Practice Education and Supervision in Social Work

Overview

Step up to a higher level of professional practice by becoming an effective social-work educator. Explore the theories of learning, teaching, assessment and supervision, and apply them to your daily practice in the workplace. Become an accredited Stage-2 practice educator, able to assess both student and qualified social workers.

Full description

This course will provide the evidence-based knowledge and skills you need to supervise and assess others within the workplace, including student social workers. It will enable you to become an effective practice educator in your professional setting.

During your studies, you’ll explore the process of learning and the theories around teaching, supervising and assessing others. You’ll also reflect on your own experiences in order to integrate the theory you learn with your practice in the workplace.

As part of the course, you’ll supervise, teach and assess a qualifying student social worker within their practice placement. You’ll also take responsibility for an additional teaching, learning and assessment task with a second learner or supervisee. The second learner/supervisee could be a social worker undertaking their assessed and supported year in employment; a student social worker on a short placement; or a student social worker placed elsewhere.

This course meets the requirements of the national Practice Educator Professional Standards (Stage 2) for social work, and is endorsed by the College of Social Work.

Once you’re accredited as a Stage-2 practice educator, you can assess student social workers doing either Stage 1 or Stage 2 placements (on 70- and 100-days placements, respectively). Stage 1 practice educators are only able to assess Stage 1 students, on non-statutory 70-day placements.

How you’ll learn
This course offers an interactive learning experience, so you’ll be expected to take part in learning activities within small groups. You’ll also provide peer support and feedback as part of the assessment process.

Assessment
You’ll need to provide a portfolio of evidence relating to the 4 domains of practice education. You’ll complete 2 reflective assignment tasks of 1,500 and 2,000 words; submit practice evidence (equivalent to 1,500 words, to include feedback from supervisees, students, and other professionals); and provide 2 observations of your teaching/supervision of a student social worker.

A discounted rate of £950 is available to applicants from certain partner organisations who support student social workers in practice. Please speak to your Manager or Education Lead before applying to find out more.

Who should attend?

To access this course, you must:

be a social worker registered with the HCPC
have at least two years’ practice experience as a social worker.

Dates

Cambridge

28, 29 August 2019
27 September 2019
25 October 2019
1 November 2019
14 February 2020
13, 27 March 2020
3 April 2020

Chelmsford

23, 30 September 2019
21 October 2019
4, 25 November 2019
24 February 2020
9, 23, 30 March 2020

Where you'll study

Your faculty

The Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care is the largest in ARU, with over 7,000 students. Our Faculty is teeming with expertise and primed to meet the demand for creating health professionals, teachers, doctors, scientists and educators for the three districts we serve: Chelmsford, Cambridge and Peterborough.

We have been training undergraduates for professional roles for over 25 years, with a reputation for quality, dedication and ambition balanced with student satisfaction.

We know that to give our students the very best experiential learning, prior to getting into the workplace, simulation is second to none, for safe, realistic, learning environments. We have invested heavily in purpose built simulated wards, science labs and skills space, to support our students through their learning.