Practical professional studies (module BPS)

You will be informed about fields of activity and institutions of social work in the various courses within your Bachelor's degree. You can obtain further information on specific internships at our annual internship fair, where numerous social work institutions present themselves. You will find a list with a selection of institutions from various fields of work under "Practical placements". You can obtain information on other internships from the BPS department or from notices.
If the institution you are interested in is not yet recognized by the Institute of Social Work, it must submit an application for recognition as a practice placement. You can also find the relevant form under "Practical placements".

The practical training module comprises 768 hours and must be completed in accordance with a training contract concluded between you and the provider of the practical training facility. The training contract also contains the objectives and content of your internship (training plan) and must be sent digitally to the BPS department at the following address before the start of the internship: bps.ifs[at]uni-kassel[dot]de. If all requirements are met, the contract will be countersigned by the BPS department and then also returned by e-mail. It is possible to complete the practical module in two different institutions. One practical phase must comprise at least 192 hours. The internship should be completed within one year and the time spent at the internship location must not be less than 16 hours per week; you can complete this flexibly on a part-time basis.

Please note that in many areas of work it is necessary to provide a current police clearance certificate. This currently costs between 13 and 17 euros. Information on a possible exemption from fees can be found here.

We would also like to point out that it is highly recommended that you have valid liability insurance (e.g. for damage to company vehicles or loss of company keys).

Measles Protection Act

Due to the Measles Protection Act, people who work in community facilities (such as daycare centers, schools, asylum seeker and refugee shelters) and in healthcare facilities (such as hospitals) must now have the measles vaccination or an existing immunity against measles.

This also applies to internships!

Please get vaccinated against measles in good time before starting your internship (according to the recommendation, there should be 4 weeks between the first and second vaccination). Proof of vaccination must be provided before the start of the internship. Please also consider timing the vaccination to coincide with a possible vaccination against COVID-19 (buffer between vaccinations) Please discuss the vaccination schedule with your doctor and ask your internship office about the requirements.

(Further information: https://www.masernschutz.de/beschaeftigte-in-einrichtungen/.Accessed on 25.09.2023).

There is no entitlement to leave during the study-integrated internship, but this can be granted by the internship office. The following applies to absences:

If there are absences that cannot be made up (illnesses, etc. and vacation) totaling more than 128 hours, you must notify the BPS department immediately. The BPS committee will decide whether, how and how many hours of practice time must be made up.

ATTENTION: If your practice placement uses its own contract form, the University of Kassel form must not be used in addition under any circumstances. In this case, please add an additional sheet to the contract on which the training plan is noted, as well as who is responsible for the supervision and whether this person has state recognition as a social worker / social pedagogue, as well as their contact details. Under no circumstances may two parallel contract forms be submitted.

To reflect on your practical work, you must take part in an accompanying course from the BPS module. In addition, you must join a supervision group and register your participation as an additional achievement in HISPOS.

Certificate from the practical training center
After completing the practical training, a certificate from the practical training center about the successfully completed period as well as the objectives and content of the practical training must be submitted or sent by email to the following address: bps.ifs[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
The form for the certificate can be found in the download area.

Reflection form
The reflection form completed by the intern and the practical instructor should be submitted together with the certificate. A digitally fillable version can also be found in the download area.

Assessment by the university (assessment of internship module)
The module grade for students of the examination regulations from 2011 onwards is determined by the assessment of the written internship report. The assessment form can be found in the download area.

Information on the preparation of the internship report can be found under "Preparation of internship reports". After evaluation by the lecturer, the report must be sent to the BPS department. The address can be found in the yellow box on the start page "Practical phases". The academic achievement and the examination achievement (practical report) must be registered in HISPOS during the registration deadlines. For students after the PO from 2019: The participation in the supervision must be registered as an additional achievement in HISPOS.