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Practice Educator
Key information
Course Leader: Kim Tran k.tran@herts.ac.uk
Level: 7
Credits: 30
Mode of delivery: The course will be mainly delivered online, apart from the First lecture and the Recall Day. It is facilitated by lecturers with expertise in practice education from the University.
Available places: 40
Dates
- 13/10/2026
- 12/01/2027
Fees and Funding
£1890.00
This price relates to self-funding students assessed as UK/EU students for fee purposes. Prices may differ for students that are assessed as Overseas, or for returning students that are on a course leading to an award. Click here for Fees and Funding information or email us.
Entry Requirements
- Applicants must be qualified social workers, registered with Social Work England (SWE), with at least two years of post-qualified experience, and currently employed within a social work setting.
- Applicants must demonstrate commitment to supporting two social work learners during their training, with at least one being a pre-qualifying learner on a full placement.
Course Overview
The Practice Educator course is designed in line with the Practice Education Professional Standards (PEPS) 2022 to equip trainee Practice Educators (PEs) with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to support, supervise, teach, and assess social work learners in practice settings. Being a combined Stage One and Stage Two Course, it prepares trainee PEs to deliver high-quality learning experiences, reflective supervision, and fair assessment, while embedding adult learning theories, research evidence, supervision models, and assessment frameworks into practice.
Trainee PEs complete 70 hours of direct learning and gain practical experience by supporting two social work learners, alongside regular supervision and observations with a Practice Educator Mentor/Assessor. The course also promotes EDI, anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory, and anti-racist practices throughout practice education.
In addition to structured teaching, trainee PEs benefit from monthly support groups, one-to-one support from course tutors, academic resources from the university, and strong collaboration between the university and their employers, a well-supported learning journey and successful development into confident, reflective Practice Educators.
This 30 credit short course can be studied as part of the MSc Advanced Social Work Practice
Assessment
A practice folder to include
- Peer assessed presentation
- Observations of supervision session
- Mentoring social work learners
- Reflection on development of practice educator
- Evidence of 70-hour learning activities
- A completed placement portfolio for each student