Practice Educator Conference April 23 2018


The Sheffield Hallam University Social Work Practice Educator Conference is now an established annual event. This year’s conference brought together over 160 Practice Educators.  Keynote presentations and workshops were planned in response to feedback from past conference delegates that identified areas of focus for professional education and practise.

The first part of the 2018 conference included four keynote presentations:

Mark Doel, Emeritus Professor of Social Work at Sheffield Hallam University, considered professional social work identity and storytelling through Social Work in 42 Objects;

Pete Nelson, Principal Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, presented findings from recent research which considered whether child obesity is a child protection issue;

Suzannah Rockett and Wendy Zayne, Practice Development Manager and Child Protection Conference Chair at Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, reminded participants of the importance of safeguarding in professional Social Work practise;

Steve Chu, Chief Executive at Age UK Sheffield, promoted the contribution of social work to third sector organisations.

During the second part of the 2018 conference, workshops provided Practice Educators with opportunities to meet researchers who shared their work and facilitated discussion about specific aspects of supporting the practise education of students.

Dr Marelize Joubert (Sheffield Hallam University) led the workshop on Social Work students’ perception of their readiness for practice and to practise.

Chrissie Edmonds (Sheffield Hallam University)’s workshop focused on direct observation and its vital role for the practice educator.

Throughout the day, participants were encouraged to network with fellow Social Work professionals from across the sectors, sharing everyday experiences and debating common challenges faced and how these are being met by Social Workers.

Feedback from the day:

“I found it beneficial to hear the guest speakers, attend the workshop (although I would have liked to do both!) and also found it useful to hear and learn from the experiences of other practice educators”.

Enjoyed the good mix of key note speakers and the workshop topics were particularly relevant to Practice Education “.

“I really enjoyed the conference and benefitted from attending.