Practice educator training

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Practice educator training

Practice Educator/Practice Assessor Training

Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) for Social Work - Training and Endorsement Guidance

Social Work England's Guidance on Practice Placements (2023) states "Practice educators should be registered and practising social workers. The role and responsibilities of the practice educator are set out in the Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) for social work refresh published by the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) in July 2019."

British Association of Social Work - PEPS (link to external website)

Please note - Social Work England and the PEPS standards apply to Practice Educators assessing students on the BSc Learning Disability (Nursing) and Social Work, BA Social Work and Master's in Social Work programmes.  They also apply to Practice Assessors assessing Degree Apprenticeship in Social Work students.

Social Work Practice Educator and Practice Assessor Training Course

Our practice educator /practice assessor courses are designed to help you teach, train, supervise, assess and mentor others who are involved in learning and development activities. This course is for you if you are an experienced, Registered Social Worker with a minimum of two years' post-qualifying experience when the Practice Educator / Practice Assessor course commences, and you want to take on the practice educator /practice assessor role for organisations who provide social work placements for Sheffield Hallam University or which are sponsoring a degree apprenticeship social work student. The University places the majority of its BA Social work and Master's in Social Work students in South Yorkshire and North East Midlands. The course content is mapped to the requirements of both PEPS 1 and PEPS 2.

Practice Educator Course 2023/24 - Dates, locations, fees and application details

All courses will be delivered face-to-face. The course fee for 2023/24 for the five-day Practice Educator course is £220, which includes the PEPS Portfolio Endorsement.

Course 1 - November 2023 - all locations are on Sheffield Hallam University's Collegiate Campus site 

  • 2 November 2023, 09.30-15.00 - Collegiate Campus Library, Room C034
  • 9 November 2023, 09.30-15.00 - The Mews, Room N302
  • 15 November 2023, 09.30-15.00 - Saunders Building, Room B003
  • 23 November 2023, 09.30-15.00 - Main Building, Room D005
  • 29 November 2023, 09.30-1500 - Heart of the Campus, Room HC.0.33

Course 2 - April/May 2024

  • 18 April 2024, 09.30-15.00
  • 25 April 2024, 09.30-15.00
  • 2 May 2024, 09.30-15.00
  • 9 May 2024, 09.30-15.00
  • 16 May 2024, 09.30-15.00

Room locations for Course 2 - April/May 2024 will be advertised on this page when they have been confirmed.  

A certificate is issued after complete attendance of all course days. Any missed days will need to be attended before the candidate can be considered as having completed the course. Any partially completed days will be considered as missed days and will need to be attended as such to ensure that the candidate has completed the course.

To enquire about booking a place on the Practice Educator Training Course, please apply to the Academic Administration Team by e-mail to alliedhealth@shu.ac.uk. A member of the team will let you know if there are any places available on the course, and will e-mail you an application form if there are. Spaces are limited on the course and are often filled quickly. It is recommended that you complete your booking as quickly as possible.

For more information about the Practice Educator course please contact:

PEPS - Portfolio and Endorsement Guidance

Following attendance at all five Practice Educator Training days, candidates are required to complete a Portfolio of evidence for Endorsement as a Practice Educator.  Please refer to guidance below:

PEPS Portfolio Endorsement Panel Dates, 2023/24

  • Friday 27th September, 2023
  • Friday 19th January, 2024
  • Friday 5th April, 2024

Please note, PEPS Candidates can submit their completed portfolio at any time to the PEPS@shu.ac.uk inbox. The PEPS team will ensure that portfolios are taken to the most appropriate panel.

Please note, the submission dates for 2023/24 may be subject to change.  Please check this website before submitting your PEPS Portfolio to 

For information about PEPS, including application for Endorsement as a Practice Educator and submission of your PEPS Portfolio for Endorsement, please contact the PEPS team:

On-site Work Based Supervisor Training Course 2023/24

Our one-day on-site work based supervisor training course is for you if you want to become an on-site practice supervisor for organisations who provide social work placements for Sheffield Hallam University. The University places the majority of its students in South Yorkshire and North East Midlands.

Dates, location, fees and application details - 2023/24

  • 13 March 2024, 09.30-15.00

Room locations and course fees will be advertised on this page when they have been confirmed.  For more information about Work Based Supervisor training, please contact:

To enquire about booking a place on the On-site Work Based Supervisor/Mentor Training Course, please apply to the Academic Administration  Team by e-mail to alliedhealth@shu.ac.uk. A member of the team will let you know if there are any places available on the course, and will e-mail you an application form if there are. Spaces are limited on the course and are often filled quickly. It is recommended that you complete your booking as quickly as possible.