A	InPlace
Student consent for placement	Read and acknowledge the relevant essential conditions around student consent for placement using the applicable form. (Please note: if you are required to undertake multiple placements during your degree, you may be required to read both student consent documents, check with your WIL Support Team if you are unsure.)	Placements undertaken outside Flinders University - Student Consent for Placement Statement (PDF) OR Placements undertaken within Flinders University ONLY - Student Consent for Internal WIL Placement with Flinders University Statement (PDF)	InPlace
Intellectual property for placement	Watch the student IP declaration, then acknowledge your understanding in InPlace. Watch the IP counselling video.	Student Intellectual Property Statement (PDF)	InPlace
COVID – 19 Vaccination	As of 1st November 2021, SA Health, Aged Care and a vast majority of agencies require a full COVID vaccination status.	Please upload proof of vaccination to InPlace How to get proof of your vaccination	InPlace
Emergency contact	Confirm your emergency contact details are up to date in the Student Information System.		Student System

Activity	What you need to do	Form / more information	Submit to
DHS Working with Children Check (SA only), or relevant state Working with Children clearances	Obtain a clearance from DHS	DHS compliance information	InPlace
Police Check	You will need to provide a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC).	Police Check detailed information	InPlace

Activity

What you need to do

Form / more information

Submit to

DHS Working with Children Check (SA only), or

relevant state Working with Children clearances

Obtain a clearance from DHS

DHS compliance information

InPlace

Police Check

You will need to provide a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC).

Police Check detailed information

InPlace

Detailed compliance information

Department of Human Services (DHS) clearances

These clearances are valid for five years from date of issue (unless revoked prior), except Aged Care Sector Clearance, which has an expiry of three years.

There are three main types of screening offered by the DHS the University requires; Aged-Care Sector, Working With Children Check (WWCC), and NDIS Worker Check. Refer to the pre-placement compliance checklist to determine which screenings you require.

Formerly known as Department of Communities and Social Inclusion (DCSI) clearances, DHS clearances are state-based clearances used to determine suitability for employment within specific care sectors in South Australia.

Note: Working With Children Checks issued prior to 1 July 2019 are known as Child-Related Employment Screenings.

Obtaining DHS clearances

The College of Nursing and Health Sciences require students to obtain DHS Clearances through self-initiation via the DHS website.

Please follow this guide for step-by-step directions of how to start your application.

Existing clearances can be renewed up to 6 months prior to expiry. It is recommended that clearances are renewed early to ensure there is no lapse in compliance.

View more information on the DHS website.

What is the difference between DHS clearances and the Police Check?

The Police Check is a printout of all disclosable criminal convictions as recorded by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC). DHS clearances involve additional probity checks and continuous monitoring. Both are required.

Police Check (NCCHC)

Students must supply a valid Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) prior to the commencement of their placement.
International students must supply an NCCHC within 3 months of arrival, and prior to placement commencement date, unless otherwise instructed.

Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC)

Valid for three years from date of issue

Commonly referred to as a Police Check, a National Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) is a document that lists all criminal convictions recorded against a person in the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) database. For more information visit the ACIC website.

Police Checks (NCCHCs) can be issued by:

State, Territory or Federal Police
Private brokers that have been accredited by the ACIC

An acceptable Police Check (NCCHC) must meet the following requirements:

Unsupervised Contact within the Health/Aged Care Sector.
The following information is provided to assist you complete an application form for your Police Check:
Reason for Check – Unsupervised Contact with Vulnerable Groups (if there is a character limit, ensure Unsupervised Contact is recorded at a minimum).
Proposed Place of Work – Health/Aged Care Sector
Location – Adelaide, South Australia

Please note – if you are completing a Police Check for a Northern Territory placement, please follow the instruction provided by Flinders NT or your discipline specific checklist. In the absence of this advice, follow the above instructions to complete the application form.

Students are responsible for the cost of obtaining their Police Check (NCCHC).

Students completing placements in South Australia may choose to apply for a Police Check (NCCHC) directly through their local police, or through a commercial broker. If a Police Check (NCCHC) is required urgently (e.g. sooner than 4 – 5 weeks) then it is advisable to apply online through an accredited broker that offers fast turnaround.

Police Check (NCCHC) providers:

South Australia Police (SAPOL) - We strongly recommend you use the SAPOL Police Check as this the most accepted document.
Third party providers are https://flinders.checked.com.au and www.cvcheck.com.
State clearances are most widely accepted across organisations and interstate, third party provided clearances may not be accepted by host organisations outside of the control of the University.

