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Research
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Community
The Western Sydney University, Centre for Community Research Collaboration (CCRC) is an applied research centre, where community agency partners, students, academics and the Centre’s professional supervisors collaborate to deliver impactful project outcomes for the community.
Mission
The CRCC boosts development through sustainable field education and diverse placements, bridging the gaps between research and practice. We foster interdisciplinary collaboration, inquiry, and improvement of access to educational opportunities through strong networks and partnerships.
We provide students with a sustainable, hybrid placement model that facilitates diverse placement opportunities and support to address needs in community. We supportively prepare our students to apply social work skills, theory, knowledge, values and ethics within and beyond project work settings.
The CCRC Model
The CCRC is dedicated to supporting student involvement with community and agency projects. Our partnership model encourages students to develop their skills under professional supervision while making lasting, meaningful contributions to the community through agency and community projects.
Vision
Innovative and sustainable partnerships between stakeholders that support community needs while enabling WSU students to have practical and meaningful placement experiences during field education or work integrated subjects.
Our Program
Students are grouped into cooperatives or 'co-ops', under supervision from our CCRC field educators and guidance from project leads to deliver projects for the community. These projects are as varied as our community and agency project partners, and our project partners can propose and work with us at the CCRC to develop a full project brief for students and our field educators to work on.
The CCRC supports a wide range of community agencies to better serve their communities and service users, through projects that focus on:
- Process and outcome evaluations and service-user satisfaction reporting.
- Service development initiatives, including training development and evaluation, and funding applications.
- Community development events and initiatives.
- Creation of resources for service-users, carers, and services.
- Eco-social work community advocacy.
- Scoping and development of social enterprise models.
- Advocacy and social action projects in all social work practice areas.
What is a co-op?
We call our groups of collaborators 'co-ops' as a nod to the unique contribution that each member brings. We assume that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts and value diversity of ways of being, doing and knowing that students bring.
Fields of practice: Domestic and family violence, health & wellbeing, child protection, refugee and asylum seeker, disabilities, international and domestic community development, human-animal relationships, women's justice, corrections and rehabilitation, research and evaluation, community event planning
Student placement timeframe: Approximately 14-17 weeks
How many students in a co-op? 4-6 students with one CCRC social work field educator appointed to support project and learning outcomes.
Stakeholder Benefits
Community and Agency Project Partners access:
- Innovative solutions, addressing resource limitations
- Service improvement, design and development
- Increased effectiveness and sustainability
- Project outputs and outcomes
Students access:
- Exposure to evidence-based practice and contributing to impactful community outcomes
- Valuable insight into research and community and service development experiences
- Opportunities to develop professional identity within health and social care project work
- The satisfaction of delivering real-world project outputs and impacts
- Development of technical and transferable skills
- Dissemination opportunities, networking and collaboration
Contact Us
Dr Sera Harris
Dr Sera Harris is the Director of the CCRC. She is also the Director of Social Work and Communities within the Western Sydney University School of Social Sciences.
Polly Chester
Polly Chester is the Field Educator, Operations for the CCRC. She supports the field educators and project partners who are working with students in the CCRC
Together, Sera and Polly are the team responsible for overseeing all placements being undertaken in the CCRC.
Sera and Polly provide guidance and support to all CCRC field educators, field education liaison tutors, project partners and all who are involved with the CCRC.
Sera and Polly also work closely with the Western Sydney University School of Social Sciences Placements & Academic Teams.
To discuss any potential projects, contact us at ccrc@westernsydney.edu.au.