International social work placements: What happens when your government tells you to come home?

Abstract

This article focuses on an international social work placement undertaken in Battambang, Cambodia. The article demonstrates the importance of joint work between university, student and host agency in designing clear tasks to be completed. The student and field educator returned home during this placement due to the impact of Covid-19. The article describes what changes were made to ensure the placement was able to continue, resulting in successful outcomes and learning achieved. Learning and reflections are provided by the student, Massey University and the field educator.