A student placement that stitched connection and dignity at Fletcher Street Cottage
When University of Sydney social work student Laura Cole arrived in the Northern Rivers for her placement at Fletcher Street Cottage in Byron Bay, she brought more than her studies with her. She also brought a personal skill that would quietly become a powerful tool for connection, dignity and trust.
Fletcher Street Cottage is a frontline, low barrier service supporting people experiencing homelessness and marginalisation. Many people who access the Cottage are living with complex trauma, mental health challenges, social isolation and poverty. More than a service delivery point, the Cottage is a safe, relational space where people are met with respect and without judgement.
Laura completed a twenty week social work placement at Fletcher Street Cottage from July last year, supported through UCRH under the guidance of Clinical Educator Peter Hawkins. During her placement, she worked alongside staff in engagement, assessment, group activities, advocacy and referral, learning how social work theory translates into practice in a high demand, trauma informed environment.
Early on, Laura recognised the importance of women only spaces. For women who have experienced domestic and family violence, these spaces can be critical in supporting safety, trust and recovery.
Building on an existing women’s group, Laura introduced a simple addition. Sewing.
An avid sewer, Laura brought her sewing machine to the Cottage and began using it during the women’s art and craft space. The activity was low pressure, accessible and participant led. Women worked together on small projects, including making bunting that is now displayed in the Cottage cafe area.
Seeing their work displayed publicly was deeply affirming. For women who are often invisible or marginalised, it was a visible reminder of creativity, contribution and belonging.
“The bunting began as just another craft activity for the Women’s Space,” she said.
“It was a new skill for the women to practice but what formed was a symbol of the connection and community that exists in the Women’s Space.
“The bunting linked together the individual designs of each women and proudly hanging it in the cottage was a beautiful display of togetherness.”
Over time, the sewing space became a place for conversation, relationship building and trust. Some women began bringing in their own clothes to be mended. In a frontline service setting, this is significant. Asking for clothes to be repaired requires vulnerability and signals trust. It also restores dignity, builds skills and supports empowerment.
In the final weeks of her placement, Laura saw the longer-term impact of this work. One woman who had regularly attended the group arrived with her own sewing machine, asking for help to set it up and learn how to make bunting herself. It was a moment that captured the power of strengths-based practice and continuity.
“In showing the woman how to make bunting on her own machine, I realised what the project and Women’s Space may have meant to visitors,” Laura said.
“I felt honoured to have been a part of such a beautiful space and community that allowed me connect with other women in this way.”
For Fletcher Street Cottage, Laura’s placement demonstrates the value of student placements that are well supported and genuinely embedded in services. Students bring time, curiosity and fresh perspectives, along with personal strengths that can add real value to organisations and the people they support.
Fletcher Street Cottage Manager, Damian Farrell reflected on the impact Laura had during her placement.
“Laura brought warmth, creativity and patience into the space, and what started as a simple sewing activity quickly became something much deeper. We saw women building trust, sharing stories, learning new skills and reconnecting with a sense of confidence and dignity,” he said.
“That’s the power of community-based social work and well-supported student placements. They bring fresh energy, compassion and human connection into environments where those things matter enormously.”
Supported through UCRH, students receive clinical supervision that strengthens reflective practice, ethical decision making and safe engagement, while also adding capacity to community services without replacing core staff roles.
Laura’s story is that of a student, but it is not only students who make an impact at Flecther Street Cottage. Fittingly, this is National Volunteers Week, a time to recognise the people who make places like Fletcher Street Cottage possible.
Every year, Fletcher Street Cottage supports more than 35,540 visits, serves over 34,370 breakfasts, provides 9,999 showers and completes 5,702 loads of laundry. Behind every one of those numbers is a person seeking warmth, safety, dignity or connection. And behind every one of those moments is a volunteer.
Volunteers help keep the doors open, the kettle on and the Cottage welcoming. They offer time, care and presence, often becoming a familiar and trusted face for people doing it tough.
Community members who are able to give some of their time are encouraged to consider volunteering at Fletcher Street Cottage. Small acts, offered consistently, can make an extraordinary difference.
