Practice Education: Stage 2 20 credits

On Practice Education Stage 2 you will:

• Extend your practice education skills and knowledge to facilitate the learning and development of a range of learners.
• Take full responsibility for the oversight of pre-qualifying social work students in their final placements.
• Update and enhance your teaching knowledge and skills.
• Fine tune diagnostic, formative and summative assessment knowledge and skills.
• Develop other less experienced practice educators.
• Mentor and supervise other members of staff.

This award will enable you to facilitate the learning and development of a range of learners including pre-qualifying social work students in first and final placements, and newly qualified social workers in their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE). 

Practice Education Stage 2 is an academically accredited module, offered at Postgraduate level and designed in close reference to the updated Practice Education Professional Standards or PEPS (BASW, 2022).

This robust module unfolds over six carefully designed theory and research informed sessions. These sessions build on your prior practice education skills and experience, supporting you to extend your skills in teaching, supporting, supervising and assessing a range of learners.

In Practice Education Stage 2, you will learn how to:

• Work in anti-oppressive ways and manage diverse learner identities.
• Use theory and research informed practice to transform learners.
• Manage learning barriers and/or performance issues.
• Form and sustain active learning communities.
• Work reflexively and promote reflective practice.

The Department of Social Work and Social Care is a multidisciplinary team dedicated to promoting anti-oppressive, relationship-based practice and improving wellbeing across communities. Through impactful research, international collaboration, and strong local partnerships, it provides inclusive and evidence-informed education for professionals at all levels.

Driven by our ambitious aims for social work, the Post-Graduate Practice Education Stage 2 module is designed to support the professional growth of experienced social workers who have a keen interest in learning and development and a commitment to enhancing social work practice for the benefit of citizens.  The module provides varied opportunities to acquire the knowledge and skills to deliver high quality teaching and learning experiences to a range of learners, including social work students and newly qualified social workers in their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) and pre-qualifying social work students with a particular focus on final year students.

The Practice Education Stage 2 module comprises of six teaching sessions. Each session will be delivered over one full day (10am to 4:30pm) scheduled every other week, so that the module teaching is completed over a 10 week period. PE Stage 2 trainees are expected to attend ALL six sessions.

It is delivered fully in-person, ensuring regular face-to-face contact to create a strong and effective learning community. During the module there will be plenty of opportunities to collaborate with your peers to share experiences, learn and develop. We hope that these foundations will foster your on-going professional development as a Practice Educator.

Module dates

September - December 2026.

Assessment

The Practice Education Stage 2 module is academically assessed at 20 credits which means that 200 hours of study is expected. This is achieved through a mix of online independent study, seminars, tutorials, additional reading and research and the oversight of a social work learner on placement.

To complete the module you must:

• Attend all sessions to evidence your engagement.
• Provide a placement with a social work student or ASYE candidate undertaking a placement opportunity for purposes of professional development. To be fully qualified as a Stage 2 Practice Educator, you must have worked with at least one pre-qualifying learner in either Stage 1 or Stage 2 of your Practice Education award.
• Submit a portfolio of 'evidence', which includes two direct observations of the trainee in practice, student or ASYE candidate feedback, and a series of reflections on your teaching, supervision and assessment of the learner.
• Submit a 2500 word academic assignment which is designed to enable you to examine in depth aspect(s) of your development as a practice educator drawing on findings from academic literature and referring to your practice experience. In addition, you will complete a portfolio of practice evidence drawing on your learning from the programme to demonstrate how you have met the PEPS. You will evaluate your own practice identifying ways in which you will seek to develop your skills and the profile of Practice Education within your agency.

To be fully qualified as a Stage 2 Practice Educator, candidates MUST have worked with at least ONE pre-qualifying learner in either Stage 1 or Stage 2 of their Practice Education award. Where the applicant has not previously overseen a pre-qualifying social work learner, they will be required to work with a pre-qualifying social work learnerover the course of the Practice Education Stage 2 module to comply with the professional standards.

In addition, you should evidence your continued interest and commitment to practice education, by having completed activities such as supporting students and other new staff joining teams and services (perhaps as part of induction activities or contributing to staff development workshops).

Furthermore, Practice Education Stage 2 applicants must demonstrate that they are ready to study at Postgraduate level. Usually, evidence of their Practice Education Stage 1 award is sufficient, but if this was not awarded at Masters level, applicants can outline any other post-graduate qualifications held (e.g. a Masters, Post Graduate Certificate or Post Graduate Diploma) or relevant post-qualifying professional training, which has required the demonstration of critical thinking and writing skills.

Please note that most Practice Education Stage 2 applicants are sponsored by their organisations as this helps to ensure professional development opportunities are available, supports those candidates interested in learning and development posts (including ASYE supervisor roles), and facilitates placements for social work students. For this reason, applicants will normally need to liaise with the learning and development department in their organisation prior to any application.

If an applicant is not being sponsored by their organisation (i.e. they are self-funding), they will need to ensure that they can secure an opportunity to teach, supervise and assess a social work student or ASYE candidate, secure a PE Stage 2 qualified Mentor to support and assess them in their PE Stage 2 practise, and have the necessary time to complete the study and the placement.

Application forms will be available towards the end of 2025.

• For all Practice Education enquiries please contact the team at practiceeducation@contacts.bham.ac.uk
• For all Placement Learning enquiries please contact the team at socialworkplacements@contacts.bham.ac.uk