Program Overview

Social Work – Practice Educator Professional Standards Stage 1

Key Facts

• Level: Postgraduate (PG)
• Duration: 9 months
• Starting: November
• Fees UK 25/26: £470 plus £335 for the provision of a practice mentor assessor
• Location: Waterside

Overview

Social Work – Practice Educator Professional Standards Stage 1 provides the opportunity for Social Work England registered Social Workers to undertake the role of a Practice Educator.

Highlights

• Assignments are designed to be applied directly to your personal area of practice.
• Wide range of facilities to support your learning.
• You will be allocated a UON social work student.

Entry Requirements

• Candidates will have a social work qualification, be registered with the Social Work England and have a minimum of 2 years’ post qualifying experience.
• Candidates must agree to have a student on a 70-day placement.
• Candidates must have full responsibility in supervising and assessing the student’s practice over the course of the placement.

Course Content

• Domain A – Work with others to organise an effective learning environment.
• Domain B – Teaching, facilitating and supporting learning and professional development in practice.
• Domain C – Manage the fair and transparent assessment of students in practice.
• Domain D – Developing knowledge and continuing performance as a practice educator.

The Stage 1 module will aim to enable candidates to:

• Demonstrate skills in planning, organising, delivering, teaching, assessing and evaluating effective programmes for students undertaking specialist practice.
• Create a challenging and supportive teaching and learning environment for a student and monitor their performance.
• Critically evaluate their supervisory skills and analyse the influence of power and authority in supervision through observational learning and feedback of their practice.

Module Content

Stage 1 seeks to provide candidates with the necessary knowledge and skills to support both undergraduate and postgraduate social work students in their Practice Learning Opportunity.

The module covers:

• Theory and practice in adult learning/ supervision.
• Principles of holistic assessment at the formative and summative stages.
• Direct observation of professional practice and principles of good feedback.
• Managing students who may be underperforming or failing in the placement.

FAQs

• How will I study?: You would be required to attend 1 full week of face-to-face sessions at Waterside plus additional workshops which will be confirmed. You will also be expected to do approximately 3 hours of self-directed study each week.
• How will I be assessed?: The module is assessed by the completion of a Portfolio of Evidence, which candidates need to collate throughout their teaching assessment period with a current social work student. The portfolio includes an observation of practice and a reflective assignment.

Fees and Funding

• 2025/26 Tuition Fees: Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 25/26 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.
• UK – Part Time: £470 plus £335 for the provision of a practice mentor assessor

Staff

• Senior Lecturer in Social Work: Jo Webb
• Senior Lecturer in Social Work: Michelle Walters

Related Courses

• Social Work – Practice Educator Professional Standards Stage 2: Professional development for qualified Social Workers to support the development of student Social Workers.