Please note that Flinders University does not endorse these providers and cannot guarantee their turnaround times.

What happens if there are offences listed on my Police Check?

Students with criminal convictions should to refer to the SA Health Criminal and Relevant History Screening Policy Directive. Students with serious criminal convictions may be precluded from placement. Students with criminal convictions are advised to meet with their course coordinator to discuss their ability to satisfy the requirements of their placement topic.

Will you accept a Teachers Registration Board (TRB) Registration Certificate?

No. The Teachers Registration Board (TRB) undertakes a Police Check (Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check) as part of the registration process, however, no outcomes are listed on the registration certificate. You are required to obtain a separate Police Check (NCCHC).

How can I obtain a replacement Police Check?

Replacement Police Checks (NCCHCs) can sometimes be obtained by contacting the organisation that issued the original certificate. In many cases, students who have lost their Police Check (NCCHC) will need to apply for a new one.

Organising your placement

It is recommended that students explore their placement options and requirements prior to enrolment.

The required placement experiences may not be available in your local area and some travel may be necessary to address all the placement requirements.

It is recommended that placement for NURS8823 commence from week 6. Commencing placement after 5 weeks of the theory will provide you with a knowledge base to support your placement. Earlier commencement can be arranged by negotiation with the topic coordinator.

Your venue will need to have a current student placement agreement with Flinders University or be willing to sign one for insurance purposes.

Your placement includes multiple experiences to assist you develop a broad understanding of and to embed your theory through practice. The minimum you will need to undertake is 18 days.

Most venues cannot offer all services, you will most likely need to engage with at least 2 different providers to gain all the required experiences.

You are required to source and confirm your placement venues. You must provide this notice not later than 2 weeks prior to your commencement.

We have developed some fact sheets to assist you in planning your placements. Please click on the below to find out more by region.

South Australia

Northern Territory

Western Australia

Tasmania

Victoria

New South Wales

Queensland

Australian Capital Territory

Unless you have received (partial) exemption due to a recognition of your prior knowledge and clinical achievements* (refer below for more information). The minimum requirements are:

Early childhood placement - 15 days

Includes Home Visits, Child Health Centre Consultations, Day Stay Services, PreSchool Screening and any other relevant services. Ideally this is undertaken 2 days per week to support your learning over the semester to progressively build your theory and provide time for reflection between your placement days, you may also undertake this placement as a ‘block’.

The half-day orientation at the early childhood placement is included in this placement.

Special services placement - 3 days

You can choose ONE from the following:

3 days in a residential service - for example Torrens House (Adelaide), Ngala (Perth), Ellen Barron Family Centre (Brisbane), a service for parents and babies/children up to 12-24 months old who need intensive support.

OR

3 days in an Aboriginal Health Service offering Child and Family Health Services – for example Danila Dilba (NT), Nunkuwarrin Yunti (SA).

OR

3 Days with a Nurse Practitioner specialising in Paediatric or Child and Family Health - this provides an opportunity for you to see an advanced practitioner in your discipline area

OR

3 Days at a service providing multidisciplinary early intervention services to children 5 and under - the service for clients who are referred for treatment following developmental assessment in the clinic, for example a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist or dietician providing an Interprofessional service together (e.g. A ‘Feeding’ clinic). This provides students with knowledge about the service such as the referral criteria, making an 'informative and relevant’ referral and useful information for the family to support the referral. It also supports learning about Interprofessional practices and treatments.

To enquire if your local service will be suitable, please contact the topic coordinator via email to discuss.

Professional experience placement exemption

Students can apply for a partial placement exemption in recognition of their previous/concurrent knowledge and clinical achievements associated with the Professional Experience Placement Portfolio (PEPP) requirements and the related National Standards for Maternal, Child and Family Health Nursing in Australia. Please contact the topic coordinator for more information.

PEP facilitator support

Students are allocated a Flinders University facilitator. The role of the facilitator is to support you during your placement and your allotted preceptor.

You will be advised of your facilitator at the commencement of semester 2 and will contact you in the first two weeks of the semester to confirm contact arrangements which will be by telephone or skype. Regular contact with your facilitator is required to support you during placement.

Your Flinders facilitator will be your first point of contact for any concerns. See problems and concerns for further details.

Contact your WIL placement team

College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Location: Level 1, North Wing, Sturt campus
Phone: 8201 7500
Email: cnhs.placements@flinders.edu.au