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Expectations of leaders

Standard 8: Strategic partnerships

Strategic partnerships

Leaders in social work need to build strong partnerships with education institutions and training providers. This will ensure a steady flow of new social workers.

Developing strategic relationships

Building trust between social work education institutions and training providers is important for the long-term stability of social work and workforce planning. This requires time, effort, and commitment, with clear communication and strong leadership to manage conflicts effectively.

Practice placements

Strategic collaboration improves the quality and consistency of placement options, improving student readiness, retention, and morale. Social Work England offers guidance on practice placements. Social Work England also sets standards about course governance, management and quality, including partnership working and collaboration between placement providers and education providers.

Positive induction

Effective induction improves retention and service quality. High-quality induction helps new practitioners understand their role, the organisation, and community. Specific frameworks support newly qualified practitioners in adult and child social care roles.

The practice educator (PE) role

Practice educators supervise, support, mentor and assess students, ensuring a strong link with education providers and maintaining placement quality. Practice educators must be registered social workers with relevant and current knowledge, skill and experience to support safe and effective learning. Employers who offer robust development paths for practice educators can retain skilled staff, which is important. 

The Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) were developed by the Social Work Reform Board and the College of Social Work in 2013 and updated by British Association of Social Work (BASW) in 2022.
The PEPS reflect the expectations set out in: 
 

The BASW framework for Quality assurance for practice learning supports organisations to check and improve the quality of practice education.

Including social workers in practice learning

Professional development should involve social workers contributing to practice learning, including:

  • promoting and upholding anti-racist practice based on research
  • addressing the impact of austerity and cost of living pressures
  • ensuring effective supervision and ongoing professional development (PEPS standards 5 and 6)

Improving practice education

Professional development for social workers should follow the values set out in the Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS), which include the following requirements for practice educators: 

  • advise learners of their rights and challenge discrimination and racism
  • involve individuals with lived experience in assessing practice education
  • ensure equal opportunity in assessments, considering various social factors
  • manage boundaries, use authority appropriately, and stay updated on adult learning theory
  • reflect on personal values, practice, and development needs

A 2024 scoping review of practice education by Social Work England identifies important areas for change. These include career progression, fair pay, diverse inclusion, and streamlined administrative demands. The review’s recommendations include:

  • setting up a separate part of the professional register for practice educators
  • ensuring fair pay and protected time for the role
  • creating equitable routes into practice education to include diverse voices
  • addressing racism and discrimination within the profession
  • improving administrative demands and assessment frameworks
  • identifying progression opportunities for practice educators


The 2022 Independent review of children’s social care recommended that SWE oversee practice educators more closely.

In 2024, SWE is exploring options for the regulation of practice education and practice educators, in collaboration with the social work sector. It is also undertaking reapproval inspections of all social work course provision in England from 2021-2024.

The education and training standards 2021 will be reviewed and updated guidance developed.  This will include ‘readiness for professional practice’, guidance on the knowledge, skills and behaviours that student social workers should be able to demonstrate in order to meet the professional standards. 

Relevant standards and frameworks relating to social work education include: 

Next page: Benefits of achieving the standard

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The resources have been developed by Research in Practice in collaboration with DfE.
Published: 30 October 2024
Last updated: 30 October 2024