Jordan Reid

• Course: Childhood and Youth BA (Hons) (This course has been replaced with Working with Children, Young People and Families BA (Hons))

I’ve always wanted to work with children, but I wasn’t sure on the best pathway to get there, so I read up on studying in that area and found I had a passion and interest for it. I chose Childhood and Youth at UON because of the numerous interesting, current, and relevant modules they have to offer, as well as the placement experience and the different methods of assessments like interviews or essays.

I appreciated and enjoyed the teaching methods used by my lecturers. I found coming to lessons fun and worthwhile and enjoyed the debates we had in class on relevant current societal problems – these helped me to understand things from another point of view and how it may differ to mine due to background or race. It also strengthened my confidence, understanding and ability to express my thoughts – I believe the Childhood and Youth course helped mould me into the individual I am today.

It’s possible to do different placements as part of the course. My first placement was in a women’s refuge, where I worked within the crèche. I helped to look after the children while their parents were in meets and I had to write an end of day report on each child.

My second placement was at a children’s home – here I worked with children who have challenging behaviour. I was a support worker for a child and my duties involved completing homework with him, reading reports, writing my own end of day reports, cooking dinners, and doing health and safety checks.

This placement was an impactful experience, which I found to be of great benefit as it encouraged my dream of becoming a social worker and confirmed that I do want to work with children in care in the future. It also allowed me to see and understand things from a child’s perspective, as well as how to build relationships and rapports with children and other staff members. It also enabled me to develop some great employability skills: communication, the importance of teamwork, the confidence to ask questions, time management, and organisation. Also, I got offered a job at this placement opportunity and it gave me relevant experience for my Master’s in social work.

My tips on getting the most benefit from your placement would be to always ask questions so you fully understand the placement you’re in. Also, be confident and be present – you get the most from it when you understand it. Finally, when you’re applying for your placement, be precise on the form with what you want and don’t want!

If you’re about to begin a placement, it can feel stressful and sometimes there are boring days, but it’s up to you to make the most of them and gain something from that experience as it’s so important. Any future jobs will always want to know about the previous work experience you’ve had and you have to be confident when talking about it, so take it seriously.

I believe my studies have moulded me into a confident person, with a greater amount of knowledge and security of what I want to do. My studies and lecturers have helped me to realise my capabilities and to understand what I’m able to do with my future and with all the experience and knowledge I’ve gained, I feel confident in this field.

I now plan to progress my career with a Master’s degree in Social Work – I’ve applied and been accepted! I’ve been looking for a part-time child support worker job as well and this is where my experience has been crucial, because some employers want at least a year of experience within this field. I also currently volunteer for Action for Children as a child ambassador.

The knowledge I’ve gained on safeguarding, building relationships, poverty, race, etc is all vital for my MA degree and the placement experiences I’ve had really helped in supporting my knowledge too.

If I could give any advice to undergraduates interested in this career path, it would be to go for it and keep pushing through – there will always be modules you dislike and ones you absolutely love, but the end result and feeling is so worth it!

My time at UON has been fun, exciting, moulding, comfortable and amazing.