Practice Education for Social Work

Placement information  

During the BA and MA pre-qualifying social students complete a 70 day and 100 days placement. This provides students with the opportunity to put social work theory, intervention, legislation and policy into practice. Whilst on placement students are provided learning opportunities enable them to demonstrate their abilities in meeting the Professionals Capability Framework (PCF) domains.

Ongoing support is available for Practice Educators and On-Site Supervisors. This is provided by Practice Facilitators, students individual university tutors and partner agencies.

 During placements students complete online e-portfolios on Pebblepad. Students, Practice Educators and On-Site Supervisors have input for the portfolios. Full support is offered with this.

Practice Facilitators at the university will provide Practice Educators and On-Site Supervisors with a student’s profiles. This will provide detail of the students’ background, experience, knowledge and skills. It will include their identified learning needs and areas of interest. This will assist with the facilitation of interviewing a student and offering a learning opportunity.

Joint briefing sessions are held prior to placement starting. This gives Practice Educators, On-Site Supervisors, and student social workers the opportunity to network and explore expectations of placement and roles.

Placement dates academic year 

BA

• Year 2 – 70 days, mainly for 5 days per week, starting in January.
• Year 3 - 100 days, starts off with 4 days per week increasing to 5 after Christmas, starting in September.

MA

• Year 1 70 days, mainly for 5 days per week, starting in May.
• Year 2 100 days, mainly for 5 days per week, starting in April.

With 2 weeks holiday during the summer period.

Pre-reading

Bellinger, A. (2016) Practice placement in social work: Innovative Approaches for Effective Teaching and Learning. Policy Press

Burton, J. (2015) Practice Learning in Social Work. London. Palgrave Macmillan 

Field, P, Jasper, C and Littler, L. (2016) Practice Education in Social Work: Achieving Professional Standards. 2nd edition. Northwich. Critical Publishing Ltd

Fook, J. (2016) Social Work, A Critical Approach to Practice. 3rd edition. Los Angeles. Sage

Jones, S. (2014) Social Work Practice Placements: Critical and Reflective Approaches. London. Sage

Showell-Nicholas, W and Kerr, J. (2015) Practice Educating Social Work Students – Supporting Qualifying Students On Their Placements. Berkshire. Open University Press

Williams, S and Rutter, L. (2021) The Practice Educator’s Handbook 5th edition. London. Sage 

Practice Educator Training

The university offer a Practice Education programme aligned with the BASW Practice Educator Professionals Standards (PEPS). Successful completion of the modules can contribute towards a Postgraduate Award in Profession Development: Social Work Practice Education or a Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Social Work Practice.

 The PEPS stages 1 and 2 will prepare you with the relevant knowledge and evidence based research to provide positive learning environments for pre-qualifying students on placement.

• If you are supporting a student social worker on their first placement (70 days or equivalent) you will be able to independently assess pre-qualifying students.

• If you are supporting a student social worker on final placement (100 days or equivalent) you will need oversight for the final assessment from a PEPS 2 qualified Practice Educator.  With the PEPS 2 qualified mentor or assessor providing ratification/oversight of the decision made that based on the evidence provided the social work student is fit to practice at point of qualification.

 Please see further on the course here:

• PG Award Social Work Practice Education
• PG Cert Advanced Social Work Practice

BA

The University of Worcester offers a BA in Social Work. This undergraduate programme provides students with a robust learning opportunity for the skills required in todays social work practice. Students complete 9 modules covering various topics such as Ethics and Values to Law and Policy. In additional to this they complete a dissertation and two social work placements. For more information see here: BA Social Work

MA

The MA in social work provides a 2 year full time programme encompassing the requirements needed to become a qualified Social Worker. Similar to the BA in Social Work the programme provides students with a variety of learning opportunities to ensure that they have the skills, theory, research and knowledge to become innovative and resilience Social Workers. For more information see here: MA in Social Work

CPD

The University of Worcester offers Continuous Professional Development programmes for Social Workers embarking and on their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment ASYE up to Practice Leadership.

Modules offered:

• Assessed and Supported Year in Employment
• Practice Educator Professionals Standards stage 1 (PEPS 1)
• Practice Educator Professionals Standards stage 2 (PEPS 2)
• Practice Leadership for Strength Based Practice

 These modules can be student individually or to form part of a PG Cert in Advanced Social Work Practice or PG Award in Professional Development: Social Work Education. Please see further on the course here:

• PG Award Social Work Practice Education
• PG Cert Advanced Social Work Practice

Placement e-portfolio BA

• Year 2 - 1st Level practice
• Year 3 - 2nd Level practice

Placement e-portfolio MA

• Year 1 - 1st Level practice
• Year 2 - 2nd Level practice

Pebblepad

• Pebblepad overview for Practice Educators and Workplace Supervisors
• Student support resources

Resources

• Practice Educator Professional Standards for Social Work (PEPS)
• Developing together Social Work Teaching Partnership
• National Organisation for Practice Teaching
• National Association of Educators in Practice
• Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
• Community Care
• Rifa
• Community care Inform
• Skills for Care
• Social Work England
• Social Work England Guidance on Placements
• West Midlands Teaching Partnership
• JWSEC
• BASW