Practice Educator and Practice Assessor Preparation and Support

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Practice Educator and Practice Assessor Preparation and Support

Practice Educator/Practice Assessor Training

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 Assessors assessing Degree Apprenticeship students, as well as to Practice Educators assessing students on the BA Social Work and Master's in Social Work programmes.

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.

The course fee for 2024/25 for the five-day Practice Educator course is £220, which includes the PEPS Portfolio Endorsement.

Practice Educator 5 Day Course Dates:

Course 1 – November/December 2024 - Sheffield Hallam University City Campus site

5 November 2024, 09.30-15.00

13 November 2024, 09.30-15.00

19 November 2024, 09.30-15.00

28 November 2024, 09.30-15.00

3 December 2024, 09.30-1500

Course 2 - April/May 2025 – Sheffield Hallam University Collegiate Campus site

23 April 2025, 09.30-15.00

29 April 2025, 09.30-15.00

7 May 2025, 09.30-15.00

15 May 2025, 09.30-15.00

22 May 2025, 09.30-15.00

To enquire about booking a place on the Practice Educator Training Course, please contact the Academic Administration Team by e-mail to ;">alliedhealth@shu.ac.uk.

The course can be booked directly via the following link https://store.shu.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/health-wellbeing-life-sciences/courses/social-work-practice-educator-and-practice-assessor-training-course

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, including options to deliver bespoke courses to your organisation, please contact: Deborah Develin at d.develin@shu.ac.uk

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.

PEPS - Portfolio and Endorsement Guidance for new candidates and Fast-Track applicants

New PEPS Candidates

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

All Candidates for Social Work Practice Educator Endorsement, including new and Fast-Track candidates:

Please refer to guidance below:

PEPS Portfolio Submission Dates, 2024/25

  • 25th October 2024
  • 14th January, 2025
  • 25th April, 2025

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:

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.

How to find us

Practice Educator/Placement Supervisor Briefings - Pre-Registration Social Work Programmes (BA Social Work, Masters in Social Work, Degree Apprenticeship Social Work)

MSW Briefing date for Practice Educators and Work Based Supervisors

10.00-11.30 31 August 2023 with Deborah Develin via zoom

BASW Briefing date for Practice Educators and Work Based Supervisors

10.00-11.30 4 October 2023 with Paul Stapleton via zoom

BASW 10 Day Experiential Briefing 

10.00-11.30 7 May 2024 with Deborah Develin via zoom

The following Core areas must be included in all Practice Educator/Work Based Supervisor updates:

  • Social Work England professional standards
  • Overview of the students' university programme
  • Assessment process that occurs in practice
  • Process to follow when a student is failing to progress
  • How to access placement information websites for key information and SHU contacts
  • How to access placement information websites for key information about support available to Mentors/Practice Educators/Supervisors in their role in supporting the students
  • Where SHU placement learning policies are housed on the SHU placement learning websites
  • Processes for escalation of concerns, and the essential need for the placement provider to communicate with the university about any incidents or accidents or concerns

Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP), Post-Registration programme

Please refer to the AMHP Course and Practice Handbooks for guidance.  Contact Alan Marshall for further information.

Resources for Practice Educators

The Department of Social Work, Social Care and Community Studies Research Cafe

  • September 2017 (PDF, 259.9KB) - here you can find Ignazia Bartholini, Senior researcher – University of Palermo's presentation on The intimate enemy: Gender violence between Public Emancipation and Private Oppression of Love. Models of prevention.
  • November 2018 (PDF, 1.5MB) - here you can find the presentation by Marti Taru, Researcher - Tallinn University, Youth work: Impacts and role in society.