ACQ Vol 12 No 2 2010

a feeling of empowerment and an increased ability to access services (Warmington, 2003). Student involvement in SNUG Consistent with the aims of SNUG, student volunteers from a range of undergraduate degrees at The University of Newcastle have the opportunity to interact with families while assisting with the residential camp. Fifty-eight students have volunteered over the first five camps and primarily come from disciplines relating to children with special needs, including speech pathology, occupational therapy, education and nursing. These students receive specific training for strength-based practice by the Family Action Centre staff preceding the camp. Students also receive supervision throughout the program from the two SNUG coordinators and participate in group discussion where they reflect on their experiences during the camps. Throughout the camp, students work with families, coordinators and other volunteer students to ensure the program runs smoothly. They help facilitate activities for the families, assist the children with special needs to participate in camp activities, provide practical assistance (e.g., with meals), help families attend medical appointments and generally provide practical support to the families. Importantly, the students also have many informal opportunities to get to know family members, learn more about the roles of other professions, and gain valuable insights into the reality of life for families facing a range of challenges. The student experience for SNUG program volunteers may be considered non-traditional, as supervision is not provided by clinicians from their own discipline. Formal assessments are not incorporated for speech pathology students, and the camp setting is not typical of clinical placements, nor of a typical speech pathology setting. The qualitative studies of non-traditional placements suggest that they provide a greater opportunity for reflective practice and evaluation to facilitate deep learning and the development of a strong professional identity (Fieldhouse & Fedden, 2009; Overton, Clark, & Thomas, 2009). Non-traditional settings like SNUG may provide opportunities for skills such as assertiveness, negotiation and collaboration to be continually practised, and lead to a greater focus on the client rather than the student’s own performance (Fieldhouse & Fedden, 2009; Overton et al., 2009). As students from different disciplines work together in a real setting with families, there is a great opportunity for peer learning and the potential for students to develop an awareness of different professional perspectives, marking the way for an understanding and expectation of interdisciplinary practice (Geller, Rhyne, Hansbarger, Borrego, VanLeit, & Scaletti, 2002). Evidence from a systematic review suggests that peer learning increases clinical skills and knowledge (Secomb, 2008). As a result, it is now common for speech pathology programs in Australia to place more than one student with the one clinical educator (McAllister, 2005). Future research The SNUG program is in its infancy and so the benefits for students are the subject of ongoing research. A pilot study involving six speech pathology students investigated the SNUG volunteer experience through focus group discussion based on the first two camps conducted in 2009. Preliminary results from these focus group discussions indicated that the students reported a greater insight into the family’s experience, increased confidence in working in the area of special needs, and a greater sense of commitment and compassion. Students highlighted the experience as unique,

compared to other traditional clinical placements, in relation to working with interdisciplinary students and the experiential nature of the program (see Mathisen & Edmunds, 2009, for a summary of the focus group notes). Unpublished preliminary findings from an evaluation by the Family Action Centre are consistent with the pilot study data for speech pathology students. So far 15 student volunteers have participated in focus groups discussing their experiences during the camp and have been very positive about what they learnt during the camps. In particular they felt they had a greater understanding of the daily experience for families with children with special needs and reported that the SNUG program helped them to recognise the importance and complexity of family-centred practice, as illustrated by the following quotes: Student 1: I guess I learned to take the whole family approach and not just about the person in front of you. I think that was the biggest thing I learned. Student 2: I’ve got a few clients at the moment, at my placement and they’ll come in with parents and say, “‘Oh sorry, we’re just so busy, we didn’t get time to do the homework [set by an allied health professional]”. Before I was at the camp, I would just think, “Oh they don’t care much or they’re just a bit lazy”, but you can really see why people just don’t get the homework done. It is worth noting that the families also appreciated the fact that the camps are helping to produce therapists with greater awareness of living with special needs. In particular, they emphasised the importance of the camp providing students with insights into family life when a child has special needs. The SNUG volunteer role is both active and direct. Research from other non-traditional placements has suggested that an active role may facilitate experiential and deep learning (Fieldhouse & Fedden, 2009; Healey, 2008). It appears from the evidence regarding non-traditional placements that there is potential for students to learn valuable interpersonal and collaborative skills through their roles as SNUG volunteers. These skills are seen to be important in managing rapid change in healthcare service delivery, and in particular in the speech pathology discipline (McAllister, 2005). The SNUG program is an example of students being engaged in real-life experiences that enhance their professional development as speech pathologists. Through the camps, they are able to experience strength-based, family-centred practice and gain valuable insights into the lives of families living children with special needs. While further research is needed into the benefits of SNUG for the students’ future practice, the feedback to date suggests that students feel they are gaining valuable experience through the camps. Summary Practical experience in non-traditional settings such as SNUG plays an important role in developing an integrated understanding of practice known as deep learning (Fieldhouse & Fedden, 2009). With the emerging awareness and place of family-centred and strength-based practice in speech pathology, practical student experience may facilitate the development of the required skills and knowledge in these areas. References Carter, B., Cummings, J., & Cooper, L. (2007). An exploration of best practice in multi-agency working and the

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ACQ uiring knowledge in speech, language and hearing