Financial boost helps CDU student take vital regional placement without losing home

A new federal payment is enabling a Charles Darwin University (CDU) student to undertake a vital regional placement in Alice Springs, without sacrificing her home in Melbourne.

Bachelor of Social Work student Rebekah Hill-McNeill will travel to Alice Springs this month to complete her mandatory placement with the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) at Alice Springs Hospital.

“I’ve wanted to do a placement in a regional or remote setting, but the idea of giving up my Melbourne apartment was impossible in the current rental climate,” Ms Hill-McNeill said.

“The Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) will allow me to keep my apartment and have something to return to, which is a huge relief.”

The CPP provides $331.65 per week to eligible students undertaking mandatory placements in nursing, midwifery, teaching, and social work and was introduced to ease the financial burden many students face while completing unpaid practical placements.

Ms Hill-McNeill - who began her degree in 2020 and has been studying with CDU remotely - said finding a suitable prac placement in Melbourne had been challenging.

“You need to be supervised by a registered social worker. There are plenty of community services in Melbourne, but not enough qualified supervisors available to take on students,” she said.

Her previous placement was unpaid and supported only by Austudy and weekend work in hospitality.

This time, she will also receive a Community Mental Health Placement Subsidy through the CDU Faculty of Health - helping cover flights and accommodation in Alice Springs.

“I expect this placement to be pretty full-on, but I’m really looking forward to it. I'll be learning in a new, structured environment, and will have the chance to live and work in a completely new place and engage directly with First Nations communities,” she said.

This will be Ms Hill-McNeill’s first time in Alice Springs, with her placement scheduled to run from mid-July through to the end of October.

With lived experience of mental ill health, both personally and as a carer, Ms Hill-McNeill said she is driven to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others.

“Initially, I considered psychology, but I was drawn to the holistic and community-focused nature of social work. I’m passionate about mental health, and social work gives me the tools to engage with people in complex, real-world situations.”

CDU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Scott Bowman said the new payment was making a tangible difference in the lives of students.

“The CPP removes a significant financial barrier for students - especially those wanting to undertake placements in regional, rural and remote communities,” Professor Bowman said.

“It will allow our students to access more varied and meaningful placement opportunities - experiences that are vital to their professional development and to strengthening the health, education and social services workforce across not just the Northern Territory, but Australia."